A Tribute in Honor of

A Tribute in Honor of:

The Winter Olympics

Olympics-Spectators face delays entering venues

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Spectators faced lengthy delays entering Olympic venues on the opening day of competition at the Winter Olympics on Saturday because of stringent security checks.

At Deer Valley, about 55 kms east of Salt Lake City, only about a third of the 13,000 spectators expected for the women's freestyle skiing moguls qualification were in place at the start.

"Getting through security took us about an hour and a half and when we got in the qualifications were already finished," said Diane McLaughin from Atlantic City. "You gotta do what you gotta do. We'll come earlier next time."

Fans queueing for the ice hockey preliminary round displayed similar patience in temperatures of minus 10 degrees Celsius.

"It's incredibly cold," said John Hensler from Phoenix. "It's slow today but what can you do? This is the way it is and they're being careful."

Andy Siegeson added: "We had been warned there would be a lot of security but it sure is cold."

At Soldier Hollow, 100 kms from the Utah capital, there were still long queues 30 minutes before the start of the women's 15 km freestyle cross-country skiing, the first final of the Games.

Salt Lake City Organising Committee (SLOC) senior vice-president Grant Thomas, the official in charge of venues, transport and the environment, said delays had been expected on the first day.

"Safety is a high priority and security is a high priority for everyone," he told Reuters. "We don't want to compromise.

"It was expected the first day would take longer but the flow rate will continue to improve."

Thomas said there had been an improvement in the flow between the opening ceremony dress rehearsal and Friday's ceremony.

"The first day will take longer," he said.

A SLOC official at Deer Valley said there had been extra traffic on the roads leading to the venues because of recreational skiers.

"It's Saturday and people are out there going to the resorts," he said.

15:06 02-09-02

Olympics-Locals glad Games underway at last

By James Nelson

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Blue sky, sunshine and mostly smiles throughout the Salt Lake area followed the Winter Games opening ceremony, seen by millions worldwide.

After years of build-up, a complete revamp of the city highway system and an ugly scandal, the curtain was finally raised and residents seemed pleased on Saturday that it's all underway.

"I feel pride that we've been able to do this," said Pat Hards, owner of a cleaners shop on the west side of the city.

Hards had not initially been in favour of having the Olympics here but now she is.

Between helping customers, Hards pointed out the Olympic torch had been through the neighbourhood and called the entire experience worthwhile.

One of her customers on Saturday was Aubrey Iversen who stopped by to pick up three freshly laundered firefighter uniforms for her father.

"It was really beautiful," she said. "I enjoyed the Pioneers and the Native Americans (section in the ceremony)."

Smiling and holding the Navy blue uniforms, Iversen pointed proudly to the yellow and red patches on the shirt sleeves.

"It's renewed my determination to become a firefighter," she said.

Iversen, 20, has a brother and father who are firefighters and her grandfather is a retired city fireman.

At a construction site, one worker just shrugged from his perch on some scaffolding when asked how he felt. A co-worker wearing a construction hat with the name, 'Crazy Carl' on it, said: "It was exciting. I'm proud."

At a local car wash, patrons seemed happy with the Olympics start and being part of it.

"Locals are warming up to it," said Tamby Searle, 34, of Taylorsville, Utah.

"We put up with hell for years, now I feel togetherness and part it."

"We've gone through a lot," Hards said. "I just pray that nothing goes wrong."

20:51 02-09-02

Olympics-Nun among six arrested in demo before opening ceremony

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Six women were arrested on Friday as they attempted to lead a march in support of the poor and homeless towards the stadium where the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics takes place later, march organisers said.

Spokesman James Pfluecke said police wearing balaclavas stopped the 200 marchers and arrested the six, including a Catholic nun. Police declined to say why the six had been detained.

The Rice-Eccles stadium was ringed by security personnel who conducted rigorous searches of the 52,000 spectators attending the two-hour show.

LINKS:

NBC Olympics

Olympics-Speedskating-Working class guy Parra speeds to silver

By Steve Keating

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 9 (Reuters) - In a wondrous 24 hours, American speedskater Derek Parra has held the World Trade Centre flag, a world record and an Olympic silver medal.

The tattered U.S. flag he helped escort into the Winter Games opening ceremony has returned to New York, the 5,000 metre world record he set on Saturday lasted only 20 minutes but the silver medal is Parra's to keep.

Riding a wave of emotion left over from Friday's opening extravaganza and the support of the home crowd, the 31-year-old Mexican-American put his head down and gracefully powered his way around the lightning quick Olympic Oval, ripping 15 seconds off his personal best time.

That gave the U.S. an unexpected medal on the opening day of the long track speedskating competition.

For a brief moment, it appeared Parra's world record time of 6 minutes, 17.98 seconds might take him to the top of the podium.

But that spot would go to Jochem Uytdehaage, who chipped another three seconds off record with a 6:14.66 to continue Dutch domination of the event.

"Who would have thought I would have had a medal in the 5,000 metres," said Parra, shaking his head in disbelief. "Sure I would have liked to have had the world record and won the gold but that's Jochem's story today.

"I expected a world record but not by me, by four or five others. This is total surprise, especially for me.

"People are probably at home right now checking the Internet and saying, 'this can't be right'."

Parra says he has no idea why he was chosen as one of eight American athletes to carry the flag that has become the symbol of American resilience and determination into Friday's opening ceremony.

WORKING CLASS GUY

Perhaps it was because Parra embodies those qualities himself.

The quintessential American "working class guy," Parra works at a nearby Home Depot (hardware store) to support his wife and newborn daughter.

"I hear (Dutch skater) Gerard Van Velde drives a Ferrari and I drive a Honda Civic and I have to save to put gas in it," said Parra, who will attempt to add to his medal haul in the 1,500 metres.

"It's different in the U.S. there aren't too many skaters who are fully sponsored. I have to have a job to survive.

"This just shows that a working class guy can be on the top of the podium...or at least on the podium."

Growing up in sunny San Bernardino, California, Parra learned to skate on land establishing himself as one of the country's top inline (roller blading) skaters before crossing over to long track in 1996 when he realised the sport would not become part of the Olympics.

Parra, who stands just 5 feet 4 inches (1.62 metres), had qualified to race the 5,000 metres in Nagano but lost his spot when officials upheld a late appeal from Kazakhstan that resulted in the berth going to one of their skaters.

"I went to line (today) thinking how grateful I was for everything in my life," said Parra. "I was thinking I'm truly blessed.

"I'm in my first Olympics, I've come a long way to get here. It's been such a hard battle to get here and to have it happen is great.

"I guess this just shows what people can do if they have faith and have people behind you who support you.

"You can do anything."

21:43 02-09-02

Olympics-Ice hockey-Kolzig injured, may miss Olympics

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Washington Capitals star goalie Olaf Kolzig's injured left knee may keep him from playing at the Olympics, German national coach Hans Zach said on Saturday.

Kolzig, who was expected to join the team next week at the men's Olympic ice hockey tournament, sprained his left knee during an NHL game against Nashville on Friday night.

Kolzig left the game after the second period and did not return. His playing status with the Capitals is now listed as day-to-day but he could be out as long as two weeks.

"If he cannot play for the next two weeks, then he is unlikely to come here. We'll have to see," Zach said after Germany scored a surprise 3-0 upset over Slovakia to start its bid for a spot in the second round.

If Saturday's game was any indication, Zach has few worries.

Marc Seliger started in net and notched the shutout against a Slovak offense that contains several of the same NHL sharpshooters that Kolzig faces.

Seliger stopped 29 shots in the game, including several key stops in the third period when Slovakia was trying to fight its way back into the game.

"Sure Kolzig is a world class goalkeepr playing in the NHL. But I have to reiterate that I really trust my goalkeepers and as you saw tonight I think that trust is justified," Zach said.

21:43 02-09-02

Olympics-Figure skating-Elvis goes to Hollywood

By John Mehaffey

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Next month Elvis Stojko turns 30, adjusts to life as a former figure skater and shares movie credits with Danny DeVito and Robin Williams.

The muscular Canadian, who is gearing up for a final attempt at Olympic gold in his fourth Winter Games, doubles for Williams in "Death to Smoochy," scheduled for release on March 22.

On Saturday Stojko told a news conference about his delight in working with two of Hollywood's more marketable stars.

"It's a dark comedy," he said. "I double for Robbie. I do a harness stunt."

Stojko said he had always wanted to appear in one of the Stars Wars films.

"I know there's another movie and I know there's a part there," he said.

Growing up in Canada having been named Elvis and opting for figure skating ahead of the national obsession ice hockey was tough for Stojko.

Even his amazing athleticism has been criticised by pundits who think his gravity-defying leaps come at the expense of artistry.

"I look different, my style is different," he said. "Everything is different. I like being that, I'd better like it."

This season, Stojko has reprised his biggest hits, including the taiko drum short programme that won him Olympic silver in 1988 and the Bruce Lee Dragon long programme which brought him the first of three world titles.

QUADRUPLE LUTZ

Inspired by the latter programme, Stojko said he had been in contact with the martial arts exponent and movie actor's widow Linda.

"I got a chance to ask all the questions about Bruce that I wanted to," he said. "About how he was as a person and the trials and tribulations he went through.

"Bruce is very much a part of me and what I do. It was quite amazing to be that close. It is as close as I can get to him."

This month Stojko attempts to win a first Olympic title after finishing second in 1994 and 1998.

"I'm healthy, I'm focused," he said. "My body feels normal. I feel very light here, just ready to skate and not worry about anything else. I've waited four years for this."

He has already won the endorsement of the 1984 champion Scott Hamilton.

"This is the best I've seen him in years," Hamilton said on the NBC website. "He looks thinner to me that in recent years, younger somehow. Elvis will be a crowd favourite and he really looked good in practice."

Asked if he had ever harboured doubts that he would take part in Salt Lake City, Stojko replied: "Yes. I wouldn't be human if I didn't think that way.

