Putin to lead Russian fans at Beijing Olympics

Russia's Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, will lead the team of Russian fans at the opening of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The news was confirmed by the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, during his stay in China.

Putin will join U.S. President, George W Bush, and French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, at what is traditionally an extremely lavish event.

Hundreds of thousands of Russian supporters are expected to be in China for the duration of the games.

The Olympics open in the Chinese capital on August 8.