By Guest Blogger Bo Durkop
A vast array of pyrotechincs blazed across the Bejing skyline as China kicked off the 2008 Summer Olympics. The ceremony offered an assortment of entertainment to 91,000 individuals in attendence at the National Stadium known as the Bird’s Nest.
In a stunning display, approximately 29,000 fireworks and 15,000 performers took part in the ceremony, showcasing China’s ancient history and cultural diversity. Basketball star, Yao Ming, led the Chinese national team amid a enthusiastic crowd, while Lopez Lomong, a former Sudanese refugee, carried the flag for the United States national team. An estimated 10,000 athletes from 205 …read more

Eight years ago, Lopez Lomong–a competitor in the men’s 1500m–was a refugee from Sudan, a boy without a country. He was featured in the documentary “Lost Boys of Sudan” and immigrated to the United States, becoming a citizen in 2007. This year, he is representing his new country in the Olympics. In return, the US has honored Lomong by choosing him to carry the US flag in the Opening Ceremonies. “It’s more than a dream,” he told the Associate Press yesterday.
The Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremonies begin tomorrow at 8pm Beijing time (8am EDT). The (taped) event will be broadcast on …read more

Our final look at past Olympic opening ceremonies before the Beijing Games begin tomorrow: the Opening Ceremonies at Athens in 2004. Take a look:

Another in our series of Olympic opening ceremonies, here is the torch lighting at the Sydney Games:

We continue our look at past Olympic opening ceremonies. Today, we remember that beginning of the 1992 Games in Barcelona:

As we continue our look at Olympic opening ceremonies, here are the highlights from the events that opened the 1988 Games in Seoul.

As we count down to the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games, we’re going to look at past Olympic opening ceremonies…one each day until we get to Beijing. Below is a video with the highlights from the Los Angeles Opening Ceremonies.