A Spectacular Opening to the 29th Olympiad

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Day 1: Olympic Ceremony

Post reporter Amy Shipley talks about the extravagant ceremony that opened the 2008 Summer Games at the National Stadium in Beijing.

» LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY

Chinese, who placed third in the medal count in 2000 in Sydney and second in 2004 in Athens, are hoping to end the Games with the largest share of medals, dramatizing their new status in the world. Many were looking forward -- with some trepidation -- to a game scheduled Sunday between the U.S. and Chinese basketball teams.

President Bush, who attended the Opening Ceremonies, has said that game is high on his agenda as well. After attending a luncheon Friday hosted by Hu for visiting dignitaries, Bush greeted U.S. Olympic competitors for a pre-Games pep talk.

"There are going to be a lot of people pulling for you," he said. "We want you to win as many golds as you can."

To enhance security and prevent protests, an estimated 100,000 police and soldiers were deployed around the country Friday. Their sometimes heavy-handed measures drew complaints from foreigners unaccustomed to the no-nonsense attitude of law enforcement personnel in China.

"This is not like Athens, where you could go anywhere and take photos of everything," said Truls Mansson, 42, who attended those 2004 Games in Greece as well as the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. "It's frustrating sometimes. The week before, it's been 'stop here,' 'stop here,' 'don't go there.' "

Chinese security officials had reason to be nervous. The Japanese Transport Ministry said an Air China passenger jet was forced to make an emergency return to Japan because an anonymous bomb threat was e-mailed to the airline soon after the plane had taken off for Beijing, according to the Associated Press. Four other flights were delayed because of the threat.

A little-known group, the Turkestan Islamic Party, warned in a video distributed earlier this week that Muslims should not attend the Olympic Games or travel in vehicles used by Chinese because of the danger of an attack. It contained graphics showing the Beijing Olympic logo in flames. An attack Monday blamed on Muslim Uighur extremists in China's far-western Xinjiang region killed 16 Chinese paramilitary border guards and injured 16 others.

A Hong Kong newspaper, Ming Pao, reported that two bus explosions occurred Wednesday on one of Beijing's main thoroughfares, Chang'an Jie, slightly injuring several people. Chinese authorities did not confirm the report.

The massive security deployment in Beijing was designed to prevent protests as well as violence. But the Paris-based news media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders managed to work around it. Members hijacked an FM radio beam for about 20 minutes Friday morning and, with an indistinct signal, broadcast interviews with human rights advocates and appeals for freedom of expression in China before being knocked off the air.

"Despite everything, there are people who are going to be able to speak out about things you don't want the public to hear, in the very heart of Beijing," the group quoted its secretary general, Robert Ménard, as saying during the broadcast.

Three American advocates for Tibetan independence were detained by police after showing a Tibetan flag near the National Stadium shortly before the Opening Ceremonies, the New York-based Students for a Free Tibet said. They were identified as Jonathan Stribling, 27, of Oakland, Calif.; Kalayaian Mendoza, 29, of New York; and Cesar Pablo Maxit, 32, of the District.

The rain, although sparse and short-lived, was a welcome arrival for Chinese officials eager to prevent pollution from becoming an issue during the Games.