"Last year I had a couple of injuries here and there. But the injuries I had were not over-work, the injuries I had were little accidents along the way.

"It's great to be healthy. I was fourth, second and 10th in the world not being fully healthy."

Stojko will attempt the first quadruple lutz jump in competition at the Games after landing the first quadruple-double and quadruple-triple jump combinations

"When it comes to competition the statistics are there," he said. "But the willpower and heart and soul of a person?

"You never know when someone will dig deep and bring out something awesome."

20:53 02-09-02

Olympics-Cross country-How French coach helped Italy to gold

SOLDIER HOLLOW, Utah, Feb 9 (Reuters) - If Italy's Stefania Belmondo earned the first decoration of the Winter Olympics, then France's cross-country skiing coach Jean-Pierre Burdet merited a mention in dispatches.

The 33-year-old Belmondo was on the brink of tears as her hopes in the women's 15km freestyle, the first medal event of the Games, seemed to have died after one of her poles was broken in an accidental collision in the latter stages of the race.

"I thought my race was over. I really cried and screamed," she said.

Burdet, standing by the course cheering on his French squad, responded immediately.

"When I saw she only had one pole, I ran over and gave her a new one," he said. "Unfortunately it was a bit too long for her but luckily she was able to get hold of another one further on."

Without the extra pole, Belmondo, looking for a final slice of glory before retiring after the Games to start a family, would probably have ground to a halt and given up.

She battled on for the best part of a kilometre, though, relying heavily on her other hand before her Italian coach reached her with a replacement.

Belmondo, who had slipped back from the leading group to 10th, then fought back courageously and went on to win the gold in a sprint finish with Russia's Larisa Lazutina.

Burdet felt his behaviour had been ""quite normal," adding: "It was sportsmanship belonging to the Olympic Games.

"What's more, we know her well. We train quite often with her."

20:04 02-09-02

Olympics-Alpine skiing-Leading women's downhill practice times

SNOWBASIN, Utah, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Leading times on Saturday in the first practice run for the Winter Olympics women's downhill on Monday. 1. Picabo Street (U.S.) one minute 42.16 seconds 2. Caroline Lalive (U.S.) 1:42.57 3. Sibylle Brauner (Germany) 1:42.87 4. Christine Sponring (Austria) 1:42.96 5. Michaela Dorfmeister (Austria) 1:43.23 6. Jonna Mendes (U.S.) 1:43.28 7. Isolde Kostner (Italy) 1:43.42 8. Renate Goetschl (Austria) 1:43.47 9.- Melanie Turgeon (Canada) 1:43.49

Kirsten Clark (U.S.) 1:43.49 11. Karen Putzer (Italy) 1:43.59 12. Sylviane Berthod (Switzerland) 1:43.71 13. Martina Ertl (Germany) 1:43.84 14. Catherine Borghi (Switzerland) 1:43.86 15. - Kathleen Monahan (U.S.) 1:44.03

Patrizia Bassis (Italy) 1:44.03 17. Selina Heregger (Austria) 1:44.06 18. Melanie Suchet (France) 1:44.09 19. Anne Marie Lefrancois (Canada) 1:44.22 20. Lucia Recchia (Italy) 1:44.23

19:55 02-09-02

Olympics-Ice hockey-Gretzky turns hockey genius to chemist

By Alan Crosby

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky may not be a chemist, but he thinks he knows a good mix when he sees one.

And right now, Team Canada men's Olympic ice hockey executive director thinks he has found the recipe to make gold on ice.

"It's tough to measure chemistry and heart, but we believe we have the right mix," Gretzky told a news conference in Salt Lake City on Saturday.

When Gretzky accepted the job of executive director of Team Canada, it was obvious that the man who holds nearly every scoring record in the NHL would need to mix a lot of elements perfectly if he was to bring gold back home for the first time in 50 years.

Four years ago when he and the Canadian team skulked home from Nagano without a medal, the entire nation was dejected. Politicians even convened a hockey summit to determine what went wrong.

Hockey in Canada has become part of the national fabric, woven through the country's culture and history.

"I didn't realise just how great the Olympics were until I went in 1998. It's high pressure, but to represent your country is such a great feeling," he said with a smile.

With its status as the world's pre-eminent hockey nation increasingly open to discussion, Canada has called upon Gretzky, who holds a myriad of NHL records, to put an end to the debate and deliver the country its first Olympic hockey gold since the 1952 Oslo Games.

"The great thing about hockey in our country is that everyone expects the best," he said.

"The focus is on winning the gold medal, but we realise that there are a lot of good teams here," he added.

Team Canada opens its Olympic tournament on February 15 in a second round match against another perennial powerhouse, Sweden.

Gretzky, popularly known as "The Great One," says the team will be ready to play despite nagging injuries to several players.

"We know the Swedish team will be good, they have tremendous goaltending, and a player like Mats Sundin, so we fear the Swedes just as much as we fear anyone. But we're ready to face anyone."

19:35 02-09-02

Olympics-Alpine skiing-Games keep Wiberg smiling through

By Patrick Vignal

SNOWBASIN, Utah, Feb 9 (Reuters) - If not for the Olympic Games, Pernilla Wiberg would probably have ended her prolific career already and one of the most beautiful smiles in the Alpine skiing world would have gone missing.

A total of 13 knee operations have failed to alter the popular Swede's cheerful nature but there were times when the double Olympic champion did consider retirement.

"Sometimes I felt like quitting but these Olympics kept me going," she said on Saturday. "I really wanted to do one more. It's such an amazing feeling."

The 31-year-old has won three Olympic medals in three different events at as many Games -- giant slalom gold in 1992, combined gold in 1994 and downhill silver in 1998.

"I want two this time," she said after discovering the Wildflower downhill course and posting a respectable time around three seconds behind leader Picabo Street.

Her love affair with the Olympics started in 1992 in Albertville, France.

"It was not really like being at the Olympics because we were not staying at the village," she said. "I wasn't at the Olympic ceremony and we just went to the races and back to the hotel."

Lillehammer, two years later, was an improvement.

"Those were my favourite Games," she said. "We were all staying at the village and the atmosphere was just great."

STRANGE WEATHER

Then came Nagano four years ago and all the postponements due to poor weather.

"What I remember about Nagano is that very stange weather," she said.

And what about Salt Lake City?

"It's lovely here," she said, looking at the bright blue skies over the snow-capped mountain peaks of Utah. "I hope it's going to be a good experience."

Four times a world champion, the experienced Wiberg should never be ruled out when a major event comes around, even if the latest of her 24 World Cup wins was in 1999.

Her second place in a downhill last month in Saalbach came as a reminder that she could soon be adding another trophy to her rich collection of silverware.

"I know I can still win if I get everything right," she said. "I will not be satisfied with anything less than a medal but I'm not putting any pressure on myself."

A verstatile skier -- she has posted World Cup victories in all five disciplines -- she now concentrates on the speed events but will also enter the combined at the Salt Lake City Games.

"I tried to return to slalom and giant slalom this season but I found it difficult because the material has changed and it puts a lot of strain on the knees," she said.

Three races here will keep her happy.

"I'd really love a medal but the most important thing for me is to have fun skiing," she said, still smiling.

19:21 02-09-02

Olympics-Speedskating-Factfile on Jochem Uytdehaage

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Factfile on Jochem Uytdehaage, winner of the men's speedskating 5,000 metres at the Winter Olympics on Saturday:

Age: 25 (born July 9, 1976)

Country: Netherlands

Began to emerge as a top competitor last year but has made a meteoric rise this season. His world-record performance to win gold may have been a surprise to some but not to himself.

Began skating aged eight. Gave up his place at technical college in 1998 after realising he needed to skate full time to succeed. Received a contract with the Dutch national speedskating association a year later. "Skating is my job," he says. His hobbies include art, architecture and playing squash.

Past Olympics: None - his Olympic victory was his first major international honour apart from his European all-round title earlier this year, which marked the start of his rise.

Other successes: 7th in 10,000 metres in 2001 world championships.

Reaction: "I was sure that if I skated as I could I would win."

19:13 02-09-02

Olympics-Cross country-Drama and sunshine boost sport's image

By Adrian Warner

SOLDIER HOLLOW, Utah, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Cross-country skiing, eager to boost its image as a spectator sport, enjoyed a perfect start to the Salt Lake Olympics on Saturday with two dramatic finishes, fanatical crowds and glorious weather.

Keen to silence the critics who compare the excitement of the sport with watching paint dry, officials have abandoned staggered starts for some events when skiers race against the clock and have replaced them with what they call "mass starts" for the first time at the Olympics.

The move provides skiing's equivalent of a Formula One race as the top racers battle for position in the crucial first 200 metres. The advantage for the fans is that the event is much easier to understand with the first skier crossing the line taking the gold medal.

After more than 11,000 enthusiastic fans lined the Soldier Hollow course under blue skies, all officials needed were close finishes in order to put on a good show.

The skiers followed the script perfectly in the women's 15 km freestyle and men's 30 km freestyle events.

Despite breaking a pole, Italian Stefania Belmondo won a desperately close final sprint with Russian Larissa Lazutina to take the women's race by just 1.8 seconds in a battle of the over-30s.

The finish was skiing's equivalent of a classic 800 metres race in athletics with both competitors coming off the final bend neck-and-neck.

Although Spaniard Johann Muehlegg dominated the men's race from start to finish, the battle for silver and bronze saw another dogfight down the home straight with Austrian Christian Hoffmann holding off his compatriot Mikhail Botvinov by just 1.3 seconds -- an astonishing close finish after more than an hour of racing.

"Today was a victory for cross-country," German-born Muehlegg said. "There are more mass starts and today you saw how really interesting it is to see a mass start."

"It was a perfect track, a perfect stadium and also the security was perfect."

Soldier Hollow, set in the scenic mountains above Salt Lake, is one of the most attractive venues at the Games. It is an excellent stage for the fans because they can see quite a lot of the action from the stands rather than watch skiers disappear into the woods and rely on announcers to keep them in touch with the event.

