China Welcomes World To 2008 Olympics

Games Begin Amid Controversy Over Rising Power's Human Rights Record

(CBS/AP)  Once-reclusive China commandeered the world stage Friday, celebrating its first-time role as Olympic host with a stunning display of pyrotechnics and pageantry - topped by the unworldly sight of a flying gymnast, traversing the heights of the stadium to light the flame and begin the Summer Games.

Now ascendant as a global power, China welcomed scores of world leaders to an opening ceremony watched by 91,000 people at the eye-catching National Stadium and a potential audience of 4 billion worldwide. It was depicted as the largest, costliest extravaganza in Olympic history, bookended by barrages of some 30,000 fireworks.

It ended in spectacular fashion, when China's first Olympic superstar, 1984 six-time gymnastics gold medalist Li Ning, was hoisted by wires to the top of the stadium, circled the entire circumference as though he was spacewalking, then used his torch to send a torrent of flame spiraling upward to light the Olympic flame in a huge cauldron overlooking Beijing.

That was preceded by the parade of athletes, climaxing with the entry of the 639-strong Chinese team; It was led by flag-bearer and basketball idol Yao Ming alongside a 9-year-old schoolboy who survived May's devastating earthquake in Sichuan province.

The welcome - by a frenzied, chanting, flag-waving crowd that sought to cool itself with paper fans in the stifling heat - was thunderous. And moments later, the crowd erupted again when President Hu Jintao declared the games formally open.

U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin were among the glittering roster of notables who watched China make this bold declaration that it had arrived. Mr. Bush, rebuked by China after he raised human-rights concerns this week, is the first U.S. president to attend an Olympics on foreign soil.

Security, tight for weeks in the run-up to the Games, was "heavier than the stifling August air," reported CBS News correspondent Jeff Glor - particularly in light of new threat made by an Islamic separatist group that shows a burning Olympic logo and mock explosion over Beijing's national stadium.

Already an economic juggernaut, China is given a good chance of overtaking the U.S. atop the gold-medal standings with its legions of athletes trained intensely since childhood. One dramatic showdown will be in women's gymnastics, where the U.S. and Chinese teams are co-favorites; in the pool, Chinese divers and U.S. swimmers are expected to dominate.

The run-up to the games had epic story lines - China investing $40 billion to build the needed infrastructure, reeling from the catastrophic earthquake in May, struggling right up to Friday to diminish Beijing's stubborn smog. China's detentions of political activists, its crackdown on uprisings in Tibet and its economic ties to Sudan - home of the war-torn Darfur region - fueled relentless criticisms from human rights groups and calls for an Olympic boycott.

Second-guessed for awarding the games to Beijing, the International Olympic Committee stood firmly by its decision. It was time, the committee said, to bring the games to the homeland of 1.3 billion people, a fifth of humanity.

"For a long time, China has dreamed of opening its doors and inviting the world's athletes to Beijing for the Olympic Games," IOC President Jacques Rogge said in his speech. "Tonight, that dream comes true."

Rogge mentioned the Sichuan earthquake, saying the world was moved "by the great courage and solidarity of the Chinese people." And he exhorted the assembled athletes, as role models for the world's youth, to "reject doping and cheating."

The story presented in Friday's pageantry 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. Roughly 15,000 people were in the cast, all under the direction of Zhang Yimou, whose early films often often ran afoul of government censors for their blunt portrayals of China's problems.

He produced some majestic and ethereal imagery - at one point a huge, translucent globe emerged from the stadium floor, and acrobats floated magically around it to the accompaniment of the games' theme song, "One World, One Dream."

The show's script steered clear of modern politics - there were no references to Chairman Mao and the class struggle, nor to the more recent conflicts and controversies. The ceremony was taped for broadcast 12 hours later in the United States.

A record 204 delegations paraded their athletes through the stadium - superstars such as tennis great Roger Federer and basketball's Kobe Bryant, as well as plucky underdogs from Iraq, Afghanistan and other embattled lands. The nations were marching not in the traditional alphabetical order but in a sequence based on the number of strokes it takes to write their names in Chinese. The exceptions were Greece, birthplace of the Olympics, which was given its traditional place at the start, and the Chinese team, which lined up last.

Athletes from Japan, an old foe and current economic rival of China, were greeted coolly by the crowd even though they waved tiny Chinese flags. But cheers erupted for the next delegation, Taiwan, which China considers a breakaway province that should reunite with the mainland.

The U.S. team - second-largest after China's with nearly 600 members - was welcomed loudly, with many in crowd recognizing the basketball stars who brought up the rear. Mr. Bush rose from his VIP seat to wave at the athletes, nattily dressed in white trousers, blue blazers, red-white-and-blue-striped ties and white caps.

