Are: King Gustaf declares the 2007 worlds open

About 7,000 people gathered in the Are, Sweden, town square Friday night to see His Majesty The King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf declare the 2007 Alpine World Championships opened.
ARE, Sweden — About 7,000 people gathered in the Are, Sweden, town square Friday night to see His Majesty The King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf declare the 2007 Alpine World Championships opened.
     The championships were opened in a beautiful snowfall and with a great feeling.
    King Gustaf said that competitions such as this help to improve contacts that go beyond the geographical, ethnical and cultural borders. “I wish all the competitors good luck on the slope and let the best man or women win,” he said.
    The president of the International Ski Federation, Gian Franco Kasper, welcomed everyone in Are in Swedish, English, French, German and Russian.
     Many Swedish artists performed in the ceremony and skiing stars past and present were present on the stage, including home favorites Anna Ottosson  and Pernilla Wiberg. But the warmest welcome from the audience was for the video of former Swedish alpine star Ingemar Stenmark show on the big screen.
    The opening ceremony finished with great fireworks which lightened up the entire center of Are.

Check out images from the opening ceremonies at SR's Multimedia page.