China Hopes For 'Greatest' Games

The 2008 Olympics begin officially in Beijing on Friday with more than 200 countries taking part in the opening ceremony at the Bird's Nest stadium. A three-hour spectacular is promised, starting at 1300 BST, with basketball star Yao Ming to carry the hosts' flag.

"Of course we hope that these will be a great Games, even the greatest," said organisers' spokesman Sun Weide. But concerns over pollution which have dogged the Games remain, and organisers are hoping rain may improve conditions. Seventeen of the 28 sports feature action on Saturday, with the Games running until 24 August. The Games are expected to attract a record TV audience of four billion - over 100 million more than for the 2004 Athens Olympics.

A capacity crowd of around 90,000 will watch the opening ceremony in the famous stadium in the heart of Olympic Green. Some details of the ceremony, which has been directed by Chinese film director Zhang Yimou, have been released but organisers say there are set to be several surprises.

International Olympic Committee chairman Jacques Rogge on Thursday praised China's "extraordinary" efforts to reduce pollution. But he said, if it was bad, endurance events which last more than an hour could be shifted or postponed. The haze looks set to remain for the opening ceremony, although organisers forecast that pollution will stay just within healthy levels for the day. Guo Hu, the director of the Beijing Meteorological Observatory, said on Friday: "If the visibility is not good it does not mean the air quality is not good.

"We believe that the weather for the opening ceremony will be cloudy. From noon until early evening we may have some brief rain." IOC medical commissioner Arne Ljungqvist said of the pollution threat: "We have to be ready for such an unlikely situation to happen." The first such event is the 250km men's cycling road race, which starts in the heart of Beijing at 0400 BST (11am in China) and is due to last more than six hours.

That road race gold is one of seven available on Saturday, with judo player Craig Fallon aiming to win Great Britain's first medal of the Games. China's Du Li could win the first gold for the host country when she defends her title in the women's 10m air rifle. And American swimming star Michael Phelps also begins his quest to win an unprecedented eight Olympic golds in a single Games as he competes in the heats of the 400m individual medley. In all, nearly 11,000 athletes from around the world will compete for around 1,000 medals in 302 events.

The host nation are fielding their biggest ever Olympic team with 639 athletes competing in all 28 sports at the Olympics for the first time, in a bid to top the medals table ahead of the United States. Other events taking place on Saturday's opening day include beach volleyball, men's gymnastics, rowing and equestrian. The equestrian competition in Hong Kong is one of several taking place outside Beijing, with Qingdao hosting the sailing competition and Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenyang and Qinhuangdao co-hosting the football tournament. China has come under close scrutiny since Beijing was chosen in 2001 to host the Olympics. Demonstrations dogged the Olympic torch relay during its journey around the world. China's treatment of Tibet has been the subject of much of the controversy, and campaigners such as Amnesty International claim that journalists in China are still detained and websites blocked. Beijing has always promised to make improvements in human rights, media freedoms and the provision of health and education.

Following the withdrawal of boxer Frankie Gavin who failed to make the weight for the 60 kg lightweight division, British medal hopes rest with the likes of triple jumper Phillips Idowu, BMX rider Shanaze Reade and sailor Ben Ainslie, as well as 14-year-old diver Tom Daley among others.

There has been a security crackdown across Beijing in advance of the high-profile event, with thousands of armed police deployed and areas of the city centre locked down. Many of the city's 17m residents stayed at home after the Beijing authorities declared a public holiday to mark the auspicious start at 8pm (1300 BST) on 08/08/08 - the number eight is very lucky in China. Beijing airport is set to shut down just ahead of the start of the ceremony to be attended by world leaders such as Chinese President Hu Jintao and US counterpart George W Bush.