Sydney Olympic Games open

Cathy Freeman watches the flame rise after lighting it

SYDNEY, Sept 15 (Tanjug) - The XXVII Olympic Summer Games, the last of the 20th century, opened in Sydney, Australia, on Friday, with a magnificent ceremony in a jam-packed Australia stadium that seats 110,000.

The ceremony, transmitted live for more than 3 billion people worldwide, began with 120 horsemen cantering in carrying Olympic flags and riding in formation to form the Olympic circles.

What followed was a brilliant performance, involving 12,500 people, 2,500 of them in the orchestra alone, who, in the chilly spring night, gave of their best to create a spectacle never seen before and hard to match.

Seven years of efforts to produce the grandest Olympic show ever on a budget of 1.5 billion dollars have been crowned with the attendance of 12,000 athletes from 199 countries.

In fact, the coveted total of 200 national teams to attend has been achieved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) giving a special dispensation to four athletes from East Timor to compete as independent competitors.

The Yugoslav squad was headed and the national flag carried by volleyball star of international fame Vladimir Grbic.

After the parade, Sydney 2000 President Michael Knight and IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch welcomed the athletes.

The Games were declared open by Australian Governor General Sir William Deane.