SARAJEVO, YugoslaviaSARAJEVO, Yugoslavia -- The lighting of the Olympic flame officially opened the XIV Winter Games today with all its ceremony, pageantry and a Yugoslavian precision performance gone technicolor for television.
Kosevo Stadium was packed to capacity with 60,000 spectators for the 90-minute extravaganza kicked off with the parade of Olympic delegations from the 49 participating countries.
First, as always in Olympic tradition, came the Greeks and last the hosting Yugoslavs. There was a team from miniscule Andora, Argentinians in bright red ponchos, a lone speedskater bearing the flag of the British Virgin Islands, the lone luger from Puerto Rico and Moroccans in wool turbans and black flowing capes.
Despite turmoil at home, the Lebanese team made it, wrapped in scarves with their national Cedar of Lebanon knitted into the wool.
The two Chinas were there together for the first time, the Taiwanese back in competition after being refused entry at Lake Placid in 1980 and the others stepping out with the proudest march of the lot.
'Forty nine national Olympic Committees are present,' International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch said in his opening speech. Thousands of balloons filled the skies. Yugoslav president Mika Spiljak then opened the games officially with the traditional words.
Out came the Olympic flag, borne like a trampoline high over head, by Yugoslavs in white space suits and pairs in the national dress of each of the six Yugoslav republics that make up the state.
The flag was hoisted. The crowd stood. A marching fire departmentbrass band from the Lake Placid area followed the Olympic flag for the transfer ceremony. In the crowd, someone waved a banner saying, 'Texas says howdy.'
Yugoslav Olympian Ivo Cerman skied into the stadium with the torch and his teammate, figure skater Sandra Dubravicic, took it up the ramp to light the flame.
Then the dancers launched into their routines, making human mosaics to eery music in minor keys in a blaze of colored snowsuits.
But television provided a free way to view the extravaganza. Nearly 2 billion viewers worldwide were expected to watch the opening ceremonies, slated to begin at 8:30 a.m. EST.
The ceremony starts by tradition with a salute to the flags of the countries participating -- a Winter Games record of 49 -- followed by a triumphal march of athletes into the Olympic stadium, usually home to the local soccer club, Football Klub Sarajevo.
Yugoslav skier Ivo Cerman was picked to carry the torch into the stadium. Sanda Dubravcic, the 21-year-old Yugoslav figure skating champion, was poised to receive the torch and light the traditional Olympic flame.
Security in the city of 450,000 was tight, with thousands of police and security guards in Olympic uniform stationed at venues and on the streets. Airport-style X-ray machines sprouted everywhere and militiamen climbed into trucks on the main routes into town. All private cars were banned.
The security was discreet and low key, however, with only a handful of soldiers carrying machine guns -- a far cry from the Soviet Union, the last Communist country to host an Olympics in 1980. The Yugoslav army has spent most of its time stomping down snow on the slopes.
Yet because of understandable fears that the current Middle East violence could spill over in Yugoslavia, not even the opening ceremony guest list was released in advance.
The king of Norway and the prince of Japan have arrived, as have Kirk Douglas and singer John Denver. Princess Anne of Britain was on her way and there were rumors singer Frank Sinatra might show up.
Along with American athletes in their now ubiquitous red-white-and-blue uniforms and Russians in bearskins, the nearly 1,600 Olympians on parade this year include athletes from the two Chinas.
The Taiwanese had planned to compete at Lake Placid in 1980 but were banned for refusing to change their name from the Republic of China. This year they are competing as the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee.
Seven nations make their Winter Olympic debut at Sarajevo -- Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Egypt, Monaco, San Marino, Senegal and South Korea.
Lebanon's four-man Alpine ski team had not arrived by late Tuesday. But with war in streets of Beirut, their participation had to be in doubt.
The Olympic flame, flown and relayed in from Greece, arrived Tuesday to an impromptu reception from curious townspeople.
About 4,500 young people have practiced for weeks in hopes of wowing the crowd with a show of gymnastics and ballet delivered in technicolor suits of shocking pink and puce, electric yellow and peacock blue.
Sarajevans are hoping the extravaganza and their handling of the Olympic sporting venues will make the world see it as a ski resort and not the site of the assassination that touched off World War I.
Already Yugoslav authorities are happily boasting nearly 24,000 tourists will attend the Games and over 200,000 tickets have been sold. Just in case, Sarajevo's Olympic mascot, Vuchko the wolf, has his fat fingers crossed.
