More than seven years since London was awarded the 2012 Olympic Games, the wait is nearly over.
London hopes for Olympics to remember —
More than seven years since London was awarded the 2012 Olympic Games, the wait is nearly over.
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London hopes its Games will be the greenest in history. The main Olympic stadium is built from just a tenth of the amount of steel used to build the Bird's Nest stadium for the Beijing Games in 2008.
London hopes for Olympics to remember —
London hopes its Games will be the greenest in history. The main Olympic stadium is built from just a tenth of the amount of steel used to build the Bird's Nest stadium for the Beijing Games in 2008.
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In the velodrome -- also known as "The Pringle" -- cyclists will race round a track made from sustainably-sourced Siberian pine.
London hopes for Olympics to remember —
In the velodrome -- also known as "The Pringle" -- cyclists will race round a track made from sustainably-sourced Siberian pine.
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The athletes will be the story once the Games begin, however, and the world will be watching to see if Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt can retain his 100m, 200m and 4 x 100m relay golds, and his claim to being the world's fastest man.
London hopes for Olympics to remember —
The athletes will be the story once the Games begin, however, and the world will be watching to see if Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt can retain his 100m, 200m and 4 x 100m relay golds, and his claim to being the world's fastest man.
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And as swimmers race beneath the sweeping curves of the Aquatics Center, the pressure will be on American Michael Phelps to replicate his success in the last Olympics, when he took home a record-breaking eight golds.
London hopes for Olympics to remember —
And as swimmers race beneath the sweeping curves of the Aquatics Center, the pressure will be on American Michael Phelps to replicate his success in the last Olympics, when he took home a record-breaking eight golds.
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The host nation's best hopes of gold medals may lie with Team GB's stars in sailing, rowing and cycling, including Bradley Wiggins, buoyed by his historic victory in the Tour de France last weekend.
London hopes for Olympics to remember —
The host nation's best hopes of gold medals may lie with Team GB's stars in sailing, rowing and cycling, including Bradley Wiggins, buoyed by his historic victory in the Tour de France last weekend.
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While the weather has threatened to be as much of a part of the story as the Games themselves, months of rain appear to be subsiding just in time for the opening ceremony.
London hopes for Olympics to remember —
While the weather has threatened to be as much of a part of the story as the Games themselves, months of rain appear to be subsiding just in time for the opening ceremony.
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Armed military personel have been called in to beef up security after the Olympics' private security contractor failed to produce enough staff for the Games.
London hopes for Olympics to remember —
Armed military personel have been called in to beef up security after the Olympics' private security contractor failed to produce enough staff for the Games.
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And despite the objections of local residents in east London, the British military have installed missiles in fields and on top of apartment buildings to defend against potential terrorist attacks.
London hopes for Olympics to remember —
And despite the objections of local residents in east London, the British military have installed missiles in fields and on top of apartment buildings to defend against potential terrorist attacks.
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The Olympic village was built from scratch in Stratford, east London, a former wasteland that was the industrial heart of the capital for years.
London hopes for Olympics to remember —
The Olympic village was built from scratch in Stratford, east London, a former wasteland that was the industrial heart of the capital for years.
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And while not everyone in Britain is overjoyed about the Olympics -- some Londoners seeing it as an inconvenience, others as an expensive luxury at a time of austerity -- surely there will be few who won't cross their fingers for no rain on Friday.
London hopes for Olympics to remember —
And while not everyone in Britain is overjoyed about the Olympics -- some Londoners seeing it as an inconvenience, others as an expensive luxury at a time of austerity -- surely there will be few who won't cross their fingers for no rain on Friday.
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