On Friday, the 2008 Beijing Olympics will commence with the always highly anticipated Opening Ceremony.
This year, in the parade of athletes entering National Stadium preceding the flame lighting, 38 Bruins will salute the crowd.
For this Olympic Games, UCLA has sent 32 athletes and six coaches to compete.
Of the athletes, 27 are alumni, four are current and one is an incoming freshman.
Four years ago in Athens, the Bruins made an outstanding showing, nabbing 19 medals (eight gold, three silver, eight bronze).
57 athletes represented the United States in Greece, and 13 competed for foreign countries.
This year, 29 competitors will be representing the United States.
Eight other countries will be represented by the Bruins, including Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, Poland and Singapore.
The UCLA sports teams sending the most representation to China are women’s track and field with eight athletes, followed closely by the softball program with six athletes.
Other sports sending multiple athletes to the XXIX Olympiad include men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s water polo, men’s track and field, men’s tennis, women’s swimming and women’s beach volleyball.
Men’s indoor volleyball, men’s beach volleyball, men’s rowing and women’s gymnastics each have one representative from UCLA.
Current athletes competing in Beijing this year include soccer standouts Lauren Cheney and Kara Lang, and long jumper Rhonda Watkins. Swimmer Nicolette Teo graduated this past spring.
Incoming freshman Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs will be competing for Canada in women’s gymnastics.
The Games’ dates this year span from Aug. 8-24, and will be televised on NBC’s family of networks.
Check your local listings or visit nbcolympics.com for more information.
Compiled by Sara Salam, Bruins Sports senior staff.