Athens Olympics declared open

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Athens - The 28th edition of the summer Olympic Games were declared officially open here on Friday by Greek President Costis Stephanopoulos during a lavish opening ceremony.

With five rings ablaze in the middle of a manmade sea, the Olympics returned to its birthplace in an epic homecoming heralded by a pounding heartbeat, a galloping centaur and an array of Greek gods followed by the the biggest parade of nations in the games' history.

"The Olympic Games: Welcome back to Greece!" an announcer cried to kick off the opening ceremony.

It was a moment many doubted Greek organisers could pull off, after years of worrisome delays and constant pressure to bolster the most expensive security network in Olympic history.

The ceremony also closed an important circle in sports, from the Games' innocent rebirth in 1896 to the latest gathering in an age beset by fears of terrorism and instability.

"Greece is standing before you. We are ready. ... We have waited long for this moment," said the games' chief organiser, Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki.

At dusk, a countdown video filled the screen at the Olympic Stadium - whose new weblike canopy was bolted into place only last month.

The numbers clicked down from 28: one second for each of the games scheduled since the first modern Olympiad in an all-marble arena in central Athens.

Each tick of the clock was accompanied by the amplified sound of a human heartbeat.

Then, with a blast of fireworks around the stadium roof, the ceremony was fully under way. Minutes later, the five Olympic rings were ablaze.

"We did it! We did it!" chanted a group of Greeks in the stand waving their flag.

A round-the-clock work blitz - under broiling sun and blinding spotlights - managed to pull together the vast network of venues, transport links, villages and security needed for the athletes and heads of state at the first Summer Games since the 9/11 attacks.

A sign of the security measures floated overhead - a blimp with supersensitive spyware.

Outside the stadium sat symbols of the delays - dirt expanses instead of landscaped paths, idle cranes and trees planted just last week.

Earlier, an International Olympic Committee member who helped oversee the preparations noted how much was at stake if the Greeks failed the task.

"I think you have saved Greece and saved the IOC from great humiliation," Alex Gilady told Athens organisers.

Not surprisingly, Greek mythology played a central role in the extravaganza that officially began the Olympiad, a big-budget show running from reverent tradition to Las Vegas-style pageantry.

After the burning Olympic flames subsided, a boy on a replica of a ship sailed into the arena, waving a small Greek flag.

Then the centaur - the mythological half-man, half-horse - waded into the water and tossed a spear of light representing a javelin.

From the centre of the stadium rose a statue representing an ancient form from Greece's Cyclades islands.

The form broke apart to reveal other figures from Greek history.

The ancient god of love, Eros, flew above two lovers dancing and playing in the water.

Then Eros hovered over a procession of figures from Greek history - from ancient vase paintings to a tribute to the Greek shepherd, Spiros Louis, who won the first Olympic marathon.

"The great moment has come!" cried the announcer in the stadium.

Moments later, the parade of athletes began with the appearance of Greek weightlifter Pyrros Dimas, who is seeking his fourth consecutive gold medal at the games.

Behind him, more than 10 500 athletes streamed into the stadium.

Greece traditionally enters first because of its links to the ancient games.

But as the host nation, its athletes also were the last, exulting as the crowd chanted the country's name, "Hellas! Hellas!"

The Greek team had two glaring holes, however.

A doping scandal threatens the country's biggest track stars - 200m champion Kostas Kenteris and 100m silver medallist Katerina Thanou - and they did not attend.

Kenteris had been considered the favourite to light the Olympic cauldron.

Instead, he and Thanou were hospitalised with minor injuries following a motorcycle wreck.

The accident came after the two were accused of evading a drug test, and they might even miss the Games.

There was huge applause for Afghanistan on its return to Olympic competition after an eight-year absence and with its first women athletes.

Coach Nina Suratger, in a shimmering green robe and head scarf, carried the flag - one of 202 that filled the stadium field with a rainbow of colours.

The entrance of the US team - led by basketball guard Dawn Staley - drew cheers.

But some people also stood and put their thumbs down in an apparent show of displeasure for the war in Iraq.

Moments later, the Iraqis entered to a roaring ovation.

The Chinese team was led by 2.23m Yao Ming, who carried his country's flag and towered over even other basketball giants.

Paraguay carried a banner that read "From Horror to Hope" in apparent reference to the supermarket fire that killed nearly 400 people earlier this month.

Greece, because of its links to the ancient games, entered first, as usual.

But, as the host nation, Greek athletes also were the last into the stadium in the biggest procession in Olympic history.

All along, Greek officials continually described the Olympics as a way to shed the country's reputation as a parochial and unruly corner of the European Union.

The transport minister even said drivers' respect for Olympic lanes shows Greece can be "civilised."

The Olympic deadlines forced projects long taken for granted in other European capitals: highways around city centres, a serious subway and rail network and efforts to preserve architectural landmarks.

"No country has been more underrated than Greece," Angelopoulos-Dasalaki said.