The four hour Olympic Opening Ceremony extravaganza featured 110 minutes of music, beginning with the "fou," the most ancient of Chinese percussion instruments, usually made of clay or bronze. Manned by 2,008 performers, the fou-produced sound of rolling spring thunder greeted friends from all over the world. The Olympic Games are the leading international sporting event featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered to be the world's foremost sports competition with more than 200 nations participating. The Olympic Games are held every four years, with the Summer and Winter Games alternating by occurring every four years but two years apart. U.S. Army photo by Tim Hipps.