ROUGH CUT - NO REPORTER NARRATION<br/> <br />More than a billion people from around the world watched the official start to the 17-day contest where more than 16,000 athletes from 204 countries will compete for their sport's ultimate prize - Olympic gold.<br/> <br />Oscar-winning "Slumdog Millionaire" director Danny Boyle masterminded the show, which cost 42 million dollars to stage, less than half the cost of the Beijing extravaganza, and lasted nearly four hours.
