“Lavish” fireworks, “colourful” dancing by ethnic groups, and performers portraying 5,000 years of Chinese history are among the highlights of the Beijing Games Opening Ceremony, according to state media. The “extravagant” 3-1/2 hour Opening Ceremony could also include performances such as traditional Chinese opera, kung fu, pandas, and acrobats representing China’s culture from ancient to modern times. China Daily reports the theme of the ceremony is “Civilization and Harmony”. The name of the torchbearer lighting the Olympic cauldron at the end of the Opening Ceremony has not yet been announced.
A locust infestation in northern China is being battled by more than 33,000 exterminators in the hopes of preventing a potentially disastrous migration to Beijing during the Games. The insects routinely plague the Inner Mongolia region and have damaged 1.3 million nectars of grassland in three areas near Beijing, said the official Xinhua News Agency Tuesday. About 200 tons of pesticides, 100,000 sprayers and four planes will be used to stop the pest infestation. It’s not clear how serious a threat the locusts are to the Beijing Games.
Construction officials confirmed Wednesday the opening of three new subway lines in Beijing have been delayed ahead of the Beijing Games. The Olympic Line, which is expected to ferry hundreds of thousands of visitors to and from the sporting venues, will not open until mid-July, several weeks later than planned. DPA reports the company responsible blamed the delay on a lack of clarity about fares on the new airport rail link. Because all three subway lines are to open simultaneously, Lines 8 and 10 will not be running before the middle of the month. According to DPA the new subway lines are one of the most important infrastructure elements and are expected to carry up to five million people a day during the Games.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Wednesday that the anti-doping effort at the Games will be more extensive than ever, with more than 4,500 tests administered, 25 per cent more than were conducted during the Athens 2004 Games and 90 per cent more than the number of tests in Sydney in 2000. From July 27 to August 24 the IOC, in cooperation with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Beijing Organizing Committee, competitors will be tested at any time and at any place. In a change of policy athletes will be tested whether they are at an Olympic venue, the Olympic Village or at a far-away training facility. All controls will be coordinated under the IOC, while WADA will conduct pre-competition controls during the Olympic period on Olympic athletes not in Olympic venues, and BOCOG will conduct controls at the Olympic venues.
