[Gastonleruanich]

!SPOILERS BELOW!






Let the Games begin!


Once-reclusive China commandeered the world stage Friday, celebrating its first-time role as Olympic host with a stunning display of pageantry and pyrotechnics to open a Summer Games unrivaled for its mix of problems and promise.


Chinese soldiers wait for the flag-raising ceremony as fireworks light up Beijing's iconic 'Bird's Nest' national stadium during Friday's opening ceremony.


The ceremony was depicted as the largest, costliest extravaganza in Olympic history, bookended by barrages of some 30,000 fireworks.


Percussionists with their traditional Fou drums are part of three-hour show that includes more than 15,000 performers.


The story presented in Friday's ceremony sought to distill 5,000 years of Chinese history ...


... featuring everything from the Great Wall to opera puppets to astronauts, and highlighting achievements in art, music and science.




The Olympic events were also on display ... it's a sailing theme for these performers.




The Olympic rings are illuminated as Beijing welcomes the world to this once-reclusive nation.


Over 2,000 drummers took part in the ceremony.


The ceremony was taped for broadcast 12 hours later in the United States.


President Hu Jintao of China takes his seat before the start of the opening ceremony as his nation is on display to the world.


Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (l.) and U.S. President George Bush are among the scores of world leaders in China to celebrate the opening of the Summer Games.


First Lady Laura Bush joins her husband for the three-hour extravaganza. Bush is the first U.S. president to attend an Olympics on foreign soil.


A crowd of 91,000 witness the eye-catching show at the National Stadium ...


... with a potential audience of 4 billion worldwide.

Copyright 2008 New York Daily News

[casefexas]

Games in Beijing Open With a Lavish Ceremony


The opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games at the National Stadium in Beijing on Friday.

By JIM YARDLEY and DAVID BARBOZA
Published: August 8, 2008


BEIJING — An ecstatic China, an ancient nation so determined to be a modern power, finally got its Olympic moment on Friday night.

With world leaders watching from inside the latticed shell of the National Stadium, the 2008 Beijing Olympics began with an opening ceremony of soaring fireworks, lavish spectacle and a celebration of Chinese culture and international good will.

At 8 p.m. on the eighth day of the eighth month in the year 2008 — eight being a lucky number in China — the world looked toward Beijing and the 91,000 people inside the National Stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest. The global television audience was estimated to surpass four billion viewers, though in the United States, the opening ceremonies were not carried live.

NBC, which has rights to the Games, will broadcast the footage during prime-time Friday evening, when it expects the most viewers.

“The historic moment we have long awaited is arriving,” President Hu Jintao said earlier Friday at a luncheon with visiting heads of state, including President Bush. “The world has never needed mutual understanding, mutual toleration and mutual cooperation as much as it does today.”

Beneath such grand themes, Beijing on Friday endured more smoggy skies and a tightening security clampdown amid reports of possible terror threats.

Air China Flight 406 returned to Central Japan International Airport after Japanese authorities received an e-mail warning that a bomb aboard the jetliner would be detonated as the plane crossed over the Olympic Village, Kyodo News reported. The international flight had been destined for the Chinese city of Chongqing.

Beijing’s airport, one of the world’s busiest, was already closed during the ceremony as a planned precaution. Out in the city, traffic was restricted on many streets and limited to pre-approved, Olympic-sanctioned vehicles.

Many shops and businesses closed early for security reasons, and hours before the ceremony some areas in this city of about 15 million people seemed almost deserted.

China first bid for the Games was made 15 years ago, only to be rejected, and the Beijing Olympics have been a national priority since the city won its bid in 2001.

Initially, city officials had planned for a festive public celebration. Giant screens had been erected across the city to allow public viewing. But by midday Friday at least one major screening at Chaoyang Park had been canceled because of a lack of security guards.

Meanwhile, some local newspapers advised people to stay home and watch the show on television with family.

“Anyone who tries to disturb the Olympics now by arousing social instability should be severely punished,” said Ma Jie, 53, a taxi driver. “What could be more despicable than that?”

President Bush arrived in Beijing late Thursday night after angering China with a sharp criticism of its human rights record during a speech in Thailand.

But by midday Friday, Mr. Bush was seen chatting with Mr. Hu during a luncheon inside the Great Hall of the People. The two men shared a table with Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda of Japan and even President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, who had once threatened to boycott the opening ceremony.

The Beijing Games are the most politically charged Olympics in decades, especially after China’s suppression of violent Tibetan protests in March drew international criticism and talk of possible boycotts.

Earlier this week, four foreign Tibet independence advocates unfurled a “Free Tibet” banner near the National Stadium before the banner was removed and the advocates were deported.

The authorities also had placed several well-known dissidents under house arrest at a time when an estimated 100,000 police and other security forces were posted around the city.

But even amid such an enormous security presence, many of the people walking the streets near the Olympic Village were giddy and proud that China could show itself to the world.

Yang Bin, a disc jockey, had traveled more than 500 miles, from Chongqing and was playing hip-hop music along the city’s most famous shopping street, Wangfujing.

