WRAPUP 1-Olympics-Torch ascends Great Wall, Bush to rebuke China

* Torch climbs a misty Great Wall on Games' eve

* Bush to rebuke China on human rights

* Athletes call for peaceful solution in Tibet

* Ronaldinho ready for Brazil's opening soccer match

By Paul Majendie and Andrew Cawthorne

BADALING, China, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Doves flew and confetti rained down as the Olympic torch was carried along the ancient Great Wall on a misty Thursday morning, the eve of Games that China hopes will demonstrate its modern-day strength.

Hours before flying to Beijing for Friday's opening ceremony, U.S. President George W. Bush will use some of his bluntest language yet in publicly pressing China on human rights.

And more than 40 athletes competing in the Games crossed the divide from sports to politics, urging China to solve problems in Tibet peacefully and protect freedom of speech and religion.

In Beijing, excitement is building as the tortuous and troubled torch relay draws to a close and the country's 1.3 billion people prepare for an opening ceremony likely to highlight China's ancient history and modern face.

"There have been problems with the torch but now is the time for the party," said Weng Chengyu, a 28-year-old student watching the torch parade on the Great Wall.

"You see all this?," he said, gesturing at thousands of yellow-clad volunteers dancing and waving flags as far as the eye could see. "This shows how much the Chinese love the Olympics."

Patriotic music blared out from loud speakers, echoing around the wall, and drums and cymbals thundered out a pounding beat.

The model of a giant dragon was crouched on one of the wall's watchtowers and, with the mountains behind, it looked like the backdrop for an ancient Chinese painting.

"We have travelled to so many cities from Olympia to the Great Wall, we have cried so many times, it is very emotional especially when you see the reaction of the Chinese crowds," said Xiaohong Lu, who accompanied the torch relay around the world.

Cheering crowds also celebrated on Wednesday night as China's women's soccer team won the first match of their Games, beating Sweden 2-1 in Tianjin, a cloaking mist doing nothing to dampen their enthusiasm.

Men's soccer begins on Thursday, with Ronaldinho intent on helping Brazil win a first gold medal. They play Belgium in Shenyang, and Ronaldinho said he was in good shape.

"Winning the Olympics means a lot to Brazil," he told Brazilian media. "I hope to start on the right foot."

Argentina's Lionel Messi could be on his way home, though, after his club Barcelona won the right not to release him.

At the weekend, the eagerly awaited swimming competition begins in the new "Water Cube" pool, one of the Olympics' shimmering landmarks. American Michael Phelps is seeking to smash compatriot Mark Spitz's 1972 record of seven golds in one Games.

EYES ON THE SKIES

Many eyes continue to turn to the skies, with smog and sweltering heat a concern for athletes. Haze hovered over the Beijing on Thursday, but authorities, who spent $18 billion trying to cut pollution, said air quality was fairly good.

August is thunderstorm season in Beijing, and organisers had talked of using experimental technology to "seed" rain clouds to ensure it stayed dry for Friday's opening. In the event that may not be needed, even though some scattered rain is possible.

"During the opening ceremony it will mainly be cloudy ... and there will essentially be no impact upon it," the China Meteorological Administration said.

The highlight of the opening ceremony is the lighting of the Olympic flame, the culmination of a 130-day relay which became the focus of demonstrations about Chinese rule in Tibet.

Athletes joined the chorus of protest on Thursday, signing a petition calling on China to resolve problems in Tibet and allow freedom of speech.

Bush, who says he is coming to Beijing for sports not politics, will nevertheless deliver a speech in Bangkok on Thursday expressing "deep concern" over human rights in China.

"America stands in firm opposition to China's detention of political dissidents, human rights advocates and religious activists," he will say.

Bush's comments may anger the Chinese leadership but are intended to deflect criticism from rights groups and religious activists that he is attending the Games' opening at all.

At that ceremony, beamed to an estimated one billion television viewers around the world, a Sudanese-born athlete who fled government-sponsored militia will carry the U.S. flag, in what could be seen as an embarrassment to Sudan and ally China.

Lopez Lomong, one of the so-called "Lost Boys", fled on foot from marauding militia at the age of six in 1991, separated from his parents at the height of a civil war in southern Sudan.

After years in refugee camps, Lomong and thousands of similar children were resettled in the United States. He is now a middle-distance runner.

As athletes from 205 nations parade their flags around the gleaming new "Bird's Nest" stadium on Friday, not every Beijinger will be cheering.

Forced evictions to make way for many of the venues and other modernising projects have made life miserable for some.

"My situation is not good," said one man, whose house was demolished in front of his eyes late last year to make way for a car park to the south of the main Games venue.

"I don't feel much joy for the Olympic Games," he added. "Isn't this supposed to be a 'People's Olympics'?" (Additional reporting by Beijing Olympics team; Writing by Simon Denyer; Editing by Nick Macfie) (For more stories visit our multimedia website "Road to Beijing" here; and see our blog at blogs.reuters.com/china)