FACTBOX - World leaders to attend Olympics opening in Beijing

(Reuters) - More than 80 state leaders and royals are expected to attend the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing on Friday.

Attendance and non-attendance is a closely watched issue, as rights groups have urged leaders to boycott the Games to protest against China's crackdown on May unrest in Tibet and its ties with the government in Sudan.

Here is a preliminary list of world leaders who have said they will attend the opening ceremony:

AFGHANISTAN - President Hamid Karzai

ALBANIA - Prime Minister Sali Berisha

ALGERIA - President Abdelaziz Bouteflika

ANGOLA - President Jose Eduardo dos Santos

AUSTRALIA - Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

BELARUS - President Alexander Lukashenko  Continued...