Shares of Li Ning's sportswear company soared Monday after the Chinese star athlete drew world attention as the final torchbearer in the Beijing Olympics.

The Olympic flame made one of its final relays Thursday on the eve of the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony as torchbearers carried it along the ancient Great Wall of China.

Beijing's Olympic Village offers pool tables, tennis and basketball courts, swimming pool, movies, a 24-hour dining hall, even Chinese lesson. And, oh yeah, and the roast is pretty good, too.

One of the biggest concerns about the Beijing Olympics is clearing up -- at least a little bit. Just days before the Opening Ceremony, blue skies have been the predominant scene around the Olympic venues.

Pope Benedict XVI sent greetings to China on Sunday before the Olympics and said he hoped the Games would offer an example of coexistence among people from different countries.

Rain threatens to dampen Friday's opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

GUANG'AN, China(AP) - Crowds roared with delight and waved hundreds of Chinese flags in welcome as the Olympic torch began an emotional tour of Sichuan on Sunday, three months after a powerful quake devastated large swaths of the lush, mountainous province.

In a matter of days, hundreds of thousands of visitors from more than 100 countries will flood into China's capital.

The Opening Ceremony for the Beijing Games will feature a dramatic countdown, an illuminated globe and performers flying like Peter Pan.

In recent days, Beijing's air has showed dramatic improvement, according to the pollution index. City officials say the curb on cars and factories are having the desired effect in cleaning the air before the Olympics.

The Chinese capital was shrouded in thick gray smog on Sunday, just 12 days before the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games. One expert warned that drastic measures enacted to cut vehicle and factory emissions in the city were no guarantee skies would be clear during competitions.

Thousands of eager fans who had waited for up to two days swarmed sales windows Friday for the final batch of tickets to next month's Olympic Games, knocking people to the ground and bending metal barricades in the chaotic crush.

China unveiled its largest Olympic team ever of 639 athletes - a squad many expect will dislodge the United States from the top of the gold-medal standings.

Morning haze hung over Beijing on Monday, the first workday for restrictions on car use under a bold plan to clear the Olympic city of its notorious smog-choked skies.