The Italians, Germans and Norwegians have always been fanatical about cross-country or "langlauf," largely because it is a popular participants' sport in their countries.

But the sport is a hard sell to warmer nations where the importance of putting the right wax on skis is as popular a subject of conversation as tax returns.

Saturday's races helped the sport appeal to a wider audience.

"I think the mass start is very good for the spectators because it is very easy for the spectators, " Hoffmann said. "They know the first man who comes is the leader. You always have people battling on the track."

18:34 02-09-02

Olympics-Figure skating-Russians not invincible say American men

By Laurie Nealin

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 9 (Reuters) - The three top U.S. men's figure skaters refused to count themselves out of the hunt for Olympic gold on Saturday, saying Russian favourites Yevgeny Plushenko and Alexei Yagudin were not invincible.

Todd Eldredge, Michael Weiss and Timothy Goebel, who between them have won seven of the last eight U.S. titles, presented a united front to questions about their Russians rivals at a media conference on Saturday.

"A good example of a situation where anything can happen is that St. Louis (Rams) were 14-point favourites going into the Super Bowl and the Patriots won it, so you should never count out anybody," Eldredge said, referring to the upset at last week's American football showpiece.

His coach Richard Callaghan added: "I've taught for 30 years and usually when two guys are the favourites, someone else always comes in and kind of ruins what is supposed to happen.

"I'm really happy that the Russians are the favourites so our guys can just do their work."

Eldredge, the 1996 world champion, was third at the world championships last season, with Goebel fourth.

Yagudin, who had won the world title for the previous three years, settled for silver behind Plushenko, but recently beat his compatriot at the Grand Prix Final, where Goebel finished third and Eldredge fourth.

Weiss -- world bronze medallist in 1999 and 2000 -- agreed with his team mates: "A lot of strange and interesting things happen at the Olympics. Yeah, the Russians are the favourites, but all three of us have proven we can compete at that level and we're expecting strange things to happen.

"There are seven or eight people that could win the event. Figure skating is a slippery sport and you never know what's going to happen," he added.

The men's figure skating begins on Tuesday with the short programme and the medals will be awarded on Thursday after the free programme.

18:32 02-09-02

Olympics-Americans turn queuing into Olympic discipline

By Adrian Warner

SOLDIER HOLLOW, Utah, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Queuing is rapidly becoming an Olympic sport at the Salt Lake Winter Games and the Americans already appear to be in gold medal-winning form.

Spectators arriving to watch the first title to be decided at the Games at the cross-country skiing on Saturday faced long queues in the car park and at the security check points before getting anywhere near the action.

But few fans were walking around with long faces. In fact many were prepared to stand in even longer lines just to get a drink.

The queue outside the refreshment tent in the centre of the venue was more than 50 metres long -- record-breaking patience in a country where fast food was invented.

There was little sign of frustration or fury as fans took a break between two races. The view -- a blue sky, snow-capped mountains and blazing sun -- probably had a lot to do with it. But the patience of the American spectators was certainly surprising some fans from abroad.

"They go in line everywhere," said Norwegian Lise Brock, suggesting that the Americans may have even surpassed the British for their reputation for patience in public.

After the September 11 attacks, the Salt Lake event is the most heavily-guarded Olympics in history.

Around 11,000 fans bought tickets for the opening day of the cross-country. Many got up before dawn to get there in time for the first race at 0900 local time.

Most fans said they took 15 to 20 minutes to get through the security checks where soldiers or officials searched bags and everybody went through metal detectors.

One American fan said he took 30 minutes to get through the car park.

But Soldier Hollow venue manager Phil Jordan said: "Since September 11, security takes longer everywhere. On a scale from one to 10, I think we got about six today.

"No people have called me to complain. They expected it. The expectation was that things were gonna take some time. Most people coming to a large event expect to stand in line."

The security checks were very thorough.

Brock said officials had even inspected her make-up and anybody bringing drinks into the venue was asked to consume some of the liquid to check it.

"They even checked my lipstick, "she said.

After the race, many spectators headed to an area behind the course where the theme was historical with teepees and horse-drawn sleighs from the time of the Wild West. Hundreds of spectators enjoyed a concert of traditional American folk music and dancing.

The Norwegians, cross-country skiing fanatics who gave the sport a high profile at the 1994 Lillehammer Games, have already set up camp and Viking helmets and large Norwegian flags made it through the security checks.

18:28 02-09-02

Olympics-Speedskating-New boy ends Romme's record reign

By Lynda Dugdale

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Dutch newcomer Jochem Uytdehaage destroyed the world record to win gold in a thrilling men's 5,000 metres speedskating event at the Salt Lake City Winter Games on Saturday.

Uytdehaage set a world and Olympic mark of six minutes 14.66 seconds, more than three seconds inside the previous record, just three races after American silver medallist Derek Parra had also gone under the world record.

Uytdehaage erased the mark of teammate and defending champion Gianni Romme, who surprisingly failed to qualify for the 5,000 metres at Salt Lake City.

Uytdehaage skated to victory to the cheers of a strong contingent of Dutch fans, bathed in orange and waving flags and cowbells, who dominated the southern corner of the track.

He said: "I skated as hard as I could. I was thinking it would take 6:12 but I'm satisfied."

Parra timed 6:17.98 while Germany's Jens Boden took the bronze with 6:21.73.

The capacity crowd worked itself into a frenzy after Parra's performance but Uytdehaage skated a powerful and measured race to keep the Olympic crown in Dutch hands.

FIRST OLYMPICS

Skating at his first Olympics, the 25-year-old, ranked fifth in the World Cup standings ahead of the Olympics and without a top-flight international honour to his name, consistently skated under 30 seconds for every lap of the 400-metre track.

Athletes have been predicting all week that the Utah Olympic Oval was going to help re-write the record books.

Dutch skaters have won seven out of 12 medals in the MEN'S 5,000 metres in the previous four Winter Olympics.

Romme, the cornerstone of Dutch skating in recent years and who set his world record of 6:18.72 in Calgary in January 2000, goes in the 10,000 metres later in the Games.

Saturday's performance by Parra, 31, was a surprise. He skated a powerful race in front of his home. He moved to speedskating in 1996 after a successful career as an roller-blade competitor.

The 23-year-old Boden, meanwhile, skated the race of his life. He was ranked 22nd in the World Cup standings going in to his first Olympics.

Japan's Hirako Hiroki set a world junior record of 6:30.46.

The oval is the highest indoor speedskating venue in the world, that altitude providing the key to its speed. The air in the venue is also warmer and thus easier to move through.

18:28 02-09-02

Olympics-Alpine skiing-Street fools around in search for gold

By Alan Baldwin

SNOWBASIN, Utah, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Good food and childish behaviour seldom mix but Picabo Street believes both are ingredients in the recipe for Olympic success.

The former world champion and 1998 Olympic super-G gold medallist was fastest in Saturday's first training run for Monday's women's downhill ahead of U.S. compatriot and friend Caroline Lalive. Team mate Jonna Mendes was sixth.

Afterwards, the 30-year-old Street defended her team from suggestions that they enjoyed a major advantage on home snow and instead highlighted home comforts and light-hearted behaviour as a greater factor.

"We're comfortable, we're at home, we're in America, we're all eating our food, we've got great chefs at the house we're staying at," said Street.

"We're all staying as a team in one group," she added. "We did jazzercise (exercise to jazz) in our downhill suits the other day just for fun. We put on funny sweatshirts and stuff in them to kind of look silly.

"We're springing out the children from within because that's what the Olympics are about -- it's children and their dreams and now we're just bringing those dreams to fruition."

The performance of the bubbly skier, who owns a home in Utah's Park City resort and is appearing in her final Olympics after repeated knee surgery, nonetheless drew a hint of sour grapes from some of the Europeans.

"I am really surprised (at the U.S. performance). I think they know the course much, much better than the other girls," commented World Cup downhill leader Isolde Kostner of Italy.

Street said that the local skiers could in fact have had a far greater advantage than they really do.

"One of the things we've really worked on hard as a team was not to spend too much time here," she said, smiling in the sunshine as she surveyed the finish area at Snowbasin's Wildflower piste.

"We were invited any time, we were allowed to come over here and train any time we wanted to. What we did was come in, we'd hit it hard for two days and we'd go away.

"We did that twice and that's it. So we've got four days on it -- that's only four more days than anybody else.

"Yes, it's given us an advantage but it's not like 'whoah, that's the reason why we're all fast'

"I think there are other factors which are playing into why the Americans are so fast and comfortable here."

Kostner, the 1994 bronze medallist and Italy's big medal hope, was seventh fastest in the training run but gave up her racing tuck well before the finish to slow herself down.

The Italian won the first two downhills of the season in Alberta's Lake Louise and usually goes well on the North American snow.

18:15 02-09-02

Olympics-Cross country-I feel like a criminal, says Lazutina

By Gennady Fyodorov

SOLDIER HOLLOW, Utah, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Women's 15 km cross-country skiing silver medallist Larisa Lazutina hit out at the tight security at the Winter Games on Saturday, saying it made her feel like a criminal.

"It's just terrible what they do to the athletes here," the 36-year-old Russian, one of the most decorated cross-country skiers of all time, told a news conference after her event.

"I have been to four Olympics and I have never seen anything like it."

Lazutina, who has won five Olympic and 11 world championship golds, said she felt humiliated by having her personal belongings searched in and out of competition.

"I feel like a criminal out there," she said.

"Every single time you come in or go out they just thrash everything. They even look inside my racing suit as if they want to check my underwear.

"It's all very humiliating for all the athletes because we came here to compete. We are not interested in any political games being played out there. I'm sure many other athletes feel the same way."

The Russian did receive limited sympathy from bronze medalist Czech skier Katerina Neumannova, who suggested that security personnel could be a bit overzealous "but the safety is the most important thing and it's the same for everybody."

