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More than a billion people from around the world watched the official start to the 17-day contest where more than 16,000 athletes from 204 countries will compete for their sport's ultimate prize - Olympic gold.

Oscar-winning "Slumdog Millionaire" director Danny Boyle masterminded the show, which cost 42 million dollars to stage, less than half the cost of the Beijing extravaganza, and lasted nearly four hours.