The Olympics truly arrived in London today as thousands of athletes and officials touched down at Heathrow airport and the first dedicated Games lanes for official vehicles came into force.
Teams from about 30 nations — including the US, Australia, Italy, Russia and China — flew into the capital, many heading straight for the Stratford athletes’ village, which opened this morning.
Meanwhile motorists were getting to grips with the new rules of the roads with a new “VIP lane” opening on the M4 link from Heathrow.
Despite some glitches, the airport dubbed the “Gateway to the Games” was coping well with the busiest day in its history with 236,955 passengers expected today.
Nick Cole, head of Olympic and Paralympic planning at airport owners BAA, said: “We are expecting more passengers to travel through Heathrow today than on any day in the airport’s history.
“We have spent seven years preparing for the Games challenge.”
But two-time world 400 metres hurdles champion Kerron Clement was given a less than favourable first impression of London this morning as the bus taking him to the Olympic Village got lost.
The American, who won the world title in 2007 and 2009 before surrendering the crown to Great Britain’s Dai Greene in Daegu last year, Tweeted: “We’ve been lost on the road for 4hrs. Not a good first impression London.”
The 26-year-old is the defending Olympic silver medallist.
The first of a new group of soldiers who will help guard the Olympics began arriving at their temporary living headquarters in Wapping today. By Friday around 400 troops will be living in the disused warehouse in Tobacco Dock.
