The ExCeL exhibition center, one of the Olympic venues, is gearing up Thursday, July 26, on the eve of the Games' Opening Ceremony. The 2012 Olympic Games officially kick off with the Opening Ceremony on Friday, July 27, in London, and the Games run through August 12.
Yuki Otsu of Japan is tackled by Inigo Martinez of Spain during a first-round Group D soccer match Thursday in Glasgow, Scotland.
A Mexican fan watches the men's soccer match Thursday between Mexico and South Korea in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England.
Spain's Inigo Martinez, left, fouls Kensuke Nagai of Japan during the match Thursday.
Spain's Martinez gets a red card and is ejected during Thursday's match against Japan.
Spectators take pictures Thursday at the Olympic Village in London.
Abdelaziz Barrada of Morocco celebrates after scoring during a Group D soccer match against Honduras on Thursday in Glasgow.
Security personnel patrol in front of Olympic Park in London on Thursday, a day ahead of the Opening Ceremony. Security concerns surfaced when a private contractor failed to provide enough staff. As a result, the government is deploying 18,200 troops to remedy the shortfall.
The Honduras men's soccer team celebrates after scoring a goal against Morocco during a first-round match Thursday.
Honduras' Jose Velasquez, left, gets challenged by Zakaria Labyad of Morocco during Thursday's match.
Police patrol Westfield Stratford City shopping mall near London Olympic Park on Thursday.
Spectators gather as the Olympic torch is carried from Islington Town Hall on Thursday. London is cheering on the torch as it winds its way past the city's historic landmarks.
Amanda Clark of the U.S. sailing team chats with reporters Thursday during a press conference in Weymouth, England.
Kim Song Hui of North Korea executes a bicycle kick while challenged by Natalia Ariza of Colombia during the first-round women's football competition at Hampden Park on Wednesday, July 25, in Glasgow, Scotland.
Tower Bridge, adorned with the Olympic rings, is seen late Wednesday, two days before the official start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Hazleydi Rincon of Colombia and Kim Song Hui of North Korea chase the ball in a first-round women's football match.
Brazil's Marta is in action with Cameroon's goalkeeper Annette Ngo Ndom during the first-round women's football competition at Millennium Stadium on Wednesday.
North Korea's Kim Song Hui, in white, vies with Colombia's Natalia Ariza on July 25.
North Korea's Jon Myong Hwa, in white, vies with Colombia's Sandra Sepulveda, in green, and Orianica Velasquez , in yellow, during first-round women's soccer play at Hampden Park on July 25.
South African footballers hold a pennant as they line up before their first-round women's soccer match against Sweden on July 25 at The City of Coventry Stadium in Coventry, England.
North Korean soccer coach Gun Sin Ui, at center in red shirt, waits for his team's match to begin at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland, on Wednesday, July 25. The first-round match against Colombia was delayed.
North Korean official Son Kwang-ho waits for the match against Colombia to begin.
Brazil's Marta, No. 10, is tackled by Christine Manie of Cameroon during the first-round women's soccer match on July 25.
U.S. player Megan Rapinoe jumps on teammate Alex Morgan, No. 13, after Morgan scored during their Group G Olympic women's soccer match against France at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland, on Wednesday, July 25.
American Carli Lloyd celebrates with teammate Amy Le Peilbet after scoring her team's third goal.
Katie Hoyle, left, of New Zealand and teammate Betsy Hassett challenge Karen Carney of Great Britain during their match in the first round of women's soccer in the London 2012 Olympic Games at Millennium Stadium on Wednesday, July 25, in Cardiff, Wales.
Sarah Gregorius of New Zealand reacts after Karen Bardsley of Great Britain saves the ball, barring her from scoring a goal.
Britain's Stephanie Houghton celebrates a goal, adding the first point to the scoreboard, with teammate Ifeoma Diek.
An Olympic lane at the Embankment in London.
France's Louisa Necib, left, is challenged by American Carli Lloyd.
Amber Hearn of New Zealand shoots for a goal.
