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RIO DE JANEIRO -- With fireworks forming the word Rio in the sky and supermodel Gisele Bundchen shimmering to the tune of The Girl From Ipanema, Rio de Janiero jubilantly welcomed the world Friday to the first Olympic Games in South America.After one of the roughest-ever rides from vote to Games by an Olympic host, the city of beaches, carnival, grinding poverty and sun-kissed wealth opened the two-week Games of the 31st Olympiad with a high-energy gala celebration of Brazils can-do spirit, biodiversity and melting pot history.The low-tech, cut-price opening ceremony, a moment of levity for a nation beset by economic and political woes, featured performers as slaves, gravity-defying climbers hanging from buildings in Brazils teeming megacities and -- of course -- dancers, all hips and wobble, grooving to thumping funk and sultry samba.Brazil also packaged its party with solemnity, lacing the fun and frivolous show with sobering messages about global warming and conservation. Images of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, swirling in the Earths atmosphere were followed by projections of world cities and regions -- Amsterdam, Florida, Shanghai, Dubai -- being swamped by rising seas.The peace symbol, tweaked into the shape of a tree, was projected onto the floor of the Maracana Stadium that filled with thousands of athletes from 207 teams.The heat is melting the ice cap, a voice intoned. Its disappearing very quickly.The crowd roared when Bundchen, the Brazilian supermodel?and wife of?New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady,?sashayed from one side of the 78,000-seat Maracana Stadium to the other as Tom Jobims grandson, Daniel, played his?grandfathers famous song about the Ipanema girl tall and tan and young and lovely.In a video preceding the show, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the Games celebrate the best of humanity and appealed for an Olympic truce, calling on all warring parties to lay down their weapons during the two weeks of sporting achievement.There were times after the International Olympic Committee selected Rio ahead of Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid in 2009 when it seemed that the city of 6.5 million people might not get its act together for the worlds greatest sporting mega-event. The spreading health crisis of the mosquito-born Zika virus kept some athletes away.Promises to clean Rios filthy waters remained unfulfilled. The heavy bill for the Games, at least $12 billion, made them unpopular with many. Heavily armed security stopped a small group of protesters from getting close to the stadium ahead of the ceremony.But with more than a dash of gambiarra, the Brazilian art of quick-fixes and making do, Rio is ready.Our admiration is even greater because you managed this at a very difficult time in Brazilian history. We have always believed in you, IOC president Thomas Bach said.The honor of officially declaring the Games open fell to Michel Temer, Brazils unpopular interim president, who was loudly jeered and faced shouts of out with Temer. He was standing in for suspended President Dilma Rousseff. Her ouster less than four months before the Games for alleged budget violations was one of many obstacles in the works of Brazils Olympic preparations, and it impacted the opening ceremony itself.?Fewer than 25 foreign heads of state were expected, with others seemingly staying away to avoid giving the impression of taking sides amid Brazils leadership uncertainty. As Brazilian officials took their seats in the stadium, there were shouts of out with Temer from sections of the crowd.Jamaicas Usain Bolt, the two-time defending champion in the Olympic 100- and 200-meter races, skipped the ceremony, as expected. Bolt announced his decision earlier in the day. Friday was the fourth anniversary of Bolts winning the gold in the 100 at the London Games.Also missing was 75-year-old Brazilian soccer great Pele, who announced earlier Friday that he was not physically able to attend the opening of the Olympics. He had previously said this week that he had been invited to light the cauldron, although that was not confirmed by Rio organizers.Instead, the cannonball-shaped cauldron was lit by Brazilian marathoner Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima. At the 2004 Games, an Irish spectator wearing a kilt, knee-socks and a beret tackled de Lima while he was leading the Olympic marathon. Rather than gold, he fell back to take bronze.Greece, the historic and spiritual home of the Games, led the march by athletes into the stadium. They were joined by the first Refugee Olympic Team of 10 athletes displaced from Syria, South Sudan, Congo and Ethiopia. Their flag-bearer, Rose Nathike Lokonyen, fled war in South Sudan and ran her first race in a refugee camp in northern Kenya. Only Brazils team, which marched last, drew a louder roar from the crowd than the refugees.The athletes were given tree seeds, plus cartridges of soil. When the trees sprout, they will be planted in a Rio park.With USA emblazoned on the back of his jacket, Michael Phelps carried the flag for the U.S. team, the largest with 549 competitors. At his fifth Olympics, it was the first time the record-holder of 22 medals had marched in an opening ceremony, having skipped previous ones to save energy for competition.On