Italy's Stefania Belmondo, though, who won the 15 km, the first even of the games, disagreed.

"I understand that they are simply doing their job," said the 33-year-old, also competing in her fourth Olympics.

"They do it for our own security. I don't resent it at all. You do a good job, guys."

16:21 02-09-02

Olympics-Freestyle skiing-Medal dearer to Bahrke after Sept. 11

DEER VALLEY, Utah, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Two years after doctors said she may never ski again, American Shannon Bahrke won an Olympic silver medal in freestyle moguls on Saturday -- a victory she said was even more meaningful after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.

The 21-year-old from Tahoe City, California, got choked up as she spoke of her joy at winning the first medal for the United States at the Salt Lake Games.

"I can't believe I'm on the podium, let alone the first American to win at these Games. To me that means a lot, especially after Sept. 11."

Bahrke said she attended the opening ceremonies in Salt Lake City on Friday and met U.S. President George W. Bush and three-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong -- whom she called her "idol."

She said meeting them and police officers and firemen who helped in rescue efforts at the World Trade Centre following the Sept. 11 attack helped give her a little "extra fire" as she competed in Saturday's moguls competition.

"I hope that all athletes can continue that," she said.

After being diagnosed with a staph infection two years ago, Bahrke lost about 20 pounds and said doctors warned her she may never return to competitive skiing.

"From then on...I take every day at a time. I take it and look at it in a different way," said Bahrke, who admitted moguls "scared the hell out of me" when she started training for the event that combines technical finesse with acrobatic jumping ability.

Norwegian Kari Traa lived up to her billing as the overwhelming favourite for the event, taking the gold medal. Traa scored 25.94 points, just enough to beat Bahrke's 25.06.

Japan's Tae Satoya, the winner four years ago, took the bronze.

18:18 02-09-02

Olympics-Belmondo wins first gold despite losing pole

By John Mehaffey

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Stefania Belmondo claimed the first gold medal of the Salt Lake City Olympics on Saturday despite skiing without a pole for a section of the women's 15 km cross-country.

The 33-year-old Italian, who won her only other Olympic title 10 years ago in Albertville, thought her title hopes had vanished when her pole was accidentally broken by a rival competitor.

"After about 10 kms I lost my pole and I thought my race was over. I really cried and screamed." Belmondo said.

An onlooker at the side of the course thrust another pole in to Belmondo's hand but only created another problem.

"I started to push with my right hand but the pole was too big for me and for 700 metres I had to push with just one hand," Belmondo said. "I lost six or seven seconds."

Eventually her trainer handed over a replacement pole and Belmondo fought back to beat her old rival Larisa Lazutina of Russia in 39 minutes 54.4 seconds. After gathering eight Olympic and 13 world medals, Belmondo now plans to retire and start a family.

Conditions were ideal for the alpine sports with a clear blue sky on Saturday and temperatures hovering around minus 10 degrees Celsius.

Stringent security checks at the Olympic venues led to long queues but spectators in general were patient and appreciative of the safety measures.

Diane McLaughin of Atlantic City missed the women's freestyle skiing moguls qualification after taking 1-1/2 hours to get through the security checks.

"You gotta do that you gotta do," she said. "We'll come earlier next time."

Norwegian Kari Traa, the overwhelming favourite for the moguls title, produced a conservative run in the final after heading the qualifiers but still did just enough to take the gold medal.

Traa, 28, scored 25.94 points, beating Shannon Bahrke of the United States (25.06) in to second place.

Frenchman Pierre-Emannuel Dalcin surprised the powerful Austrian team by setting the fastest time in the final warmup for Sunday's men downhill, feature event of the Games' opening weekend.

Dalcin clocked one minute 39.84 seconds on the Grizzly piste ahead of Austrian Fritz Strobl with race favourite Stephan Eberharter third.

"I had a great run but this doesn't make me a favourite," said Dalcin. "I'm not getting carried away. All I know is if I have a similar run tomorrow, I can achieve something special."

15:34 02-09-02

Olympics-Alpine skiing-Trinkl furious at downhill exit

By Julia Ferguson

SNOWBASIN, Utah, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Reigning downhill world champion Hannes Trinkl of Austria stormed out of the finish area on Saturday after failing to qualify for the powerful Alpine nation's downhill squad.

The 34-year-old veteran racer was fighting against six team mates for one of the two remaining slots for Sunday's blue riband event, but five of them raced down the treacherous Grizzly course in a faster time.

The fierce competition within the world's most successful ski team on the World Cup tour -- despite the absence of double Olympic champion Hermann Maier -- was evident from the fact that Klaus Kroell missed out on a berth by a mere 500ths of a second.

"I knew you had to have an error-free run in order to be in with a chance. I got a good start but made a big error in the middle section," Kroell said.

"The Olympics mean a lot so it is tough not to be competing," the Austrian added.

Michael Walchhofer, who with a surprising two podium finishes this season had been tipped as making the squad, tried to put a brave face on the outcome. He was the slowest of the contenders.

"Of course you build up expectations after getting some good results. But I didn't quite find the motivation -- I think a few more seconds were in it," he said in reference to his 1.6 seconds surplus on the fastest time.

Hans Knauss, celebrating his 30th birthday, said he was not too disappointed to lose out as his mediocre results this season had not raised much hope.

"Of course I'm a bit disappointed, but I was lucky to even compete in the qualification so it would have been a real surprise to make it through," Knauss said.

GAPING HOLE

He said he was slowed down by a gaping hole on his back after the zip on his suit split in the starting house.

Austrian Alpine director Hans Pum said it was inevitable that the race for qualification would turn into a nail-biting ordeal due to the short length of the Grizzly.

"I'm just relieved that we had fair conditions, everyone had the same chance," he said.

Pum said he sympathised with Trinkl's ire at not qualifying, and his refusal to talk to reporters after the run.

"But we've got to draw up a team that can master this downhill best. It's tough luck, but that's just the way it is."

Trinkl had been a strong favourite for the downhill after a spectacular comeback to form from a skull fracture in November. The veteran racer reached the podium in two of the last three downhills.

The national squad now consists of World Cup downhill champion Stephan Eberharter, Fritz Strobl, with Christoph Gruber and Christian Greber grabbing the final places.

Gruber's qualification comes as a surprise as he is more at home in the slightly slower disciplines of super-G and giant slalom and has never made it onto the podium in downhill.

"It would be a dream if I made a medal. I'm very pleased to be in the squad, but what's more important to me is that it is confirmation that I've got it in me," said Gruber, who placed fourth in the final practice, just 400ths of a second behind Eberharter.

15:01 02-09-02

Olympics-Hockey heroes crown poignant opening ceremony

By Robert Woodward

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 8 (Reuters) - In a poignant memorial to those killed in the September 11 attacks on the United States, the Winter Olympics opened with 90 seconds of silence in honour of the tattered "Ground Zero" flag on Friday.

The opening ceremony, welcoming 2,530 athletes from 77 countries, emphasised Utah's Native American past in a 2-1/2-hour spectacle played out in freezing temperatures.

But the emotional thread of the evening was provided by the host country's worst peacetime loss of life and the early appearance of the flag, an increasingly potent symbol of American pride and resilience, electrified the occasion.

The patriotic mood climaxed with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron when Mike Eruzione, captain of the American gold medal-winning ice hockey team which shocked the Russians in the 1980 Lake Placid semifinal, accepted the torch and with his team mates sent a roaring flame up the stadium's glass and steel tower.

The flag, accompanied by an honour guard of eight American athletes, entered Rice-Eccles Stadium and almost snuffed out the atmosphere of celebration among the 52,000 spectators.

President George W. Bush - his thoughts with the more than 3,000 dead and the families they left behind - fixed his gaze on the flag, heavily torn in two places after being dug out of the rubble of the World Trade Centre.

A pristine American flag was raised amid flurries of snow and the silence was maintained throughout the national anthem sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, before the crowd, many in tears, finally erupted in cheers.

The flag, which could not be flown over the stadium because of its fragile state, was then carried out of the stadium.

"Your nation is overcoming a horrific tragedy, a tragedy that has affected the whole world," said International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge in his formal address.

"We stand united with you in the promotion of our common ideals and hope for world peace," he said, earning a huge roar of approval from the crowd.

At the same time Bush moved among the American athletes, even talking on their mobile phones, before declaring the Games open "on behalf of a proud, determined and grateful nation."

HEALING FORCE

Security around the stadium was extremely tight and some spectators took two hours to get inside. Organisers had vowed the ceremony would be "the safest place on the planet" and 15,000 police, soldiers and Secret Service agents are on duty here.

Organisers had promised the ceremony would not become an "American flag-waving event" and would avoid Hollywood excess - two complaints aimed at Atlanta at the 1996 Games - and instead stress the importance of the Olympics as a healing force.

After the flag's departure a single child - 13-year-old local Ryne Sanborn - skated into the stadium holding a lantern, representing the organisers' main theme of "light the fire within," which celebrates the inspirational power of the Games.

Overcoming a host of enemies by discovering his inner fire, the boy was joined by hundreds of other youngsters to welcome the teams, including 11 with just one athlete such as first-timers Fiji, Cameroon, and Thailand.

The American contingent - the largest at the Games with 211 members - came at the end and the crowd roared their support. The team's placard was carried by Liz Howell whose husband was killed when a hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon on September 11.

Members of all five Native American tribes in Utah arrived separately on the stadium floor on horseback and came together in a show of unity organisers believe is unprecedented.

Athletes representing the five continents at the 17-day sporting festival handed five tribes gifts signifying the mountains, victory and peace before the stadium erupted with the drums and dances of the original inhabitants of the state.

An amusing section highlighting hardships endured by early Mormon pioneers on the journey by wagon train to the Great Salt Lake Basin ushered in the country music of the Dixie Chicks. Other musical elements were provided by singer Rita Coolidge and guitarist Robbie Robertson, both of Indian origin.

