Magazine content is available exclusively for TIME subscribers.Sport: On Your Marx, Get Set, Go!
Amid pomp and protest, the limping Olympiad takes off
For three hours the capacity crowd of 103,000 at Moscow's Lenin Stadium gazed in wonder at the gorgeous pageantry: a replica of a Greek chariot circling the track, dance troupes, precision ribbon twirlers, and a torchbearer who reached the top of the stadium by climbing a human staircase formed by some 500 soldiers holding wooden panels above their heads with the aid of sturdy braces. There was even a flash-card crew of 2,000 soldiers spelling out slogans like O SPORT, YOU ARE PEACE, HAPPINESS, JOY....
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