“I came to Beijing last night to celebrate the Olympics, even though I don’t have a ticket,” Mr. Yang said. “China is never more glorious than today. The whole world is watching us.”

The dazzling opening ceremony, directed by China’s most famous film director, Zhang Yimou, cost tens of millions of dollars, a fraction of the estimated $43 billion that China has spent in building roads, stadiums, parks, subway lines in trying to transform Beijing into an Olympic city. The elaborate production included 15,000 performers and a three-part production focused partly on China’s long history and its desire for goodwill with the rest of the world.

The production was filled with signature Chinese touches: the elaborate choreography of dancers on a giant calligraphy scroll; the undulating rows of Chinese characters, with the character for “harmony” illuminated in light; and the use of masses of people, working in unison into a grand spectacle centered on traditional Chinese history, music, dance and art.

“This is a huge gathering for sports lovers, and I am one of them,” said the famed composer Tan Dun, whose score will be played during gold medal ceremonies. “I think it’s incredible. This is a great honor for my culture.

This is a lot more than about China. If we think this is only China’s moment, it’s a big mistake. It’s the moment of the world.”

Part of what the world has seen this week is smog. Chinese authorities have ordered 2 million vehicles off Beijing’s streets and closed factories throughout the region but the skies have only been sporadically blue. Part of the problem is hot, humid weather absent much wind. But the pollution levels have become a concern for athletes. On Friday, the reading was 94 on a scale of 500; any day above 100 is deemed polluted and in violation of China’s air quality standards.

A ticket to the opening ceremony was one of the toughest to obtain during the Games. One person who did not have a ticket was Lei Xiuying, 61, a peasant. She had traveled more than 2,000 kilometers on a three-day train trip from the southwestern city of Kunming, and was sleeping on a pallet beneath an underpass not far from the National Stadium because she could not afford a hotel room.

But she said she had to be in Beijing, anyway.

I watched television and listened to my radio everyday,” said Ms. Lei, who wore a pin with a portrait of Mao on her shirt. “There was so much exciting news about the Olympics that I decided six months ago to come here and see for myself.”

Jessie Jiang and Chen Yang contributed research from Beijing. Richard Sandomir contributed reporting from New York.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/09/sp...hp&oref=slogin
Copyright 2008 New York Times Company

[EtellaObtaite]

Can't wait to see the ceremonies tonight on NBC

[treawittelf]

I agree. It looks absolutely fantastic!!

[opergolon]

If you can see through the smog.....er,"Humid Hot Air"

[sam]

This thread needs a <b><font color="red">>> SPOILER ALERT

[first_pr]

That was one of the most amazing spectacles I have EVER seen. I actually had goose bumps at one point. The stadium itself was a living thing pulsing with light and colors. Brilliant.

[vulikox]

[quote]This thread needs a <b><font color="red">>> SPOILER ALERT

[Pataacculako]

The opening ceremonies were absolutely midblowing. The visuals, the effects, the pyrotechnics and presentation were something to never forget. What a spectacle of history China displayed.

[Abaronos]

Sports Illustrated

Knife-wielding Chinese man kills U.S. coach's relative



BEIJING (AP) -- A knife-wielding Chinese man attacked two relatives of a coach for the U.S. Olympic men's volleyball team at a tourist site in Beijing, killing one and injuring the other on the first day of the Olympics on Saturday, team officials and state media said.

The man then committed suicide by throwing himself from the second story of the site, the 13th century Drum Tower just five miles from the main Olympics site.

The brutal attack shortly after midday was all the more shocking because of the rarity of violent crime against foreigners in tightly controlled China, which has ramped up security measures even more for the Olympics.

The stabbing came only hours after what by many accounts was the most spectacular opening ceremony in Olympic history and it has already dampened some of the enthusiasm.

"They are deeply saddened and shocked," Darryl Seibel, a spokesman for the U.S. Olympic Committee, said of the volleyball team.

The U.S. Olympic Committee said in a statement that two family members of a coach for the men's indoor volleyball team were stabbed at the Drum Tower "during an attack by what local law enforcement authorities have indicated was a lone assailant."

One of the family members was killed and the other was seriously injured, it said, without giving details.

The official Xinhua News Agency identified the attacker as Tang Yongming, 47, from the eastern city of Hangzhou. It said Tang attacked the two Americans and their Chinese tour guide, who was also injured, at 12:20 p.m. on the second level of the ancient tower, then leapt to his death immediately afterward. The second level of the tower is about 130 feet high.

Seibel said the two Americans who were attacked were not wearing anything that would have identified them as Americans or part of the U.S. team. He could not name the coach.

"They were not wearing apparel or anything that would have specifically identified them as being members of our delegation" or as Americans, he told The Associated Press.

He said it is "too early to say" whether the U.S. delegation or athletes will require additional security.

U.S. Embassy spokesman Richard Buangan said it was aware of an incident involving two Americans and was working with Chinese authorities to find out more. He said U.S. officials were in contact with relatives of the two Americans who are in Beijing.

"Out of respect for the families involved, we can't say more than that," Don Q. Washington, another embassy spokesman, told reporters.

