A patriotic display of American pride fueled by Sept. 11 will ignite the Olympic opening ceremony tonight, despite growing security tensions after a bomb scare yesterday.
The tightest security ever assembled for a sporting event was tested yesterday when a white plastic bag containing electrical parts, fuses and wiring was discovered in a parking garage three blocks away from the main media center.
Cops evacuated two buildings, and military helicopters hovered over Salt Lake City as bomb-squad experts blew up the bag before launching an investigation.
But security fears have failed to dampen the excitement of athletes, and of spectators who have paid a whopping $885 for opening-ceremony tickets – even though a possible winter storm threatens to curtail some parts of the planned spectacle.
Emotions will be stirred barely one minute into the ceremony when an American flag that flew over the Twin Towers and survived the attack makes its entrance.
The high-profile flag procession marks a stunning turnaround from three days ago, when Olympics officials barred U.S. athletes from carrying the flag, suggesting such a move would be too pro-American.
Eight U.S. athletes, surrounded by a team of New York firefighters, NYPD and Port Authority cops, will carry the flag around Salt Lake’s Rice-Eccles Stadium before coming to a halt before President Bush, who will open the 19th Winter Olympics.
A hero cop, who was pulled from beneath four feet of rubble on Sept. 11, has been tapped to represent the NYPD at the ceremonies.
Police Officer Stephen Blihar, 42, was told of the honor late Wednesday night and is now in Utah.
Blihar, a father of two, was saved, but four cops working alongside him were killed in the attacks.