With the women's football competition kicking off Wednesday, two days ahead of what is being billed as a quintessentially British opening ceremony, most of the pieces are in place silver contacts wires. Even the weather has turned friendly.
As the temperature touched 30 Celsius (85.5 F) in the southeast on Tuesday - the hottest day of the year so far in Britain - the International Olympic Committee was lavishing praise on Sebastian Coe and his organizing team, saying it expects the games to be a major success, despite acknowledging continuing challenges with security and transportation.
"It is some kind of role in the opening ceremony which I am honored to be involved in because obviously I was involved in the start process with this seven years ago," Beckham, who was involved in London's winning pitch for the games in 2005, told The Associated Press. "And for Seb (Coe) to have kept me involved, I'm very proud of that.
Lucky for him, he wasn't relying on public transport. The aging underground and rail system is London's potential Achilles heel, with the system expected to cater for up to 15 million journeys per day during the Olympics.
On Monday night, two train links serving the Olympic Park - one subway line for central London and another for an overland train - temporarily went down as thousands of volunteers rehearsed for Friday's opening ceremony.
Peter Hendy, the city's transport chief, is warning people that "there will be some queues." That's a British event in its own right. And another influx of troops should help minimum pressure valve keep them in line.
Britain's government opted Tuesday to deploy 1,200 more troops to protect Olympic venues - a move that reflects a lack of confidence that private security contractor G4S can deliver all it promised for the games.
"On the eve of the largest peacetime event ever staged in this country, ministers are clear that we should leave nothing to chance," Olympics Secretary Jeremy Hunt said in a statement. "The Government continues to have every confidence that we will deliver a safe and secure Games."
Thousands of British soldiers have been sent in on short notice to fill the gap in guards after G4S failed to deliver on its contract.
Positive sentiments are usually expressed begrudgingly between Anglo-Australian rivals. Not so on Tuesday, when the head of the Australian delegation to the Olympics said he expected London to host the "best ever" Olympics. That mantle hasn't been bestowed since the days of Juan Antonio Samaranch, who declared the 2000 Games in Sydney - his last Olympics as head of the IOC - as the best ever.
The British women's football team will get competition under way in a group match against New Zealand in Cardiff. The U.S. women open against France at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland, MapleStory Mesos before North Korea against Colombia. World champion Japan opens against Canada in Coventry.
Brazil team doctors said exams Tuesday showed the injury will keep Rafael on the sidelines for up to three weeks. Neto, a 23-year-old reserve goalkeeper for Fiorentina, will be Brazil's starter during the Olympic tournament, with 19-year-old AC Milan goalkeeper Gabriel, who was on coach Mano Menezes' standby list, drafted into the squad.
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