Police blocked off streets leading to the Drum Tower immediately after the attack and cordoned off the area with yellow police tape. Security officers were examining the scene on the tower and below.

Attacks on foreigners in China are extremely rare. A Canadian model was murdered last month in Shanghai, but police said that was because she stumbled onto a burglary.

In March, a screaming, bomb-strapped hostage-taker who commandeered a bus with 10 Australians aboard in the popular tourist city of Xi'an was shot to death by a police sniper.

Shanghai and Beijing are still safer than most foreign cities of their size. Punishments for crimes against foreigners are heavier than for crimes against Chinese, and police-linked neighborhood watch groups are highly vigilant. Chinese are not allowed to own guns.

Even so, the U.S. government now warns Americans against muggings, beatings and even carjackings, especially in the nightlife and shopping districts of large cities.

Built in the 13th century, the Drum Tower is one of the few ancient structures still in Beijing, and was used to tell time in imperial China for the city, using drummers who pounded their instruments to mark the hours. It is located on an important central axis of the city, to the north of the Forbidden City, the former home of the emperor.

The White House said President Bush, who is in Beijing for the opening days of the games, was informed of the incident, and his heart goes out to the families of the victims. It said the administration and the Beijing U.S. embassy have offered those families any assistance they need. Also, U.S. officials have been speaking to Chinese authorities about the incident.

International Olympic Committee spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said in a statement that the committee had received reports of the attack and was in contact with Beijing Games organizers "to find out full details, and are ready to provide whatever assistance we can."

Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[Wheegiabe]

Mariel Zagunis wins first gold for U.S. leading sweep in women's saber

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Saturday, August 9th 2008, 9:40 AM


Mariel Zagunis celebrates after winning first gold medal for U.S. at Beijing Olympics with 15-8 victory over Sada Jacobson.

BEIJING - Mariel Zagunis won the first U.S. gold medal of the Beijing Olympics, leading an American sweep Saturday in women's saber fencing.

Zagunis, the 2004 saber champion, took the gold with a 15-8 victory over Sada Jacobson, who took the silver. Becca Ward took the bronze.

When Zagunis won four years ago, she was the first American in a century to win a fencing gold. Now, it's becoming commonplace in this event. The U.S. will also be favored to win the team competition in women's saber.

Before the fencing medals were awarded, the Americans had been shut out of Olympic medals completely, trailing the likes of Cuba, North Korea, Taiwan and Uzbekistan in the overall standings. Now, the US is the only country with three medals.

Jacobson, of Dunwoody, Ga., won the bronze in 2004. She was the top seed in this year's competition but couldn't overcome Zagunis in the final.

Zagunis, of Beaverton, Ore., led throughout the gold medal bout - her most lopsided win of the tournament.

Zagunis and Ward, members of the same Oregon fencing club, met in the semifinals. Zagunis prevailed 15-11, and Ward left the competition area in tears.

"That was probably the hardest bout I've ever fenced in my career," Zagunis said.

Ward still looked shaken when she came out for the bronze medal match, and she fell behind 6-1 to Russia's Sofiya Velikaya. But the 18-year-old from Portland, Ore., rallied for a dramatic 15-14 victory that ensured a U.S. sweep.

Copyright 2008 New York Daily News

[Garry Richardson]

Your mission, Mr. Phelps:

[fedelwet]

this guy is unreal. ^^^ Lets see what team USA basketball can do. Return the gold!!! I waited 4 long, hard years for this..

[stoneeZef]

That was one of the most amazing spectacles I have EVER seen. I actually had goose bumps at one point. The stadium itself was a living thing pulsing with light and colors. Brilliant.

One good thing about New York not getting the 2012 games is that we would never have put on a show anywhere near as spectacular.

This city would have done a weak show with dancing Statue of Liberty's or something corny like that.

Sadly, creativity, imagination and the ability to wow are no longer this city's strong points.

[ftpsoft]

Michael Phelps was awesome tonight.

He really came through at the end of his 400 meter race which was really cool to watch.

[TessUnsonia]

One good thing about New York not getting the 2012 games is that we would never have put on a show anywhere near as spectacular.

This city would have done a weak show with dancing Statue of Liberty's or something corny like that.

Sadly, creativity, imagination and the ability to wow are no longer this city's strong points.

Disagree. 84 LA - with the concert pianos playing Gershwin in unison was probably the most memorable opening Ive seen.

The real tragedy for London (and not NY) is that there will be comparisons to the modern police state and the history of the elites of England (the spreading of glorious culture through imperialism and exploitation) with the CCP.

They are already being made now in the English press. Go to the Guardian website if you dont believe me.

[Ecurrexchangess]

Your opinion...
mine-84 LA-

[moopogyOvenny]

See, you actually remembered it.

So it worked.

I said most memorable, not the most busy/diverse/best.

[Soolfelpecelf]

I DON"T remember it -cause i thought it sooo bad from the get go I couldn't even watch it

[frequensearules]

I believe this is what Gregory Tenenbaum is talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vg9Lh1WxlA