29th Summer Olympics to open in Beijing

The 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony will be held at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. with a spectacular 90-minute show and fireworks, entrance of athletes from 205 competing nations. The show will be broadcast by almost all national TV stations.

More than 80 heads of state are expected to attend the opening ceremony, including the US President George Bush, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and French President Nicholas Sarkozy.

The Games will be declared open once the Olympic flame is lit at the Bird's Nest stadium.

The 2008 Olympics are marked with record high number of national teams and record high number of women athletes.