World’s eyes on London for Olympics opening ceremony

The opening ceremony of the London Olympic Games took place yesterday with around 120 world leaders arriving in the British capital for the spectacle.

Organisers expect over a billion people worldwide to watch the event on television, while tens of thousands will see the show live at the Olympic Stadium in east London.

The Olympic torch was making its way down the River Thames on board the Gloriana, the royal barge of Queen Elizabeth II, on the last day of its 10-week journey around Britain.

In Westminster, Big Ben chimed for three minutes from 8:12 am (0712 GMT) to ring in the Games, 12 hours ahead of pre-ceremony entertainment scheduled to start at the symbolic time of 20:12 pm. The huge bell at the British Parliament was joined by hundreds of bell-ringers across the country in a cacophony of ringing to mark the beginning of the extravaganza.

Footballer David Beckham is expected to be among the final torchbearers carrying the Olympic torch as it arriveD at the stadium for the opening ceremony. AFP