SYDNEY -- While Japan kicked off its Sydney Olympic campaign without many of its star athletes at the opening ceremony, it was the country's Asian neighbors who grabbed the spotlight in the four-hour spectacular on Friday night.
A "unification flag" bearing a blue map of the Korean Peninsula proudly waved over the 180 athletes and officials from North and South Korea as they marched together for the first time in an Olympic opening ceremony.
South Korean women's basketball captain Chung Eun Soon and North Korean judo coach Pak Jong Chol carried the flag to lead a 180-strong group at Sydney Olympic Stadium as the 17-day sporting extravaganza formally began after seven years of preparation.