Glittering ceremony opens Beijing Games (from Yahoo)

Glittering ceremony opens Beijing Games

By Martyn Ziegler PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

BEIJING (Ticker)—The eyes of the world were on Beijing as a glittering opening ceremony heralded the start of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.

An audience of 91,000, including many of the world’s heads of state, were in the Bird’s Nest stadium for Friday’s ceremony.

American president George Bush, Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin and French president Nicolas Sarkozy were among the dignitaries while Britain was represented by Olympics minister Tessa Jowell.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will be coming to the closing ceremony, as London will prepare to take the torch for the 2012 Games.

After a build-up dominated by pollution worries, and the occasional protest by human rights campaigners, organizers were relieved to get the ceremony underway.

Some measures of pollution had the level of particulates at almost four times the World Health Organization’s recommended level, and visibility in the Chinese capital was as poor as it has been for two weeks.

The threat of rain appeared to have receded, however, despite some gloomy forecasts.

The opening was carried out by Hu Jintao, president of the People’s Republic of China, as part of a ceremony expected to last 3 1/2 hours.

Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, said in the official program: “Tonight we will witness history being made. For the first time, the Olympic Games are in China, marking not only a major milestone for the Chinese sports movement but also for the entire Olympic movement.

“For 16 days, the Beijing Games will not only be a moment of sporting excellence, they will also be the discovery of other countries and will allow us to share the passion that only an event like the Olympic Games can bring to life.”
The Chinese authorities imposed the strictest of security precautions and deployed an extra 100,000 soldiers and police on the streets Friday evening.
Beijing’s international airport was closed for the duration of the ceremony, and a no-fly zone was imposed in the air above the city.

The Bird’s Nest stadium was protected by rows of tall fences, surveillance cameras and anti-aircraft missile batteries.

A blast of fireworks began the ceremony, followed by 2,008 drummers playing a fou - a Chinese percussion instrument - in perfect unison.

The spectacular continued with 29 giant firework ‘footprints’ - representing the number of modern Olympic Games - from the center of Beijing to the stadium.

A light-show followed, with giant illuminated Olympic rings being raised up from the floor of the stadium.

The sheer scale of the ceremony - a total of 10,300 performers took part - must have made it a daunting sight for the observers from the London 2012 organizing committee.

The cost of the event must have been staggering, too, but the Chinese authorities have refused to say what the total bill for the opening ceremony is.
It is reported to be around $100 million - the most expensive opening ceremony in the history of the Olympics.

Tennis great Roger Federer was Switzerland’s flag-bearer while the United States’ choice was Sudan-born 1,500 meter runner Lopez Lomong, a refugee from the Darfur conflict.

That was potentially embarrassing for the host nation given that China has close ties with Sudan, but the U.S. team still received a warm welcome, as did Iraq’s small team.

The biggest cheer, naturally, was reserved for the entrance of the Chinese team, led by their giant basketball superstar Yao Ming, who plays for Houston Rockets in the NBA.

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