How many athletes marched into the Olympic Stadium?

A crowd of some 35,000, including U.S First Lady Laura Bush and Italian film legend Sophia Loren, filled the Olympic Stadium. More than 4,700 performers, including fast-moving skaters with fiery rocket packs, dancers and even dancing cows opened the festivities. f241Some 2,600 athletes from the more than 80 countries and territories marched into the stadium accompanied by American pop music from the 1970s and 1980s. The worldwide television audience was estimated at around two billion. Following more than two hours of celebration and pageantry, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge addressed the athletes. "Please compete in the spirit of fair play, mutual understanding, and respect. And above all, please compete cleanly by refusing doping". Then, the president of the Italian Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi officially opened the Games. "I declare open in Turin the celebration of the 20th Winter Olympic Games," he said. The musical highlights of the show included an appearance by the late John Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono, r251and his song Imagine sung by Peter Gabriel. The entertainment was capped off with a performance by legendary Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti.