Olympic scenes in London

Yorkshire police officers patrol Olympic Stadium in Olympic Park on Thursday, a day before the London 2012 Games begin.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The Olympic rings hang from Tower Bridge as a larger set of the Olympic emblem floats on a barge for visitors to see at Battersea Park.  (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Volunteers for the London 2012 Olympics stroll across Olympic Park on Thursday, a day before the Games open.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Stickers on a tube map directing passengers to Olympic venues in London, nine days before the start of the Olympics. Britain was forced to make more last-minute changes, putting 2,000 extra troops on standby and shortening the opening ceremony to avoid transport problems.  (Andrew Cowie / AFP/Getty Images)

Police officers stand guard outside the Stratford Tube Station on Thursday, the eve of the opening ceremony for the 2012 Summer Games in London.   (Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images)

Decorations on the Road Cycling path near Buckingham Palace three days before the Games begin Friday. The flags were evident during London’s traditional Changing of the Guard ceremony.   (Frank Franklin II / Associated Press)

People pack the streets as torchbearer Zoe Jones carries the Olympic flame during the London torch relay in the streets of Peckham in south London.  (Miguel Medina / AFP/Getty Images)

Londoners watch the proceedings as the Olympic flame is carried from Peckham to Kensington during the torch relay.  (Miguel Medina / AFP/Getty Images)

Onlookers cheer as the Olympic torch passes through the streets of London on Thursday, the countdown to the start of the Friday official opening of the 2012 Summer Games.   (Miguel Medina / AFP/Getty Images)

A tourist displays Olympic spirit at Trafalgar Square on Thursday.   (Timothy A. Clary / AFP/Getty Images)

Members of the British army patrol the grounds during a practice session at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon.  (Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)

A taxi drives past the designated traffic lanes for Olympic Games vehicles on Wednesday, two days before the opening ceremony. London opened special lanes for Olympic traffic, fueling fears that the transport network is unable to cope with the strain of the Games.  (Manan Vatsyayan / AFP/Getty Images)