"It was a breathtaking experience walking into the stadium," said Oganna Nnamani, a volleyball player from Bloomington, Ill. "I am thankful to be part of this moment."

"This is the biggest stage," said LeBron James, who hopes to lead the U.S. basketball team to a gold medal.

The American flag-bearer was 1500-meter runner Lopez Lomong, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, who spent a decade of his youth in a refugee camp in Kenya. He's a member of the Team Darfur coalition, representing athletes opposed to China's support for Sudan. On Friday he avoided any criticism and said the Chinese "have been great putting all these things together."

Abroad, human rights activists were less generous.

"The Chinese government and the International Olympic Committee have wasted a historic opportunity to use the Beijing Games to make real progress on human rights in China," said Sophie Richardson of Human Rights Watch.

For Chinese dissidents who have dared to challenge the Communist Party's monopoly on power, the start of the Olympics meant tighter surveillance and restrictions.

"It's not my Olympic Games," said Jiang Tianyong, a human rights lawyer. "It's not the games for the ordinary people."

By all indications, however, most Chinese have embraced the games, buying up tickets at a record pace, volunteering by the thousands for Olympic duties, nursing expectations of triumphs by their home team.

To their eyes, the omens were good. The ceremony began at 8 p.m. on the eighth day of the eighth month of 2008 - auspicious in a country where eight is the luckiest number.

"It not easy to meet with such a date," said Wang Wei, secretary general of Beijing Organizing Committee. "Hopefully this lucky day will bring luck."

[terrorislamw]

CHINA STINKS,,,

ALWAYS HAS,,, ALWAYS WILL,,,

the U.S. government has warned Americans against muggings, beatings and even carjackings, especially in the nightlife and shopping districts of large cities.

[cfin5]

......But to me, "WRESTLING" is the King of Sports. My memories of it strengthen and humble me at the same time. NEVER, and I mean NEVER!...have it in your pride that your gonna put it to somebody. That''s the quickest route available for your opponent to be given a six minute "horsey back ride",.....by YOU! The times I have crawled off the mat from exhaustion,....both physically and mentally, UGH! It has made my labor for my family''s sake for decades since seem as a mere warm up. I am also thankful for my losses,.....the big head is an enemy in everything.

[cfin5]

COOL! The first American Gold Medal in this Olympics was a sweep up in the "SABERS" with the Gold, Silver, and the Bronze! Congratulations Mariel Zagunis with the Gold, Sada Jacobson with the Silver, and Becca Ward with the Bronze......I like that sport,.....it''s easy for me to translate into my hopes and efforts for my countrymen and friends here on this board that CBS has provided. By the way,...Thank you CBS!

[ocasanas]

So far I haven''t seen any of the Olympic Games. Although watching the Olympic Games is a tribute to the athletes of the world and the very Chinese citizens. I am NOT planning on watching them because their Government (and police) doesn''t want us to "watch" their other side of China, the one of civil rights, the one of Tibet, the one of poverty. Why should I see what the government of China has created for the world to see if it''s just an illusion? When China is totally a democracy, I''ll watch the games, the recorded ones, many years from now. Go people of China! Go athletes! Go away their "phony" government who tells our miserable president GWB to "not to interfere in their country issues". Oh boy! When are we going to have a world where every body has liberties (without hurt).

[stevenga777]

NBC blacksout Olympic ceremony in America - American fans angered
Aug 8, 4:32 pm EDT

Buzz Up Print
NEW YORK (AFP) - The rest of the world might have been dazzled by the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony but angry US viewers clamoring for a glimpse of the spectacle on Friday were made to wait after a media blackout.

US network NBC, which owns exclusive rights to Olympics coverage in the United States, refrained from showing the opening ceremony live, preferring instead to delay coverage by 12 hours for a prime-time evening slot.

A spokesman for NBC, which paid nearly 900 million dollars for Olympic broadcast rights, said the decision was taken to maximize viewing figures.

"It''''s a business decision," the spokesman told AFP. "It protects our affiliates, our advertisers, and shows it to the largest number of viewers possible," he added.

Bizarrely, the co-hosts of NBC''''s breakfast television show barely mentioned the ongoing ceremony during their broadcast, which was reportedly pre-taped.

[zorar-2009]

Anbody that believes or thinks the "Peoples Republic of China" cares about it''''s "Peoples" freedoms & freedoms of belief" are totaly mistaken and have theirs heads buried in DEEP sand..