The Olympic flag was carried into the stadium by eight great names of the past 40 years including astronaut John Glenn, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Australian athlete Cathy Freeman.

This is the fourth time the U.S. have staged the Winter Games and the first since Lake Placid in 1980.

00:14 02-09-02

Let the Games Begin ... As Olympians Start Competition, Aspiring Athletes Take To the Ice In Luge, Hockey, Curling and Bobsled

Coca-Cola On The Ice,' a free 20,000-square foot winter sports experience

opens in downtown Salt Lake Olympic Square; Olympians Jim Craig, Devon Harris and Wendell Suckow will be on hand to

challenge media in luge, curling, bobsled and hockey

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ --

WHAT: The Coca-Cola Company is kicking off the Olympics with the opening

of "Coca-Cola On The Ice," a free 20,000-square foot interactive

winter sports attraction that gives people the chance to feel what

it's like to be an Olympic athlete and fan, even if they can't get

tickets to see the actual Olympic events. The venue, located next

to the Coca-Cola Olympic Pin Trading Center in downtown Salt Lake

Olympic Square, offers first-hand experiences in luge, curling,

bobsled, and hockey through real-life simulations, competitions,

crowd participation and award presentations.

Jim Craig, 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Gold Medalist; Devon Harris,

1988 Jamaican Bobsled Team; and Wendell Suckow, three-time Olympian

in Luge will be on hand to challenge media in the hockey, bobsled

and luge interactive exhibits and demonstrate the attractions.

Additionally, the athletes will be available for one-on-one

interviews at the event.

The "Coca-Cola On The Ice" attraction is free and open daily during

the Olympic Games, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

WHEN/

WHERE: February 9, 2002

4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

"Coca-Cola On The Ice"

Next to the Coca-Cola Olympic Pin Trading Center in downtown Salt

Lake Olympic Square

(Next to Delta Center, behind Medals Plaza on South Temple between

300W and 400W)

Olympics-Salt Lake losing appetite for Afghan restaurant

By Steve Keating

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 9 (Reuters) - It was the long awaited opening of the 2002 Winter Games, the night Salt Lake City had waited for and certainly one that employees of the Baba Afghan restaurant won't soon forget either.

As the tattered American flag rescued from the rubble of the World Trade Centre made its stirring entrance into a sold-out Rice-Eccles Olympic stadium Friday evening, the 23 tables at the Baba Afghan also stood silent - and empty.

The Salt Lake City Olympics are expected to pour $2.5 billion into the Utah economy but very little of that is likely to trickle its way down to the city's only authentic Afghanistan restaurant.

Named best new ethnic restaurant by Utah's Private Eye Weekly, the family-run eatery sits close to the heart of Olympic celebrations in downtown Salt Lake.

But waiter Hafiz Safi has served only four people by the time the American hockey team that produced the "Miracle on Ice" at the 1980 Olympics lifts the flame high to light the Olympic cauldron.

"It is so slow," shrugged Safi, who grew up near Kandahar and has worked at the Baba Afghan for seven years. "We will stay open and ...."

In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, however, slow Friday nights are not unusual at the Baba Afghan.

A few weeks earlier the same tables had also sat empty until five women, all regulars, kept the night from being a loss. Fifteen minutes later another couple have arrived followed by a man seeking directions.

But the restaurant, Safi says, continues to do respectable business through the week thanks to a steady stream of regular customers most of whom are lawyers, clerks and secretaries who work in the courthouses across the street.

REFUGEE CAMP

"Maybe it is different at dinner," said Safi, whose wife and six children still remain in a Pakistan refugee camp unable to get U.S. visas. "But at lunch time it is still OK.

"The people who come here are educated from the courthouse across the street. They keep coming and giving us business."

The food, as advertised, is good, the choice laid out in a simple menu.

On the cover of the menu is a charcoal drawing of man, with a long beard and turban, who looks disturbingly like the world's most wanted man, Osama bin Laden.

Immediately following the attacks on New York and Washington, the Baba Afghan became a target for anti-muslin sentiment among Salt Lake natives and continues to occasionally feel the backlash.

Much of the nervousness has been eased by the Salt Lake police, who now do regular drive-bys.

"Some people have done bad things. They make bad telephone calls," said Safi. "Someone once put a box at the door. It was heavy and looked like a bomb, they did not want people to come to the Baba restaurant.

"We called the police and they called the bomb police to take it away. Now the police come every day to make sure everything is OK."

Safi says he would like to one day be able to cheer on Afghanistan at the Olympics but made no mistake about which country he was supporting at these Games.

"I am so proud to be a citizen of the United States," smiled Safi.

06:00 02-09-02

Olympics-Biathlon-Europeans set to keep stranglehold

SOLDIER HOLLOW, Utah, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Ole Einar Bjoerndalen is the name to conjure with as Europeans look set once more to dominate the Olympic biathlon which starts on Monday.

The Norwegian won gold in the 10km event as well as a silver at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, and now seeks a historic double by entering the 30km cross-country event as well.

Other big names include husband-and-wife team Raphael Poiree -- of France -- and Liv Grete Poiree -- of Norway.

Each won golds on the same day at the 2000 world championships three months before they wed.

The biathlon programme kicks off with gold medals to be won on Monday in the men's 20km and women's 15km individual race.

At Soldier Hollow, the track leading up to the shooting areas is slightly downhill, to give the athletes a chance to catch their breath.

Missed targets can cost medals, with competitors either penalised a minute or forced to ski a 150-meter penalty loop, depending on the discipline.

The organisers are particularly proud of the Soldier Hollow course, designed to give spectators good views of most of the race.

Medal events:

Feb 11 - men's 20km, women's 15km.

Favourites: Men - Pavel Rostovtsev (Russia), Frank Luck (Germany), Ole Einar Bjoerndalen (Norway). Women - Magdalena Forsberg (Sweden), Olena Zubrilova (Ukraine), Gunn Margit Andreassen (Norway).

Feb 13 - men's 10km, women's 7.5km.

Favourites: Men - Ole Einar Bjoerndalen (Norway), Raphael Poiree (France), Frank Luck (Germany). Women - Liv Grete Poiree (Norway), Olena Zubrilova (Ukraine), Magdalena Forsberg (Sweden).

Feb 16 - men's combined pursuit, women's combined pursuit.

Favourites: Men - Raphael Poiree (France), Pavel Rostovtsev (Russia), Frank Luck (Germany). Women - Magdalena Forsberg (Sweden), Liv Grete Poiree (Norway), Olena Zubrilova (Ukraine).

Feb 18 - women's 4x7.5km relay.

Favourites: France, Germany, Norway.

Feb 20 - men's 4x7.5km relay.

Favourites: Norway, Germany, Belarus.

05:34 02-09-02

Olympics-Luge-Grieving Hackl rises to new challenge

By Tony Lawrence

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 8 (Reuters) - If Georg Hackl wins the men's Olympic luge gold at Salt Lake City, they will probably have to rename the event after him.

The German veteran is already synonymous with success, having won three successive Olympic singles titles after launching his career with a silver in Calgary in 1988.

He comes into the Games with a burning desire to succeed again, having decided to compete despite the recent death of his father following a heart attack.

"By taking part in my fifth Olympics I will fulfill one of my father's dreams," he said. "He will for sure be watching from above."

Hackl, a beer-loving Bavarian, goes into action at Utah Olympic Park on Sunday for his first two runs, with two more to follow on Monday. He is likely to be shadowed all the way by Markus Prock, like him a soldier and a man who has been snapping at his heels for years.

The Austrian, however, does not have time on his side. At 37, he is two years older than his great rival and beginning to struggle to maintain the renowned speed of his starts.

At least he has not given up. Prock, the first luge competitor to compete in six Games, won silver in Albertville and Lillehammer -- 0.013 seconds behind Hackl, or just under 35 centimetres after 5.6 kilometres of sliding -- before finishing fourth in 1998.

Whoever wins, it seems, will speak fluent German, whatever the event. The sport has long been the plaything of the Germans, Austrians and their close neighbours in Italy.

The men's doubles are likely to be dominated by Alexander Resch and Patric-Fritz Leitner -- two more German soldiers and the most successful pairing over the past four seasons -- and their team mates, the 'Sliding Steffens', Skel and Woeller.

The women's singles, meanwhile, could produce a German clean-sweep, with reigning champion Silke Kraushaar best placed to repeat her Nagano triumph.

The luge was once regarded as too dangerous. When it made its Olympic debut at the 1964 Games in Innsbruck, there were even protests over safety standards.

Today, athletes hurtle down the course feet first faster than ever, at speeds approaching 120 kph. Despite that, the protests -- among German-speakers in any case -- have long since ceased.

Medal events:

Feb 10 - Men's singles (runs one and two)

Feb 11 - Men's singles (three and four)

Favourites: Georg Hackl (Germany), Markus Prock (Austria)

Feb 12 - Women's singles (one and two)

Feb 13 - Women's singles (three and four)

Favourites: Silke Kraushaar (Germany), Sylke Otto (Germany), Barbara Niedernhuber (Germany)

Feb 15 - Men's doubles

Favourites: Alexander Resch/Patric-Fritz Leitner (Germany), Steffen Skel/Steffen Woeller (Germany).

05:32 02-09-02

Olympics-Curling ready to shed flabby image

By Steve Keating

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 9 (Reuters) - At the 1998 Nagano Winter Games curling was first welcomed into the Olympic family but four years on and the sport has yet to be embraced.

Curlers remain the Olympic event everyone likes to poke fun at -- good enough for a quick laugh on American late night talk shows but a long way from being considered essential Olympic viewing.

Despite a cult-like following the sport remains, literally, on the Olympic fringes. The Ogden venue, where action begins on Monday, is the furthest outpost from the Salt Lake heart of these Winter Games.

It continues to battle the stereotypes of a sport played by beer-loving, middle-aged men with brooms and plaid skirted women who throw rocks.

"The matches take three hours," said Swedish skip and reigning world champion Peter Lindholm. "As the sport becomes more competitive, curlers are paying more attention to the physical and mental aspects of the game. To sweep for so many hours takes so much."

