Facing fears of a terrorist attack during the Olympics, Brits are flexing their military muscle, rolling out the largest peacetime security operation the country has ever seen, Ahmed Morsy reports London holds the distinction of being the first city in the world to host the Olympics three times, including the forthcoming 30th Olympiad -- the London 2012 Olympic Games. The Games will be held in the city from 27 July to 12 August, followed by the Paralympics Games 29 August to 9 September, also in London. The selection of London as host city was made by the 117th Session of the International Olympic Committee in Singapore in July 2005, over Moscow, New York City, Madrid and Paris. With hours to go for the Olympic torch to enter the Olympic Stadium Friday, it is going to be watched by an anticipated global television audience of one billion people. The opening ceremony is going to be a celebration showcasing the best of the host nation. It also features a parade of all competing nations and the highly anticipated entrance of the Olympic Flame, which ignites the stadium cauldron and signals the start of the Games. Expect big names, big songs and even bigger fireworks. There are unconfirmed reports Daniel Craig as James Bond will launch the Games by jumping into the stadium from a helicopter, and the Queen herself may also have a cameo role. Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney will close the opening ceremony, and there is hopeful chat he will lead an all-star performance of Hey Jude. An alleged leaked playlist reveals numbers by the Rolling Stones, Adele, Queen, David Bowie, the Sex Pistols, Coldplay and the opening credits of EastEnders. Rumours are rife of a Spice Girls reunion and a performance by One Direction. Supermodels Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss are also tipped to present creations by British fashion greats Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. Whether the rumours prove true, the opening and closing ceremonies will be a must-see. Hosting the opening ceremony, the Olympic Stadium, located in Olympic Park, is designed to be the centrepiece of the 2012 summer Olympics. The stadium was built from scratch and is one of the most important infrastructures of the event. The construction cost of the stadium was £468 million. The capacity of the stadium is 80,000. There are more than 700 rooms within the stadium, including changing rooms and prayer rooms. The turf for the field of play was grown in Scunthorpe and was laid over a period of three days. Transforming 2.5 square kilometres of land into a green space that will be holding the main events of the Olympics, London 2012 has been the catalyst. This land will not only be the home to eight venues including the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre and Velodrome but it will also be hosting a range of attractions and events during the games. As for Londoners' spirit, they have little patience for waste of public money, traffic, or excited tourists. This has forced London hotels to slash their room prices after weak last-minute bookings. Millions of Britons have instead booked holidays overseas during the Olympics to escape the crowds, according to travel companies. The ticketing of the Games was meant to be the fairest Olympic system yet, but has ended up a flop. Despite promises of plenty of tickets, demand far outstripped supply, causing headaches for organisers and desperate Games-goers. About 1.8 million people applied for the 6.6 million public tickets available in the first round of offers and more than half missed out, including the families of some British athletes competing in the Games. Further anger was triggered when it was announced that babies born after the ticket sales still needed their own ticket. This rule was later dismissed. Regarding transportation, London's public transport was a point of contention; some have claimed London has one of the weakest public transport systems in Europe. Preparation efforts are focused on public transportation for more than 17,000 athletes and some 500,000 visitors from around the world. Public transport has undergone numerous improvements including, among others, the expansion of the London over-ground East London Line, upgrades to the Docklands Light Railway and the North London Line and the introduction of a new "Javelin" high-speed rail service in the concept of Japan's "bullet" trains. Besides, preparations also included the construction of the £25 million cable car across the River Thames. These are in accordance with UK's transport plans to allow athletes to travel in less than 20 minutes to their event sites, and make the Olympic Park served by 10 separate railway lines for a combined passenger capacity of 240,000 per hour. On the other hand, security was always going to be the main issue of these Games. The day after the capital was awarded the Games in July 2005, some 52 commuters were killed in suicide bomb attacks on London's transport network. While security planners worry about terrorists, they must also respect attitudes in a country where most police officers are unarmed, uniformed troops are a rare sight, and a gun death makes headlines. Public sensitivities were not nearly so acute in Beijing, home of the 2008 Games, or Athens, host in 2004. Moreover, home grown terrorism remains a major concern after the so-called 7/7 attack in 2005. The coordinated bomb blasts on London's mass transit system, in addition to causing deaths, injured nearly 800. Four suicide bombers responsible for the 7/7 carnage grew up in Britain. Hence, the challenge for Olympic organisers is to find a balance between protection and discretion. Meanwhile, London may see surface-to-air missiles installed atop some of its apartment buildings, as residents learned by way of government-issued flyers earlier this year. The HMS Ocean, Great Britain's largest warship, will also be moored on the banks of the Thames for the length of the Games. Typhoon fighter jets will patrol the skies, and Puma helicopters will be at the ready with airborne snipers. More than 13,000 British soldiers, meanwhile, will reportedly be deployed -- more than the United Kingdom currently has posted in Afghanistan. The intended message behind the flexing of military muscle is clear. "All of these things say to sophisticated terrorists: London is expecting you. London is prepared," says Patrick Mercer, MP and former chairman of the government's sub-committee on counterterrorism. "Don't try it." On top of the overt military presence, more than 20,000 private security guards will be on hand to complement an already beefed-up local police force. In a further sign of enhanced security, London's bobbies on the beat are beginning to look more like soldiers on the battlefield, carrying sub-machine guns, two self-loading pistols and tear gas canisters. Even Prime Minister David Cameron has given voice to concerns. "I am determined that this will feel like a sporting event with a very serious security operation rather than a security operation with a really serious sporting event," he said during a visit by the top Olympics official in March. He recently described it as the biggest and most integrated security operation in mainland Britain in peacetime history. But Mr Cameron tried to change the focus of attention away from security, saying: "We should be raising our sights, and thinking of the incredible inspiration that these Games are going to bring. The facilities are built; the country is ready. We are in really good shape." By Ahmed Morsy
