COUNTDOWN TO OLYMPICS

* Days until opening ceremony: 12.

* Olympic update: Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the International Olympic Committee, will lead a service Friday in Sydney’s Hyde Park honoring Olympic athletes who have died in war.

* March to the medals: Race walker Liu Yunfeng was removed from China’s Olympic team after testing positive for a banned substance, a Chinese newspaper reported.

* Carrying the torch: Spent the day in the Blue Mountains, including a trip in the Scenic Skyway gondola at Katoomba that travels high over the Jamison Valley. Ended the day at Penrith, on the outskirts of Sydney.

* Olympic footnote: A consumer group plans to protest against sportswear company Nike before the Sydney Games, accusing the company of breaching labor standards.