Sport doesn't get bigger than this. In fact nothing does.
With over 11,500 competitors taking part in 28 sports and 302 events, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games starting on Friday will be the biggest, and possibly greatest, of the modern era.
Overall nine new events will be held, including BMX cycling and marathon swimming, while women will compete in the 3,000 metre steeple chase for the first time since 1896.
But the Olympics are not just about numbers, although they can be staggering if you take into consideration that 280 billion yuan (Dh150 billion) was spent to build the 13 major stadiums.
They are about legends and the making of legends, victories and defeats, elation and heart-break. In fact all the emotions that are known to man are experienced by both competitors and fans alike during 16 exhilarating days of intense sporting drama.
When Baron de Coubertin launched the modern Games in 1896 with the wisdom that 'the most important thing was not to win but to take part,' little did he know that his plan of reviving sports from 776BC where warrior-sportsmen demonstrated their skills, would capture the imagination of millions around the world.
One billion watch
In fact the late De Coubertin will be pleased to know that more than one billion people worldwide are expected to turn on the television sets to watch the Beijing Olympics.
Even the city's notorious smog, which has threatened to jeopardise some events including one of the event's highlights, the marathon on the final day of competition, has been disregarded with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Jacques Rogge applauding Beijing's efforts to cut the pollution.
China's poor air quality has been a major worry, but Rogge on Thursday gave his backing to efforts shown by the government to cut air pollution.
"I think, objectively, we can say that the Chinese authorities have done everything that is feasible and humanly possible to solve the situation or to address the situation," Rogge said on the final day of a three-day IOC general assembly.
"What they have done is extraordinary. These are not short term, one-shot measure. These are going to continue and to have a lasting influence on the climate of Beijing and I'm sure that when you come back, if the Chinese have continued their efforts, they will be rewarded."
Closely monitored
Rogge, however, has stressed that the IOC will be closely monitoring the air quality on an hourly basis at 21 reporting stations and receive 72-hour weather forecasts.
He also pointed out that outdoor events like the marathon and equestrian competitions could be postponed or rescheduled if smog levels climb too high.
But for the moment, all eyes will be on Friday's opening ceremony where over 80 state heads and members of royal families are expected to attend.
Shaikha Maitha Bint Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the daughter of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, will write a new chapter in sporting history when she becomes the first woman athlete from the Gulf to carry a country's national flag at the Olympic Games.
Another athlete to attract attention during the march-past is Lopez Lomog, a former refugee from Sudan who will lead the 500-strong American contingent into the 'Bird's Nest' stadium in Beijing.
Competition starts tomorrow with highlights being the swimming heats and qualifiers for artistic gymnastics. Let the Games begin.
