Games in Beijing Open With a Lavish Ceremony
With world leaders watching from inside National Stadium, the 2008 Beijing Olympics began with a ceremony of soaring spectacle and Chinese national pride.
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Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin of Russia declared that “war has started” after Russian and Georgian forces clashed in South Ossetia, a breakaway region of Georgia, in an escalation of the conflict.
With world leaders watching from inside National Stadium, the 2008 Beijing Olympics began with a ceremony of soaring spectacle and Chinese national pride.
Slide Show: Scenes From the Ceremony
Inside the Rings
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