9 am 10) kicked off in Salt Lake City, Utah.
* * * A total of 2,399 athletes from 77 countries and regions participated in 78 events in this Winter Olympics, setting a record for the largest number of people and events in previous Winter Olympics. This time, China also sent a strong delegation to strive for the breakthrough of zero gold medal in the history of the Winter Olympics.
The patriotic enthusiasm of Americans aroused by the "9. 1 1" terrorist attack rose again at the opening ceremony of this Winter Olympics. Before the opening ceremony officially began, new york police representatives sang "God Bless America"; At the beginning of the opening ceremony, eight American athletes and eight new york policemen and firefighters escorted an American flag rescued from the ruins into the venue. At the entrance ceremony of the national team, Amy Peterson, a famous skater who won three gold medals in the Winter Olympics, led the American team to enter with another national flag. The costumes of the American delegation in this Winter Olympics also highlight patriotism. They wore red and blue clothes representing the color of the national flag and waved small national flags in their hands to greet the cheering audience.
Under the guidance of the bright five-star red flag, the China sports delegation appeared. I saw that all the athletes were full of energy and neat pace, waving to the audience frequently in the music and applause. Yuan Weimin, director of the State Sports General Administration, led the China sports delegation of this Winter Olympics, with a total of 133 people, including 77 athletes, the largest number in China. In recent years, China athletes have made rapid progress in ice and snow events. At this Winter Olympics, China athletes will compete for gold medals in short track speed skating, figure skating and biathlon.
This Winter Olympics is the first global sports event held after the terrorist attacks in the United States, so the safety issue has become the top priority of the organizers. In order to ensure the "safest" Winter Olympics, the United States * * * invested a huge sum of US$ 654.38+09 billion, including security expenditure of over US$ 300 million, and dispatched about 6,543.8+06,000 soldiers, police and FBI agents. Even so, I am still in shock. Just a few days after the "suspicious gun incident", at noon yesterday, another plastic bag filled with wires and medicines was found in the parking lot near the news center, and the upcoming Winter Olympics was once again threatened by terrorism.
The whole stadium was crowded with armed soldiers and police. The audience began to line up in the cold wind two or three hours ago and were searched by detectors one by one. Metal objects such as fruit knives and tacks are forbidden to be brought into the stadium, and even drinking water must be brought in front of the inspectors to prove that there is no problem. During the opening ceremony and two hours before and after, the main venue became a "no-fly zone", patrolled by US F- 16 fighters and Black Hawk helicopters. In order to prevent terrorists from shooting black guns from a distance, snipers sit at the highest point of the buildings around the venue. Despite the extremely strict security measures, no one can guarantee that there will be no problems. It seems that people's hearts must remain alive before the flame of the Winter Olympics goes out.
Although the atmosphere was a little tense, optimistic Americans did not miss the opportunity to enjoy this grand event. It is reported that the outdoor temperature was around -23℃ that night, but the audience was very enthusiastic. Some of them held national flags, some took pictures of each other with cameras, and some took the lead in singing with their faces painted. An elderly couple who came from new york to watch the opening ceremony told reporters: "It's so exciting to watch the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, which will be a very good memory in our life."