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Under the theme "One World, One Dream,¡± the 29th Olympic Games opens in Beijing at 8 p.m. on Friday with a sumptuous opening ceremony. Some 10,500 athletes from 205 countries compete for 302 gold medals in 28 events until Aug. 24 in the largest-ever games.
It seems that China, which is seeking to win top place for the first time in the history of the games, and the U.S., the world's sports superpower, will compete fiercely with each other.
China is the third Olympic host country in Asia following Japan for the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 and South Korea for the Seoul Olympics in 1988. It has spent more than US$40 billion on building new stadiums, roads and subways. Already a global political and economic powerhouse, China is making no secret of its intention to show its power in culture and sports as well with the Olympics. For this reason, it has invested US$100 million in the opening and closing ceremonies, which allow it to show off its rich heritage to people around the world.
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Chinese gymnast Li Shanshan performs on the balance beam during podium training at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing on Thursday. /AP
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Fuwa, the five official mascots of the Beijing Olympics, symbolize the playful qualities of five little blessed children. The mascots also embody the natural characteristics of four of China's most popular animals -- the fish, the panda, the Tibetan antelope, the swallow -- and the Olympic flame. Each carries each color of the five Olympic rings -- Beibei (fish, blue), Jingjing (panda, black), Huanhuan (Olympic flame, red), Yingying (Tibetan antelope, yellow), and Nini (swallow, green). Together, the names form the sentence "ÝÁÌÈ?çÊ?(Beijing huanying ni),¡± which means "Beijing welcomes you."
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Fuwa, the five official mascots of the Beijing Olympics.
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Since the 2000 Sydney Olympics, both South and North Korean teams have marched together during opening ceremonies of the Olympics and other major international sports events. But the two Korean teams do not march together for the Beijing Olympics due to objections from North Korea.
South Korea, which is sending a total of 389 athletes to compete in 25 events, has set a goal of winning more than 10 golds and is poised to defend its position as a member of the top 10 group of countries in the Olympiad.
Lee Elisa, the secretary general of the Korea National Training Center, said, "About eight gold medals are within our grasp. I expect our athletes can win one or two more golds in judo, wrestling, fencing, or men's gymnastics."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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