Sun shines on clear Beijing with one day to go

BEIJING (Reuters) - Olympic host city Beijing was sunny and clear on the 15th day of the Games on Saturday, with temperatures expected to rise for a broiling midday men's football final between defending champions Argentina and Nigeria.

The Beijing Meteorological Bureau (www.bjmb.gov.cn) forecast a high of 32 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) and air quality at grade 1 -- the best possible rating.

Pollution had been a major worry for athletes and organizers ahead of the Games, but the air has been largely clear, thanks in part to occasional heavy rain.

Saturday is the last big day of medals, with 32 on offer, including the last diving gold, in the 10m platform, which China's Zhou Luxin is favored to win to give the hosts a clean sweep of all eight diving medals.

Apart from Sunday's men's marathon, the athletics end on Saturday. The highlight will be Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele's attempt to add the men's 5,000m to his 10,000m title, a double already achieved by female compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba.

(Reporting by Jim Bai; Editing by Nick Macfie)