"NBC" ie: GE & others that turn a blind eyed care about one thing only Coporate Profits at the expense of the Tibetans & other Chinese minorities

[sharncedar]

AntiZion: It was the most impressive artistic display in the history of human existence.

You can''t be serious. It was a typical Chinese production, lots of precison, very busy, no soul. Like the whole country, it was a lot of activity without an overall purpose. Al that was showcased was the intensity of the oppression of the human spirit, how so many people could be forced by their poverty and mental slavery to act in a coordinated fashion with precision, this was a gigantic demonstration of the slavery fot he mind - 12,000 performers forced to give their utmost to another person''s vision, forced to spend their life''s energy being a very small and insignificant part of some oppressive jerk''s grand design. It was like a model of China itself - millions slaving away at trivial actions without freedom of expression so that the very few can have total power and control.

Calling that wasteful and contrived spectacle "great" is like calling the summary execution and cannibalism of 10 million people great, because wow so many people and so much blood, how amazing. It was just big, and opprssive, and showed the low regard the Chinese and their corporate sponsors have for the individual human being.

I thought the good part was the

[antizion]

The US media also cut out countries the oilmen don''t like such as Venezuela. How pathetic can these thought Nazis get?

[stevenga777]

NBC blacksout Olympic ceremony in America - American fans angered
Aug 8, 4:32 pm EDT

Buzz Up Print
NEW YORK (AFP) - The rest of the world might have been dazzled by the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony but angry US viewers clamoring for a glimpse of the spectacle on Friday were made to wait after a media blackout.

US network NBC, which owns exclusive rights to Olympics coverage in the United States, refrained from showing the opening ceremony live, preferring instead to delay coverage by 12 hours for a prime-time evening slot.

A spokesman for NBC, which paid nearly 900 million dollars for Olympic broadcast rights, said the decision was taken to maximize viewing figures.

"It''s a business decision," the spokesman told AFP. "It protects our affiliates, our advertisers, and shows it to the largest number of viewers possible," he added.

Bizarrely, the co-hosts of NBC''s breakfast television show barely mentioned the ongoing ceremony during their broadcast, which was reportedly pre-taped.

[antizion]

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

It was the most impressive artistic display in the history of human existence. It is amazing what a healthy population free of the mind destroying drugs of fluoride, aspartame, MSG, mercury, DEA, etc can accomplish.

My hat is off to China! The US is no longer number 1 thanks to the Rothschild / Rockafeller crime syndicate that controls everything that matters in the US.

[andrew_693]

in other news, terrorislam is back on prozac again.

[andrew_693]

Best inaugural ceremony ever. If you read newspapers from around the world you will see.

[farkusa]

China is imprisoning political dissidents, American is killing and imprison political dissidents - people who do not support their efforts to steal oil from their countries - IRAG, IRAN, MIDDLE EAST. You american people, judge for yourself

[mgpm-2009]

I was very moved by the nine year old boy leading the Chinese delegation. He was a survivor of the earthquake. 20 of the 30 children in his class died. He crawled out of the wreckage and then went back in and saved two of his classmates because he said he was a leader in his class (a hall monitor or some such thing). Now he''s a national hero. God bless his little heart. I am not a fan of the Chinese government, but was impressed by the opening ceremonies and the fervent hope of the Chinese people for these games. I personally hope it is a harbinger of good things for the ordinary Chinese people.

[acarponzo]

That drum thing was a bit to bopping for me!

Get your bops in at

http://www.bop-o-rama.com

Your bops really count!!!!!

"Bop early and bop often." --Alphonso Carponzo

[deacon20081]

The opening ceremony was really spectacular, I won''t have time to watch the games but I hope the USA can get back some of it''s pride in our country through our athletes. We can use something to feel prideful about these days. The Republicans can''t even screw- this up....well mabye they can since Dubya is there.

[blitzder]

Capital punishment for burgalry, prositution, speaking ones mind is the norm in China, they will asimilate their masses or put them to sleep
where were you educated on the moon?
get real dude, another mindless post--Posted by zorar at 02:10 PM : Aug 08, 2008
--------------------------------

Can''t trust any of the corrupt lying American media for what you charge about China. You are the one who is mindless for believing all the useless rags you read and post. If Fox News is where u get your information, sounds like YOU were educated in Hannity & Bill O''Riellys''s toilet.

[lovegetpeace]

Folks,
Let''s welcome the new China Empire of the world with honor and respects.

America got it own human rights violations like gitmo.

[wardoglrs]

Gee I wonder if the 1.2 million poor people that lost
there homes got a ticket.

[erasmus81]

FlangeSqueal

Get some help and get a life!