August 8, 2008 (25 images)

Performers fly by the Olympic Rings during the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics at the National Stadium, called the Bird's Nest, in Beijing on August 8, 2008. The Summer Games will run through August 24, 2008. (UPI Photo/Pat Benic)

The pageantry of the Olympics is shown with a dancers walking on a giant globe of the Earth that rises from the center of the field during a dress rehearsal of the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics at the National Stadium, called the Bird's Nest, in Beijing on August 5, 2008. The Summer Games begin with the Opening Ceremony on August 8, 2008, and will run through August 24, 2008. (UPI Photo/Pat Benic)

Heavy pollution virtually shrouds the Olympic Green on opening day of the Olympic games being held in Beijing on August 8, 2008. Beijing authorities claimed air quality in the Chinese capital had improved enough to meet its Olympic targets, even as the city remained shrouded in smog the day of the Games. (UPI Photo/Stephen Shaver)

Entertainers perform during the Opening Ceremonies for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, on August 8, 2008. (UPI Photo/Roger L. Wollenberg)