ONCE-RECLUSIVE China commandeered the world stage yesterday, celebrating its first-time role as Olympic host with a stunning display of pageantry and pyrotechnics to open a Summer Games unrivalled for its mix of problems and promise.

The corruption investigation into Liu Zhihua, a former Beijing vice mayor who oversaw much of the $40bn (€31bn) being spent on Olympics projects, is still on-going, an Olympic planning official said today.

Beijing Olympic organisers today began soliciting design proposals for the Olympic torch for the 2008 Games, one of several campaigns intended to excite public participation in the event.