On the surface there appears to be no particular physical requirement needed to participate in the sport.

It is that image of being something less than a serious athletic pursuit that has clung to sport like 10 extra, unwanted kilos.

In 1988, Canada's twice world champion Ed Werenich was at the centre of a controversy when he was ordered to lose weight or be banned from the Olympic trials for the Calgary Winter Games, where curling was a demonstration sport.

PREGNANT PAUSE

Sandra Schmirler -- rated as one of the top curlers of all-time -- claimed her third world title while she was six months pregnant and then won the 1998 Canadian Olympic trials after the final was delayed so she could breast-feed her nine-week-old baby.

Schmirler -- known across Canada simply as 'Schmirler the Curler' -- went on to claim Olympic gold in Nagano but will not defend her title in Salt Lake City having passed away two years ago from a rare form of cancer.

While played in small pockets around the world, the sport is most popular in Canada, where curling rinks are as common as soccer pitches in Europe.

In a country of nearly 40 million, over a million Canadians are curlers, more than the rest of the world combined.

Of the 43 men's world championships stretching back to 1959, Canadians have won 26.

The Canadian women have been almost as dominant, claiming 12 of the 23 world titles.

So it comes as no surprise that Canadian rinks are once again favoured to sweep the gold.

HIGH EXPECTATIONS

With the exception of Wayne Gretzky and the men's ice hockey team, no Canadian athlete will arrive at these Games burdened with greater expectations than Kevin Martin.

The skip of the Canadian men's foursome, Martin knows very well the reception that awaits him if he fails to deliver the gold.

Twice Martin has led his rink to the finals of the world championships and twice has settled for silver, but the memory Martin will want to erase most was a fourth place finish at the 1992 Albertville Olympics.

There are several rinks, however, which know what it takes to beat the Canadians.

Lindholm's Swedish foursome ranks as a legitimate gold medal threat as does the British rink skipped by Hammy McMillan.

A five time European champion, McMillan took his team to the world title in 1999 beating Canada on home ice.

On the women's side of the draw, Kelley Law's Canadian rink will face the added pressure of defending the crown left by Schmirler.

Canada's main competition will come from Sweden and four time world champion Elisabet Gustafson -- the two countries have between them won all the world titles since 1991.

Medal events:

Feb 21 - Women's Bronze/Gold medal games.

Favourites: Canada, Sweden

Feb 22 - Men's Bronze/Gold medal games.

Favourites: Canada

05:30 02-09-02

Olympic-Freestyle skiing-Traa hopes for fourth time lucky

DEER VALLEY, Utah, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Norway's Kari Traa will be the woman to beat in the freestyle skiing moguls competition on Saturday as she embarks on her fourth Winter Olympics.

Traa, bronze medallist in Nagano but yet to claim an Olympic title despite winning two world titles last year, will lead a field of 29 down the longest moguls course on the international circuit this year.

Skiers are scored on a combination of speed, jumps and technique.

Traa, the current World Cup points leader, will face her toughest challenge from Americans Hannah Hardaway and Shannon Bahrke.

A qualification round in the morning will lead to the top 16 advancing to the final.

Medal to be decided: Women's freestyle skiing moguls (starts 1600 GMT).

03:08 02-09-02

Olympics-Speedskating-Dutch wannabes set to fill Romme shoes

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 9 (Reuters) - The Dutch look firm favourites to open the Olympic speedskating competition with gold in the 5,000 metres on Saturday at the Utah Olympic Oval, even without the help of world record holder Gianni Romme.

Reigning champion Romme, 28, failed to qualify for the Dutch team after finishing fifth at the national Olympic trials despite leading this season's World Cup standings.

There are plenty of candidates to replace him, however. Bob de Jong, Carl Verheijen and Jochem Uytdehaage are ranked second, third and fifth respectively in this season's 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres World Cup races.

Uytdehaage, 25, won the national trials and is skating in his first Olympics while Verheijen, 26, showed rapid improvement last season after changing coaches and finished second to de Jong at the world single distance championships in Salt Lake City last year.

Germany's Frank Dittrich, 34, could upset the Dutch dominance as he aims for an elusive medal at his fourth Olympics. He placed fifth in Nagano four years ago and is ranked fourth in the World Cup.

Norwegian Lasse Saetre, 27, is also in with a medal chance. He is ranked sixth in the World Cup and came 11th in Nagano.

Bronze medallist at Nagano, Belgian Bart Veldkamp, should not be discounted.

Medal to be decided: Men's 5,000 metres (starts 1900 GMT).

03:06 02-09-02

Olympics-Nun still detained after demo

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Four women including a nun arrested as they attempted to lead a march towards the stadium where the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics took place were still being held late Friday, march organisers said.

The group of around 200 protestors, marching to highlight the plight of the poor and the homeless, was halted by police as they attempted to approach the Rice-Eccles Stadium about an hour before the opening ceremony started.

In all, five women, including catholic nun Sister Margaret McKenna, were arrested and police had given no timetable for the release of those still held, spokesman James Pfluecke said in a statement.

The stadium was ringed by security personnel who conducted rigorous searches of the 52,000 spectators attending the two-hour show, during which U.S. President Bush opened the Games.

02:47 02-09-02

Olympics-Timetable for second/third day of competition

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Timetable for the second and third day of competition at the Winter Olympics on Saturday and Sunday (all times GMT)

Saturday, February 9

Cross country 1600 - Women's 15km free mass start 1930 - Men's 30km free mass start

Freestyle skiing 1600 - Women's moguls qualification 1900 - Women's moguls final

Nordic combined 1600 - Normal hill trial round 1700 - Normal hill first round 1800 - Normal hill final round

Speed skating 1900 - Men's 5000 metres

Ice hockey 2100 - Men's preliminary round - Belarus v Ukraine, group B 2300 - Men's preliminary round - Slovakia v Germany, group A 0200 (Sunday) - Men's preliminary round - Austria v Latvia, group A 0400 (Sunday) - Men's preliminary round - Switzerland v France, Group B

Figure skating 0130 - Pairs short programme

Sunday, February 10

Ski jumping 1530 - Normal hill trial for competition 1630 - Normal hill first round 1730 - Normal hill final round

Nordic combined 1600 - Individual 15km

Alpine skiing 1700 - Men's downhill

Snowboarding 1700 - Women's halfpipe qualification run 1 1755 - Women's halfpipe qualification run 2 2000 - Women's halfpipe final run 1 2035 - Women's halfpipe final run 2

Speed skating 2000 - Women's 3000 metres

Ice hockey 2300 - Men's preliminary round - Austria v Germany, Group A 0200 (Monday) - Men's preliminary round - Latvia v Slovakia, Group A.

02:00 02-09-02

Olympics-Bars provide alternative view of opening ceremony

By John Mehaffey

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The streets were deserted, traffic minimal and the restaurants half-full at best on the night of the Salt Lake City Olympics opening ceremony.

Some of the Utah capital's less heralded institutions still did a flourishing trade throughout Friday night.

Queues for the city's bars stretched around the corners as locals and visitors sought a comfortable spot to view the opening spectacular.

One of the more popular was the Port o' Call in downtown Salt Lake City. Television crews seeking local colour vied for floor space with drinkers craving sustenance. The attraction was 30 beers on tap and six television screens plus a giant screen to cover every possible viewing angle.

The mood was exuberant rather than jingoistic. High fives, low fives and medium fives were exchanged when the United States walked in to the Rice-Eccles stadium.

The whoops and hollers were deafening but no more so than for the Super Bowl last Sunday. Only one American flag was evident and the owner strictly rationed his waves.

Organising committee head Mitt Romney was cheered when he spoke. International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge was listened to with respect.

As the ceremony paid its homage to the American West attention wavered, patrons fought for bar space with the tenacity of the Mormon pioneers and the bar staff battled to keep pace with demand.

The entry of the Olympic torch worked a fleeting magic. Famous American Winter Olympians Dick Button, Scott Hamilton, Peggy Fleming, Bill Johnson and Phil Mahre were cheered in a crescendo of sound reaching a climax when the camera highlighted Mike Eruzione, captain of the gold medal-winning 1980 Olympic hockey team.

"There they go," shouted one young man as the rest of the team appeared behind Eruzione and lit the flame.

"Oh my God," his companion shrieked. "The flame's going to go out."

The young man doubled up in laughter.

"No it's not," he said. "Nothing's going wrong."

For one cheerful crowd on Friday, only six months after the horrors of September 11, nothing had.

01:58 02-09-02

Olympics-Romney declares opening ceremony perfect

By Lynda Dugdale

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Winter Games chief Mitt Romney declared Friday's Olympic opening ceremony as perfect.

"It was perfect...it was magical and touching," he said. "It was everything we hoped for, everything we dreamed for, everything we worked for for the past three years."

He said the organising committee wanted to pick eight people who had helped inspire the world to carry the Olympic flag into Rice-Eccles stadium.

"These are not just Salt Lake City's Games, they are not just America's Games but the world's Games," Romney said.

The people selected were champions of faith, the arts, the environment, political solidarity, and sport.

Nobel peace prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu said it was exhilarating to participate in what turned out to be "a tremendous extravaganza."

"I was asked whether America would use the Games as an outlet for chauvinism, for jingoism, and I said 'Why not?' If it might heal America - okay.

"But then they discovered you can't fight terrorism on your own and can't have an Olympics alone."

Film-maker Steven Spielberg described the ceremony as a moment of global solidarity.

"I was moved by the inclusion of the native American tribes," he said. "It was an evening of renewal, faith and diversity."

IOC president Jacques Rogge said: "Fantastic. It was a wonderful celebration of the American West and Olympic values."

ENCOURAGING YOUTH

American astronaut Senator John Glenn felt the Olympics was a competition about excellence. "It's about encouraging young people to do their best," he said.

Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of underwater explorer Jacques, said the Olympic Games was an event "when all boundaries fall apart just like whales don't have passports."

"I feel extremely touched to be in the company of people who changed the world."

Ex-Polish president Lech Walesa echoed the feelings of his fellow flag bearers.

"Up to the end of the 20th century we were fighting each other but now we are finished with this attitude," he said.

"I hope that I am the last revolutionary and now we will go to a different world of the good struggle."

Olympic 400 metres champion Cathy Freeman, who lit the Olympic flame in Sydney, departed from the global tone of her peers and wished the athletes luck, especially the Australians.

"Go the Aussies," she said.

A host of American sporting greats paraded the torch around the Olympic stadium before it was handed to the most famous sporting team in U.S. history -- the 1980 Olympic hockey team.

Former Olympian James Shea, who carried the torch with his son Jim, a Salt Lake Olympian, said the opening ceremony was probably the most spectacular night of his life.

Shea's father, an Olympic speedskater, died in late January following a car accident. Shea senior had been asked to read the Olympic oath. His grandson read it instead.

02:37 02-09-02

Olympics-Dignified patriotism pervades Games opening

By Deborah Zabarenko

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 8 (Reuters) - There were fireworks and flag-waving, but the patriotism on display at Friday's Winter Olympics opening ceremony was dignified and muted, with an edge of melancholy symbolised by the tears in a president's eyes.

Like others at Rice-Eccles Stadium, President George W. Bush blinked away tears at the sight of the "Ground Zero" flag being carried into the ceremony in the first minutes, its torn fabric a symbol of a nation in shock since September 11.

No loud cries of "U-S-A, U-S-A" could be heard until the very last moments of the ceremony, and few hijinks were seen during the procession of athletes into the stadium.

With the snow-covered Wasatch Mountains for a backdrop and a light snow falling, the patriotism was of a more pensive brand.

Still, the crowd of some 52,000 brought their enthusiasm to an all-American display, belting out "Home on the Range" and "She'll be Coming Round the Mountain" before the official programme began.

But even before the show started, there was a reminder of the hijack attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania: "God Bless America" sung by New York City Police Office Daniel Rodriguez, whose voice has been linked to patriotic anthems commemorating victims of the tragedy.

Minutes into the ceremony, the "Ground Zero" flag -- which was rescued from the World Trade Center rubble -- was carried into the stadium by eight Olympic athletes, along with an honour guard of New York police and firefighters.

The presentation of this flag was greeted with a deep silence from the crowd. An unscathed American flag was hoisted as the ripped flag was carried out of sight.

FLAG-WRAPPED CEREMONY

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause at the sight of the U.S. team at the rear of the athletes' procession.

NBC television's broadcast of the programme was intercut with a live feed of U.S. troops stationed in Kandahar, Afghanistan, alternately showing them serious-eyed and smiling.

There were still the requisite pyrotechnics -- fireworks at beginning, middle and end of the two-and-a-half hour ceremony -- and elaborate stagecraft that have become hallmarks of the modern Olympic opening.

At least one performer, singer R. Kelly, literally wrapped himself in the U.S. flag, wearing a loose-fitting stars-and-stripes ensemble. But most others were restrained.

American symbols were gently introduced: chiefs of five Native American nations arrived on horseback to welcome the Olympians, and a trained golden eagle named Tiger flew around the stadium to its handler.

Bush stayed largely out of sight, but moved into the stands to mingle with the U.S. team before giving his own version of the official opening statement: "On behalf of a proud, determined and grateful nation, I declare open the Games of Salt Lake City, celebrating the Winter Olympic Games."

The traditional cliff-hanger ending to the ceremony -- who will actually lift the Olympic torch to light the cauldron -- kept with the U.S. patriotic theme.

Instead of just one torch-bearer, there were 19 members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic gold medal hockey team that defeated the Soviet Union.

Finally, the cheers of "U-S-A, U-S-A" rang through the stadium.

Bush rallies US team with Sept. 11's 'Let's roll'

In SALT LAKE CITY story headlined "Bush rallies US team with Sept. 11's 'Let's roll,' please read in 4th paragraph ... the United Airlines flight ... instead of ... the American Airlines flight (Correcting airline).

A corrected repetition follows:

By Patricia Wilson

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Rallying U.S. Olympic athletes with the Sept. 11 cry "Let's roll," President George W. Bush on Friday called the Winter Games a chance to promote peace and show the world a spirit bigger than evil or terror.

Sporting a navy blue jacket emblazoned with USA 2002 and the Olympic rings, Bush offered the 211-strong team a pep talk inside a gymnasium at the Olympic village, saying: "The whole country's pulling for you."

"You the athletes are going to represent us with such class and dignity and courage," he said. "It's a chance for the world to see that in times of war we can come together in friendly competition to promote the peace."

Borrowing the last words of Todd Beamer, a passenger aboard the United Airlines flight that slammed into a Pennsylvania field on Sept. 11 after passengers apparently struggled with the plane's hijackers, Bush told the athletes: "You represent a spirit that is much bigger than evil and terror. You represent peace. Let's roll!"

During the meeting, the president was joined by officers from the New York Port Authority carrying a glass and wood box containing the tattered U.S. flag that was unearthed from the rubble of the World Trade Center.

"This flag serves as a symbol of this nation's strength, of our resolve, of our determination to fight for freedom," he said. "These games come at a perfect time for the country and in our time of sadness and determination and resolve our Olympic athletes will represent the best of America."

The International Olympic Committee originally ruled that carrying the damaged flag in the procession of athletes would impinge on Olympic protocol.

LASTING MEMORIES

But the IOC agreed that the torn banner could be carried into Rice-Eccles Stadium by eight American athletes flanked by an honor guard of firefighters and police -- the "heroes" of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States -- as the U.S. national anthem is played.

Earlier, Bush said although the world had shed many tears, the Winter Olympics would provide "lasting memories of laughter and triumph."

At a ceremony in the Utah Capitol, where the white marble of a winding staircase provided stark background for the hot-pink gowns and black tuxedos of the men and women of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Bush celebrated the Games as a tribute to freedom and peace.

Under a multimillion-dollar security blanket that includes 15,000 troops, police, and Secret Service agents, Black Hawk helicopters and F-16 fighter jets armed with anti-aircraft missiles, Bush and more than 50,000 others will watch on Friday night as the most expensive Winter Olympics in history are launched in front of the nation and the world.

"I'm so confident about the security situation that I came," the president told reporters after meeting Gordon Hinckley, president of the Mormon Church. The Mormons, known formally as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have their world headquarters in Salt Lake City.

Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt noted that people from 80 nations lost citizens when hijackers slammed commercial aircraft into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon near Washington and a field in rural Pennsylvania, killing more than 3,000 people.

COLLECTIVELY DEFYING EVIL

"The flags of those 80 nations fly together as we collectively defy evil in the name of peace," Leavitt said.

Bush's official role was to recite a 14-word statement declaring the Winter Games open. "I declare open the games of Salt Lake City, celebrating the Winter Olympic Games," Bush is expected to say.

But at the Utah reception, Bush devoted most of his speech to invoking the spirit of Sept. 11.

Calling liberty and freedom "self-evident" rights and "timeless ideals" that made it possible for people to live together in peace, he said the Olympics gave the world "the chance in the middle of a difficult struggle to celebrate international peace and cooperation."

During the opening ceremonies, Bush will be on the field for the national anthem and the lighting of the caldron but will spend most of the evening in the president's box with Mitt Romney, head of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee and the man orchestrating the $1.9 billion Winter Games.

Black Hawk helicopters and F-16 fighter jets were patrolling the skies over the games, looking for any illegal intruders into a vast "Olympic ring" of restricted airspace.

Commercial and private aircraft are able to fly in the area, but they must have advance permission, enhanced security plans and be prepared for constant contact with air traffic controllers while in the restricted zone, U.S. government officials said.

20:54 02-08-02

Olympics-Like Ali, Johnson's experience shows dangers of sport

By Robert Woodward

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 8 (Reuters) - He cannot remember when he got divorced or when his father died, in fact his brain has difficulty dredging up anything that happened in the 1990s.

Bill Johnson's carrying of the torch at Friday's opening ceremony was a reminder that one small mistake can turn downhill skiing, the blue riband event of the Winter Olympics, from a thrill-seeker's dream into a life-threatening wipe-out.

Like Muhammad Ali, who lit the flame with quivering hands at the opening ceremony of the 1996 Atlanta Games, Johnson has suffered for his sport.

Winner of the downhill gold medal at the 1984 Olympics, he crashed last March in Montana as he attempted to force his way back into the Olympic reckoning at the age of 40.

He was unconscious for three weeks and doctors removed a large blood clot from his brain. Much of his memory bank did not survive the crash and he had to learn how to speak again.

The trauma completed a tough decade for Johnson who never won another race after the Olympics in Sarajevo.

He hit financial trouble, his marriage fell apart and he ended up living in camper vans. Johnson now lives with his mother in Oregon and he is glad to be back in Utah as it may trigger memories of his father who died in 1995.

The Johnson family spent many happy holidays water-skiing and Bill wants to scatter his father's ashes on Lake Powell "to bury him where he wants to be buried."

SURPRISE WIN

From early in his life, Johnson was an outsider in the world of Alpine skiing. Opinionated and supremely self-confident, Johnson was caught red-handed aged 17 trying to steal a car.

The judge ruled he should go to ski academy rather than behind bars, a let-off that gave Johnson a mission in life - to become the best in the world.

An American had never won the downhill gold and Johnson was not among the favourites early in the 1983-84 season.

But when he won the famous Lauberhorn downhill at Wengen in January, his opponents took notice as the Sarajevo Olympic course was perfect for "gliders" like Johnson.

As far as Johnson was concerned, the others were just there to pick up the minor medals and he lived up to his boasts by beating the best from Austria and Switzerland.

Unfortunately that was as good as it got for Johnson and, despite his injuries, he still yearns to prove his worth in the sport that gave him so much and nearly took it all away.

