Sun, Feb 12, 2006 page24

• Belmondo ignites flame amid passion

  • AP
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  A dazzled, cheering audience danced on their chairs on Friday night and the opening ceremony of the Winter Games became one giant house party.

  The arrival of the Olympic torch, carried by skiing hero Alberto "La Bomba" Tomba drew a passionate outburst from spectators and athletes as he ran up the stage steps and handed it off to a succession of Italian medal winners.

  Ultimately it was Stefania Belmondo, a two-time gold medal winner in cross-country skiing, who touched the flame to a wire that ignited fireworks and lit the Olympic caldron.

  

  Fireworks lighten the sky over the Olympic stadium during the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, on Friday.

  PHOTO: AFP

  The cheering crowd screamed its delight -- just one of the many times it did so throughout the three-hour show.

  But it wasn't truly over until the big man sang.

  Luciano Pavarotti performed Nessun Dorma, (Let No One Sleep), from Puccini's Turandot, an aria that the tenor has turned into a signature piece.

  While that closing number sent spectators home happy, it was the parade of nations that really got the party going.

  More than 2,500 athletes arrived to the accompaniment of chest-thumping disco ranging from YMCA by the Village People to I Will Survive, by Gloria Gaynor.

  Italy, as host country, entered last and brought down the house. Dressed in fur-trimmed coats, against the pulsating, popular Italian pop song Una Donna Per Amico (A Woman For a Friend), the crowd jumped to its feet, and shouted while ringing souvenir cow bells provided by show organizers.

  Second only to the audience's reaction to Italy was the roaring welcome given to the Americans. Around the packed stadium, fans stood and clapped as Daddy Cool blared through loudspeakers.

  More than 200 US athletes, wearing white coats and hats of blue and red, waived and blew kisses. Giant video screens showed a smiling first lady Laura Bush.

  Athletes from North Korea and South Korea paraded behind one flag featuring the Korean peninsula.

  In an unusual security move, three plain-clothed guards followed the Danish team as it marched through -- a precaution that responded to recent violence by Muslims enraged at derogatory cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad published in Danish newspapers.

  Security was also tight for the arrival of Mrs. Bush and Cherie Blair, wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

  "Rhythm, Passion and Speed," promised the show's producers, and those watching -- an estimated 35,000 at the Olympic Stadium and two billion tuning in -- got all of that.

  The program opened with Yuri Chechi, one of Italy's most famous gymnasts, swinging a mighty hammer onto a giant anvil that sparked tall flames. Rollerbladers in red body suits zoomed across the stage, two-foot flames shooting out the back of their heads.

  Next came a tribute to the seven countries abutting the majestic Alps -- including Austria, Germany and France. Dancers wearing green sheaths pranced near brightly painted fake cows pulled on rollers. It was a homage to mountain life and livestock, and to cheer both, the stadium audience was supplied with the cow bells.

  A bright red Ferrari Formula 1 racing car churned smoke from its wheels as it spun five circles in the stadium.

  In what executive producer Marco Balich described as an "iconic moment," silver-clad dancers appeared with big, white bubbles stuck to their heads. Balich, who has staged concert shows for U2 and the Rolling Stones, said the balls signified snow, of which there is none in downtown Turin.

  For the first time, eight women carried the Olympic flag: Italian actress Sophia Loren, Chilean writer Isabel Allende, American actress Susan Sarandon, Nobel Peace-prize winner Wangari Maathai of Kenya, and three Olympic medal winners. They were Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco, Manuela Di Centa of Italy, and Maria Mutola of Mozambique. The eighth was Cambodian human rights activist Somaly Mam.

  Snowboarders have been practicing a spectacular move never before unleashed at an Olympic halfpipe -- the frontside 1260, where the boarder spins three and a half times in midair. But it's still not clear whether anybody will try the tough trick in competition.

  "It's a great trick if you can land it smooth and clean, but you've got to have some style," said US snowboarder Daniel Kass.

  Teammate Andy Finch agreed, and had some simple advice for competitors in Sunday's event: "Just go big."

  At least three boarders -- Italy's Giacomo Kratter, Finland's Antti Autti and Mathieu Crepel of France -- have landed the trick successfully in practice.

  Kratter says he's considering trying it the final.

  DETERMINED DALCIN

  Pierre-Emmanuel Dalcin is looking for revenge, and no one should doubt his determination or his courage.

  The French downhiller tore his knee ligaments on the first jump in Salt Lake City four years ago but continued skiing, even when he lost his ski because his leg couldn't support him any more. And he finished 11th.

  "I haven't forgotten. I almost had a medal round my neck," the 27-year-old said.

  FRENCH AMBITION

  Sports Minister Jean-Francois Lamour, himself a double Olympic gold medalist, hopes France can do at least as well as the record 11 medals it won four years ago.

  "If the team can reproduce the results from Salt Lake City, it will be a very good games for the French team," said Lamour, who won fencing golds in 1984 and 1988 and carried the French flag at the 1992 games.

  He said he was hoping for up to 15 medals.
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