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MALAYSIA ATHLETES AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE 2008 BEIJING OLYMPICS.
BEIJING, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Resurgent China opened the Olympics on Friday with a burst of fireworks at a spectacular ceremony that wove ancient Chinese history with modern wizardry and aimed to draw a line under months of political controversy.
Drums thundered, strobe lights flickered and 14,000 performers poured through the Bird’s Nest stadium in a dazzling extravaganza that offered up a vision of global harmony in line with the Games’ motto “One World One Dream”. Around 80 world leaders watched the show which celebrated imperial China, and skipped the fraught 20th century, when civil war, the Japanese invasion and hardline Communist rule left the nation mired in poverty.
“Friends have come from afar, how happy we are,” an army of 2,008 drummers chanted, quoting the celebrated sage Confucius.
SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD G. Kavin Kartik delivered a brace when it mattered most to take Negri Sembilan into the final of the Razak Cup after a lapse of 10 years. Negri started with great determination, and beat Kuala Lumpur in every department yesterday, and both the teams will square off again on Sunday to decide who lifts the Division One title. The last time Negri made the final was when they hosted the Cup in 1998, but they lost the title to Kuala Lumpur then. Kartik gave Negri the lead in the 58th minute with a deft penalty corner conversion, after former national skipper S. Kuhan’s handful of attempts were blocked by speedy Kuala Lumpur runners. And his second goal was also a masterpiece, as his slap-shot slammed into the bottom of the bar, and went crashing in into the net in the 70th minute. “My players were determined to play in the final, and they played their hearts out for this win. The final will be a different ball game, but we will give our best,” said Negri Sembilan coach Jailani Sulaiman. RESULTS: Division One -- Johor 1 Perak 4, Kuala Lumpur 0 Negri Sembilan 2, Malacca 4 National Juniors 1. Division Two: Perlis 4 Singapore 3, Police 3 Kelantan 3, Penang 3 Selangor 5. TODAY: Division One -- Third-Fourth: Malacca v Perak (5pm); Fifth-Sixth: Juniors v Johor (3pm). Division Two: Third-Fourth: Perlis v Singapore (7.30am), Fifth-Sixth: Kelantan v Police (9.15am). TOMORROW: Division One Final: Kuala Lumpur v Negri Sembilan (5pm); Division Two Final: Selangor v Penang (3pm).
FINAL STANDINGS
DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pts
KUALA LUMPUR 6 5 0 1 18 6 15
NEGRI SEMBILAN 6 4 1 1 13 5 13
MALACCA 6 4 0 2 13 13 12
PERAK 6 3 1 2 13 10 10
NAT JUNIORS 6 2 1 3 13 13 7
JOHOR 6 0 2 4 5 12 2
ARMED FORCES 6 0 1 5 11 27 1
DIVISION TWO
P W D L F A Pts
SELANGOR 5 5 0 0 20 6 15
PENANG 5 3 1 1 27 13 10
PERLIS 5 3 1 1 15 11 10
SINGAPORE 5 2 0 3 12 15 6
POLICE 5 0 1 4 10 24 1
KELANTAN 5 0 1 4 8 23 1
Singer Song Zuying lights a couldron with the Olympic flame during a presentation at Ditan Park during the Olympic Torch Relay in Beijing. 
China's National Aquatics Center, also known as the "Water Cube", is seen less than a hour from the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.
Drummers line the floor of the National Stadium known as the Bird's Nest during the opening ceremonies for the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Fireworks over the National Stadium during opening ceremony fot the 2008 Beijing Olympics in Beijing.
The Chinese flag is paraded into the National Stadium during the opening ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympics. 
Fireworks explode over China's National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest", during the Opening Ceremony of Beijing Olympics.
Fireworks over the National Stadium during opening ceremony fot the 2008 Beijing Olympics in Beijing.
Dancers perform during the opening ceremonies for the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