Casey Stoney of Great Britain goes up against Katie Hoyle of New Zealand.
Britain's Anita Asante kicks off the match with Kelly Smith between Great Britain and New Zealand.
A fan shows his support during the soccer match between Great Britain and New Zealand on Wednesday.
Fans have their choice of Great Britain merchandise before the soccer games begin.
The London Olympics logo in the equestrian arena in Greenwich, London, is seen behind a worker on a lift.
A South Korean news crew reports from in front of the Tower Bridge where Olympics Rings hang.
Badminton player Nathan Robertson poses during the handover of the Olympic Torch at Wembley Stadium two days before the Opening Ceremony.
- The torch passes Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and Downing Street
- Among those carrying it is U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
- Spain suffers a shock defeat as men's football kicks off
- Wednesday brought a snafu and a silver lining
(CNN) -- Amid last-minute preparations before the official start of the Summer Olympics, London spent Thursday cheering on the Olympic torch as it winds its way through the city's historic landmarks.
The torch began its journey on May 19 at Land's End, the most southwest point of England, and trekked through more than 1,000 cities, towns and villages in the United Kingdom. In all, 8,000 torchbearers will carry it, celebrities and residents alike.
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On Thursday, it is receiving a royal welcome at Buckingham Palace, passing by the 300-year-old St. Paul's Cathedral, the iconic Big Ben clock tower, and visiting the prime minister's residence at Downing Street.
Among those carrying it is U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
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On Friday, it will end its trek by lighting the cauldron at the opening ceremony.
Men's football kicks off
While the Games will officially begin with the cauldron lighting at the Friday ceremony at Olympic Stadium, some events have already begun.
Thursday saw the start of the men's football competition, with global favorites Spain and Brazil playing, though not against each other.
Spain, which won the European Championship this year and the last World Cup, suffered a surprising 1-0 defeat to Japan in one of eight games scheduled Thursday.
Brazil, which like Spain is considered a likely contender to win Olympic gold, will face Egypt later in the day.
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Also playing later Thursday will be Great Britain, in a return to the Olympics for the first time since 1960.
Two notable absences? Argentina and the United States, neither of which qualified.
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Border guards call off strike
Wednesday brought a snafu and a silver lining.
The silver lining came thanks to British border guards who called off a planned strike. A strike would have been disastrous at a time when more than 100,000 people a day are arriving at London's Heathrow Airport for the Games, and adequate security continues to be a concern.
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The union representing the guards said it backed off after the government agreed to create more than 1,000 jobs in response to its demands. The Home Office, which employs border staff, said it made no concessions.
North Korea walks off
Wednesday was also a day of women's football matches. North Korea's team walked off the pitch before its clash with Colombia after the flag of neighboring country -- and archrival -- South Korea was mistakenly shown on Hampden Park's big screen as it displayed player profiles.
Organizers issued a hasty apology, and the team returned to start the game an hour later. It won 2-0.
"Clearly this is a mistake, we will apologize to the team and the national Olympic committee and steps will be taken to ensure this does not happen again," organizers said in a statement.
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In other women's football matches, Team Great Britain gave the host nation a rousing start to the festivities with a 1-0 victory over New Zealand in front of 25,000 fans -- the biggest attendance for a women's international match in Britain.
Defending champion Team USA beat France 4-2. Current FIFA Women's World Cup holder Japan won its opening match against Canada 2-1, while Brazil thumped Cameroon 5-0 and Sweden beat South Africa 4-1.
Greek athlete sent off
In the day's other controversy, Greek athlete Paraskevi Papachristou was expelled from the country's Olympic team for posting an offensive comment about African immigrants on Twitter.
"With so many Africans in Greece, the mosquitoes from the West Nile will at least be eating some homemade food," she said on Twitter.
The Hellenic Olympic Committee ruled Papachristou, a triple jumper, would be barred, saying, "She made a mistake but it was serious. It was unforgivable."
Papachristou apologized, calling the comment an "unfortunate and tasteless joke."
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