behalf of all 11,288 competitors (6,182 men and 5,106 women), Brazilian two-time Olympic champion sailor Robert Scheidt pledged not to take banned drugs -- an oath likely to ring false to fans after the scandal of government-orchestrated cheating in Russia. As a consequence, Russias team was whittled down from a hoped-for 389 athletes to around 270.Iran picked a woman, archer Zahra Nemati, as flag-bearer for its team made up overwhelmingly of men. Another woman pushed Nematis wheelchair. The archer was paralyzed in a car accident as a teenager.Shoals of samba dancers flowed in a rainbow of colors, but many showed less flesh than normal for Brazil, seemingly mindful of their global TV audience.After the grandeur of Beijings opening ceremony in 2008 and the high-tech, cheeky inventiveness of Londons in 2012, Rios was earthier and less swish but more sobering with its gloomy environmental look at the future and deliberate penny-pinching. Creative director Fernando Meirelles said the budget, slashed by half as Brazils economic recession bit ever harder, is 12 times less than London, 20 times less than Beijing.It is pretty tacky to be overspending, he said. It is not a good message for the world. When 40 percent of the homes in Brazil have no sanitation, you cant really be spending a billion reals for a show. In the end, I feel good that I am not spending money that Brazil hasnt got.In the U.S., NBC faced social media criticism for its decision to delay the broadcast of the ceremony so it could be shown in prime time in all time zones. Frequent commercial breaks, including eight in the first 65 minutes, also proved frustrating for time-shifting viewers accustomed to fast-forwarding through ads.NBC began its telecasting of the festivities an hour after they begin in Rio on Friday. On the U.S. West Coast, the telecast of the opening ceremony wasnt set to start for another hour. NBC didnt start streaming the event through its app or Olympics website until the television coverage began, and streamers had to authenticate their account with a cable or satellite service.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.Cheap Timberwolves Jerseys . -- Former San Diego Chargers safety Paul Oliver was found dead at his Atlanta-area home Tuesday night, and a medical examiner said Wednesday that the ex-player committed suicide. Kevin Garnett Jersey Large .com) - Richie Incognito has reportedly been admitted to a psychiatric care unit in Arizona. http://www.customtimberwolvesjersey.com/ . Siddikur, whose previous win on the circuit came in Brunei three years ago, finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th for a total of 17-under 199. Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66. Custom Timberwolves Jerseys . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. Custom Timberwolves T-shirts . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason.Colin de Grandhomme registered the best figures by a New Zealand debutant after his spell of 6-41 helped the home side seize the early initiative on day two of the first Test against Pakistan in Christchurch. The tourists were bowled out for just 133 before an impressive unbeaten 55 from Jeet Raval in his first Test innings helped the home side reach the closede Grandhomme became the eighth New Zealan started to make up for lost time once play got under way on day two.Azhar Ali (15) was the first wicket to fall, cleaned up by a gem which nipped back through the gate to send his off stump cartwheeling and give the 30-year-old de Grandhomme a memorable first Test wicket.Colin de Grandhomme leads New Zealand from the field after his six-wicket haul Tim Southees first four overs were a little wayward but a change of ends worked for him as Sami Aslam edged to Raval at second slip for 19 to make it 53-2.De Grandhomme took two more wickets in the first session after careeless drives from Babar Azam (7) and Younis Khan (2) both ended up being caught in the slip cordon as the tourists reached 88 for 4 at lunch.ddddddddddddAnd things didnt get much better for Misbah-ul-Haqs side in the afternoon as Asad Shafiq (16) poked at de Grandhomme to give Raval his third catch of the innings to make it 88 for 5.Sarfraz Ahmed then cut Southee to Todd Astle in the gully for 7 before Trent Boult bowled Mohammad Amir (3) with a vicious outswinger to leave Pakistan reeling on 114-7.Sohail Khan followed shortly after, chipping to Latham at mid-wicket as de Grandhomme became the eighth New Zealander to take a five wicket haul on Test debut.Misbahs resistance (31 from 108 balls) came to an end when he miscued Boult to Kane Williamson at mid-off.Rahat Ali (0) edged behind as Pakistan were all out for 133 just before tea as de Grandhommes figures of 6-41 eclipsed Alex Moirs spell of six for 155 against England 65 years ago.Then it was the turn of the other debutant Raval to shine as he moved smoothly to 55* from 108 balls at stumps.He was well supported by Henry Nicholls (29 not out) after Tom Latham, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor had all fallen cheaply.The hosts will begin day three 29 runs behind Pakistan but if Raval carries on where he left off the headlines might be dominated by the new boys once again.Watch day three of the first Test between New Zealand and Pakistan live on Sky Sports 3 on Friday at 9.30pm. 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