America's George Bush and France's Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed they would attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic games in Beijing .

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In exactly a year, the best athletes from around the globe will gather at London's Olympic Park for the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games.

BBC: Olympics 'will be a great success'

Few in that country can forget the impressive sight of Li Ning, himself in a track suit of his own design, being hoisted up at the Bird Nest stadium to light the torch during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

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As the dramatic spectacle of the Olympic Games opening ceremony in London unfolded Friday night, organizers estimated a billion people around the world would be glued to their television sets to see it, either live or delayed by a few hours.

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The torch visits the four nations of the UK before being taken to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford on 27 July for the opening ceremony of the Games.

BBC: Olympic torch: Huge crowds turn out to cheer flame

He appeared by her side at the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games at the end of July and accompanied her on a visit to the Olympic Park as the events got under way.

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Commuters have been warned they could face heavy congestion with the arrival of the Paralympic Games Torch Relay in London and the opening ceremony at the Olympic Park on 29 August.

BBC: Commuters urged to prepare for Paralympic Games

The relay runs from 19 May to 27 July 2012, with the torch travelling about 8, 000 miles, culminating in the lighting of the cauldron at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford at the Games' opening ceremony.

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