2000 Olympic Games Open, Yemens Participation Modest [Archives:2000/38/Last Page]

Sydney- After seven-year preparation, the curtain of the 2000 Olympic Games was raised here Friday evening.
Viewed by billions of spectators worldwide, Australian Governor General Sir William Deane announced opening of the games, which inherit tradition and herald future of the Olympic Movement. Before any sports with records go underway, the Olympic Games itself has already set a record with the most participants in its history 11,000 athletes from 200 countries and regions.
While the Yemeni Olympic team is considered the smallest, Arab teams participating in this gigantic sport demonstration would enter competitions with modest asset.
At the Melbourne Olympics 44 years ago, athletes from East and West Germany walked together during the 1956 Games. When the Koreans marched into the center stage hand in hand, the packed stadium crowd including International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch gave them a standing ovation, applauding their re-unification at the Olympics. The Chinese sports delegation was the 40th marching into the stadium. The 284 Chinese athletes will compete in 166 events in 24 sports.
At 23:10 Sydney local time, Cathy Freeman, an Australian heroine from Aboriginal descent, lit the cauldron with the Olympic flame, which was ignited from the suns rays at a special ceremony in Olympia, Greece and relayed to the Olympic Stadium after touring the host country in the last 99 days.
The torch was carried into the stadium by a relay of veteran Australian women athletes before being passed to the world 400 meters champion and Australias best hope for a gold medal. The organizers of the Sydney Games have vowed to make it the most environmental friendly in Olympic history. Their efforts are rewarding and the Games may set an example for next games host, Athens and 2008 Games bidders Beijing, Osaka, Paris, Toronto and Istanbul.
Days before the opening ceremony, Sydney has already sent a signal to the world that it is ready for the games although transportation problems and doping scandal marred at the eve of the games. Athletes, officials and journalists have complains about the traffic schedule while bus drivers were furious about their poor working conditions.
Prior to the opening of the games, Several athletes including two weightlifters withdrew from the games due to drugs offense. Former Olympic medalist Traean Ciharean of Romania pulled out of the competitions on Friday after he tested positive for a banned substance. American drugs chief Barry McCaffrey said hours before the opening ceremony that random tests by the World Anti-Doping Agency over the past few months have turned up several positive results. The IOC has been working hard to eliminate doping from sports and the Sydney Games could be a turning point. For the first time in Olympics, athletes commit themselves to a sport without doping and without drugs at the opening ceremony. The we wont cheat clause was inserted into the traditional olympic oath, which was read on behalf of all athletes by Australian womens hockey team captain Rechelle Hawkes at the ceremony. Apart from drugs offense, the IOC has also been fighting against the corruption after the money-for-vote story of Salt Lake City was revealed two years ago. In its reform and battle to re-establish IOCs credibility, 10 IOC members were expelled. The Games competitions were scheduled to be in full swing starting from Saturday. (Xinhua, Agencies)

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