Olympics Statistics and Numbers:

1. 179,400: bottled drinks expected to be sold in the stadium. The media get their bottled water for free.
2. 15,153: different types of costume.
3. 9,000: People’s Liberation Army performers on the stadium floor. China, the world’s most populous nation, has no problem marshaling manpower for big events.
4. 3,000: Scholar disciples of Confucius are to appear.
5. 800: kilogrammes weight of a paper scroll on the stadium floor. The Chinese traditions of calligraphy and scroll painting figure heavily in the ceremony.
6. 100: girls playing the pipa, a pear-shaped Chinese instrument.
7. 58: actors dancing on a model of the world.
8. 48: hours of continuous practice session for performers.
9. 4: inventions that China contributed to civilization — the compass, gunpowder, paper and movable type.
10. 1.7: meters, the required height for the evening’s martial arts performers.
11. 16: performers were injured while rehearsing a particularly complex part of the performance.

Olympics Ceremony Video

Olympics Pictures