"Other people retire and go on to get another one," Johnson told the Salt Lake Tribune newspaper this week. "To me it's really important to get another medal. It's my life."

23:57 02-08-02

Olympics-U.S 1980 ice hockey heroes light Games flame

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Captain Mike Eruzione and his victorious 1980 U.S. ice hockey team lit the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics flame on Friday.

The team, whose identity had been kept a close secret over the past months, gathered at the base of the 117-foot glass cauldron at the Rice-Eccles Stadium after being handed the Olympic torch.

The flame was visible as it climbed through the core of the cauldron to the glass bowl dominating the stadium.

Eruzione was the inspirational captain of the U.S. team that defeated the Soviet Union and Finland in the Lake Placid Olympics in what is considered one of sport's great upsets.

Eruzione, now 47, scored the game-winning goal against

the once-invincible Soviet Union in the semifinals in what many called "the shot heard 'round the world."

After the victory, Eruzione spent several years as a television commentator in New York, providing coverage of the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils games.

23:41 02-08-02

Olympics-Bush opens Games in emotion-packed ceremony

By Robert Woodward

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Salt Lake City welcomed the world to the Winter Olympics with a dignified show of patriotism sparked by the appearance of the "Ground Zero" flag at Friday's opening ceremony.

Eight American athletes slowly carried the tattered flag, dug out from the rubble of the World Trade Center following the September 11 attacks, into Rice-Eccles Stadium amid snow flurries at the start of the ceremony.

Their arrival, watched by U.S. President George Bush, was met by a respectful 90 seconds of silence from the 52,000 capacity crowd, many in tears, before they burst into cheers.

"Old Glory," a potent symbol of American patriotism and resilience, was also escorted by New York police officers and firemen before the Mormon Tabernacle Choir led the singing of the American national anthem.

BATTERING WINDS

The flag, though, was not raised above the stadium, as originally planned, because it was too fragile to withstand the high winds battering the city during the day.

A series of colourful skating tableaux were then enacted in a temporary rink at the centre of the stadium before the athletes' parade, consisting of around 2,500 competitors from 77 countries.

Bush, in a departure from normal protocol, then left his seat to join American athletes in the south stand of the stadium before declaring open the 19th Winter Games.

Organisers had promised the ceremony would not become an "American flag-waving event" and would avoid Hollywood excess by stressing the importance of the Olympics as a healing force.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, though, had words of sympathy. He told the crowd: "People of America, Utah and Salt Lake City, we are gathered once again in your great country.

'HORRIFIC TRAGEDY'

"Your nation is overcoming a horrific tragedy. A tragedy that has affected the whole world. We stand united with you in the promotion of our common ideals and hope for world peace."

He also called for a clean Games, adding: "A champion is someone who respects the rules; rejects doping; and competes in the spirit of fair play."

Bush, himself expressing his country's delicate mix of emotions, had said at a Salt Lake ceremony earlier on Friday: "The world has shed many tears, tears of sorrow over the past five months.

"Now it gives the people of the United States and the state of Utah great pride to host these Games which will provide lasting memories of laughter and triumph for people of every nation."

The ceremony, lit up by displays of fireworks, had begun with the entrance of a single child -- 13-year-old local Ryne Sanborn -- holding a light, representing the theme of "light the fire within" which celebrates the inspirational power of the Games.

The child was joined by hundreds of other youngsters to welcome the teams including 11 with just one athlete, such as first-timers Fiji, Cameroon and Thailand.

The American contingent -- the biggest at the Games with 211 members -- came at the end of the parade. The U.S. team placard was carried by Liz Howell whose husband was killed when a hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon on September 11.

'LET'S ROLL'

Bush had told the team before the ceremony: "You represent a spirit that is much bigger than evil and terror. You represent peace. Let's roll!"

"Let's roll" were the last known words of Todd Beamer before he and other passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 are believed to have fought the hijackers on September 11 just minutes before their jetliner crashed in a Pennsylvania field.

Security around the stadium on Friday was extremely tight -- organisers have said the ceremony would be "the safest place on the planet." Around 15,000 police, soldiers and secret service agents are in the Utah capital.

Members of all five Native American tribes in Utah arrived separately on the stadium floor but came together in a show of unity organisers believed is unprecedented.

Athletes representing the five continents at the 17-day Games handed the five tribes gifts signifying the mountains, victory and peace before the stadium erupted with the drums and dances of the original inhabitants of Utah.

A section highlighting hardships endured by early Mormon pioneers on their journey by wagon train to the Great Salt Lake Basin ushered in the country music of the Dixie Chicks.

Other musical interludes were provided by Rita Coolidge, Robbie Robertson, former guitarist with The Band, and Sting.

This is the fourth time the U.S. have staged the Winter Games and the first since Lake Placid in 1980.

23:19 02-08-02

Olympics-President Bush declares Salt Lake City Games open SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President George Bush declared the 19th Winter Olympics open on Friday. Bush told a capacity crowd at the Rice-Eccles Stadium: "I declare open the Games of Salt Lake City, celebrating the Winter Olympic Games." 23:09 02-08-02

Olympics-Ground Zero flag arrives at opening ceremony SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. flag rescued from the rubble of the World Trade Center was given a respectful welcome as it arrived at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics on Friday. A capacity 52,000-strong crowd, many in tears, greeted the tattered flag as it was slowly carried into Rice-Eccles Stadium by eight American athletes, surrounded by New York police officers and firemen, shortly after the start of the ceremony. The American national anthem was then sung. The flag was displayed as a tribute to the victims of the September 11 attacks on the United States. The Games organisers had planned to raise the "Ground Zero" flag during the ceremony but officials decided it was too fragile after being damaged in the attack. Salt Lake City was hit by winds of up to 70 mph on Thursday night, with strong gusts continuing on Friday. 21:12 02-08-02

Olympics-Helicopters patrol high-security Games opening By Deborah Zabarenko SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Helicopters circled overhead and yellow-jacketed police stood shoulder-to-shoulder along President George W. Bush's motorcade route in the final countdown to Friday's opening of the 2002 Winter Olympics. Security at Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium, site of the opening ceremonies, was tight, with all who entered going through a magnetic scan and all bags opened and inspected by U.S. military personnel. Mitt Romney, head of the local organizing committee for the Games, warned spectators in advance to wear plenty of warm clothes but to leave backpacks at home -- not because of their size, but because of the many zippers on some packs. Every compartment will be opened, Romney said at a news conference and that could delay entry. Bomb-sniffing dogs were also on hand, according to Lt. Cmdr. James Morrison of the Joint Task Force-Olympics. "Security so far is on track from a military perspective," Morrison said by telephone before the ceremonies began. "We have done everything that we planned to do and we will definitely be on call to ensure it's a safe and secure Olympic Games." The U.S. military will hardly be alone. By some estimates, the security force for the Winter Games outnumbers the athletes by more than five to one. Dozens of agencies have been detailed to ensure safety, including the Secret Service, the FBI, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, the U.S. Customs Service and state and local law enforcement. Unarmed Blackhawk helicopters were patrolling the area, with instructions to force down any illegal aerial intruders into restricted airspace. If the Blackhawks are unsuccessful, they can call on some 48 F-16 fighter jets armed with anti-aircraft missiles and 20 mm gatling guns. These are based at nearby Hill Air Force Base. Salt Lake City police appeared on nearly every streetcorner in the downtown area, and their yellow jackets were a vivid reminder of their massive presence. At one point along Bush's motorcade, they stood shoulder-to-shoulder in a city park. Police arrested six women who attempted to lead a march in support of the poor and homeless towards the stadium where the opening ceremonies were to take place, march organizers said. Spokesman James Pfluecke said police wearing balaclavas stopped the 200 marchers and arrested the six, including a Catholic nun. Police declined to say why the six had been detained. 21:12 02-08-02

Olympics-Salt Lake welcomes world with blaze of patriotism By Robert Woodward SALT LAKE CITY, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Salt Lake City welcomed the world to the Winter Olympics with a blaze of patriotism ignited by the appearance of the "Ground Zero" flag at Friday's opening ceremony. Eight American athletes slowly carried the flag, dug out from the rubble of the World Trade Center following the September 11 attacks, into Rice-Eccles Stadium at the start of the ceremony. Their arrival was met by a respectful one minute of silence from 52,000 spectators, many in tears, before they burst into cheers. The potent symbol of American patriotism and resilience was also escorted by New York police officers and firemen before the singing of the American national anthem amid snow flurries. Moments earlier U.S. President George Bush and International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge had been introduced to the crowd. The flag was not raised because it was too fragile to withstand high winds which had battered the city during the day. The entrance of "Old Glory" came minutes after the beginning of the two-hour ceremony and before the entrance of more than 2,500 athletes from 77 countries. Organisers had stressed that the extravaganza, largely performed on a skating rink, would not be an "American flag-waving event" and it would underline the importance of the Olympics as a healing force. At a Salt Lake ceremony earlier Friday, Bush said: "The world has shed many tears, tears of sorrow over the past five months and now it gives the people of the United States and the state of Utah great pride to host these Games which will provide lasting memories of laughter and triumph for people of every nation." The ceremony began with the entry of a single child -- 13-year-old local Ryne Sanborn -- holding a lantern, representing the theme of "light the fire within" that celebrates the inspirational power of the Games. The child was joined by hundreds of other youngsters to welcome the athletes including 11 teams with only one member such as first-timers Fiji, Cameroon and Thailand. The host American contingent -- the biggest at the Games with 211 members -- were to enter at the end of the parade. The U.S. team placard was to be carried by Liz Howell, whose husband was killed when a plane crashed into the Pentagon on September 11. More than 3,000 people were killed in the attacks on New York and Washington. Security around the stadium was extremely tight -- organisers have said the ceremony would be "the safest place on the planet." Around 15,000 police, soldiers and secret service agents are in the Utah capital in a $300 million operation. 21:21 02-08-02