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From the Olympics Toword Tomorrow
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Dry run of Nagano Olympics opening gala goes smoothly
The rehearsal began as scheduled at 11 a.m. under sunny skies and proceeded almost identically to what has been planned for the real ceremony which, on Saturday, will kick off the biggest winter sports extravaganza in history.
The 16-day Nagano Olympics, bringing together nearly 4,000 athletes and officials from 72 countries, are slated to begin in Japanese style, with top sumo wrestlers and local residents performing traditional rituals to ward off the evil spirits.
The final torch relay runners, including anti-land mine activist Chris Moon, will carry the Olympic flame in the stadium in southern Nagano and former Olympic silver medalist Midori Ito will light the cauldron.
Conductor Seiji Ozawa will lead a live global chorus performance of Beethoven's Ode to Joy by 200 singers each in Sydney, New York, Beijing, Berlin and Cape Point in South Africa linked by satellite broadcasting with Nagano.
The two-hour gala is expected to be seen by 50,000 spectators and millions of more television viewers around the world.
The door to the opening ceremony stadium opens at 7 a.m. Saturday and preliminary explanations and singing practice for spectators take place from around 10 a.m.
(Kyodo News)
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Copyright 1998 The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun