Monday, July 23, 2012

London 2012 Olympics: four days to go - live blog

Welcome to today?s Olympics live blog ? with only four days to go until the Games begin.

Here?s what?s coming up today:

? The Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee, has given an interview with the BBC, saying he feels security for the Games will be fine despite the G4S fiasco and he is happy with the Games?s strict sponsorship rules, emphasising that spectators can wear what they want to the Olympics, although ?ambush marketing? will be targeted. He also defended IOC members? staying in plush hotels, saying they worked very hard. I?ll post a full report shortly. IOC members are due to visit the Olympic Village today, attend a reception at Buckingham Palace and begin their 124th session, at the Royal Opera House.

? Sir Chris Hoy is set to be named later today as the flag-bearer for Team GB at Friday's opening ceremony. It will be the second successive time the cyclist will have been given the honour - he also carried the union flag in the closing ceremony at Beijing four years ago. Hoy won the biggest number of votes among the other 542 members of the British delegation. Last week it was announced that he would not ride in the match sprint at the Olympics, although he will take part in the keirin and the team sprint.

? The Olympic torch is travelling around south London, visiting Bexley, Lewisham, Bromley, Croydon and Streatham. Doreen Lawrence, the mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, will carry the flame into the forecourt of the centre in Lewisham set up in memory of her son. The flame will also travel to Wimbledon and be carried on to centre court, where the Olympic tennis will take place, starting on Saturday. And the torch will also take a detour into the fictional London borough of Walford when it visits the EastEnders set ? live scenes of the torch passing through Albert Square will be dropped into tonight?s otherwise-prerecorded episode. Send your pictures to paul.owen@guardian.co.uk or tweet me @paultowen.

? A triumphant Bradley Wiggins was due back home today to have a very short bit of time off with his family and allow the realisation that he has become the first British man to win the Tour de France to sink in. But he is thought to be planning a ride on his local Lancashire roads and will later join his fellow cyclists in preparing for the Olympic road race this weekend.

In today?s news so far:

? Lord Coe, the head of London organising committee (Locog), has said it is not up to him who will light the Olympic flame on Friday at the opening ceremony. Coe said he had input but the final decision would be taken by the opening ceremony creative teams led by the film directors Danny Boyle and Stephen Daldry. On Saturday the British Olympic Association chief executive, Andy Hunt, said the decision would be made jointly between the BOA and Locog. Possible candidates include Daley Thompson, Steve Redgrave, Kelly Holmes, Roger Bannister, David Beckham, or a non-sporting figure such as a child from east London. A dress rehearsal of the opening ceremony is to take place today.

? There were severe delays on the Jubilee line, a major route to the site of the Games, as Londoners wait to see how the crowded tube system will cope with the influx of Olympic visitors. There were also delays on the Overground and the Central line was partly suspended after a person fell under a train.

? The US basketball team beat Argentina 86-80 at a friendly in Barcelona.

All this and more right here throughout the day.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/london-2012-olympics-blog/2012/jul/23/london-2012-olympics-four-days-to-go-live-blog

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