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| London 2012: Athletes start arriving for Olympic Games | London 2012: Athletes start arriving for Olympic Games |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Thousands of athletes and officials have begun arriving in London, with 11 days to go until the Olympics opens. | Thousands of athletes and officials have begun arriving in London, with 11 days to go until the Olympics opens. |
| Heathrow Airport is expecting its busiest day on record and on the main route out - the M4 - the first priority "Games Lane" is in operation. | Heathrow Airport is expecting its busiest day on record and on the main route out - the M4 - the first priority "Games Lane" is in operation. |
| Work is also starting at the lab which will conduct some 6,000 drugs tests. | Work is also starting at the lab which will conduct some 6,000 drugs tests. |
| Meanwhile, it has emerged police have had to deploy extra officers from nine UK forces at short notice to help with security work for London 2012. | |
| This follows the news last week that 3,500 troops had been drafted in to plug gaps after private security firm G4S failed to recruit enough guards for the Games. | This follows the news last week that 3,500 troops had been drafted in to plug gaps after private security firm G4S failed to recruit enough guards for the Games. |
| Home Secretary Theresa May will face an urgent question about that in the House of Commons on Monday afternoon. | |
| Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison said: "Whilst some of the activity police officers are undertaking was not anticipated, plans were put in place to allow us to do this. | |
| "Forces are making sure they make the best use of their resources locally to do all they can to minimise the impact on local policing." | "Forces are making sure they make the best use of their resources locally to do all they can to minimise the impact on local policing." |
| Speaking to BBC News channel, London mayor Boris Johnson said: "These Games are going to be very safe, very secure." | Speaking to BBC News channel, London mayor Boris Johnson said: "These Games are going to be very safe, very secure." |
| Passengers record | Passengers record |
| Heathrow Airport is expecting to process as many as 236,955 passengers on Monday, which would surpass its previous record of 233,562 set on 31 July last year. This compares with 190,000 passengers through Heathrow on an average day. | Heathrow Airport is expecting to process as many as 236,955 passengers on Monday, which would surpass its previous record of 233,562 set on 31 July last year. This compares with 190,000 passengers through Heathrow on an average day. |
| Some 335 competitors are expected on Monday, as part of 1,027 so-called "Games Family" arrivals (including athletes and coaches) from more than 50 countries. Heathrow operator BAA expects the busiest day for arriving athletes to be 24 July. | |
| "Today heralds the start of Britain's biggest peacetime transport challenge and Heathrow's busiest ever period," said BAA's head of Olympic and Paralympic planning, Nick Cole. | |
| Warning: If you are nothing to do with the Olympics and are flying into Heathrow in the next few days, don't wear a track suit. | Warning: If you are nothing to do with the Olympics and are flying into Heathrow in the next few days, don't wear a track suit. |
| Anyone resembling an athlete is jumped on by the waiting media. "What do you think of London? How excited are you about the Games?" "Er… I'm just back from my gap year." | Anyone resembling an athlete is jumped on by the waiting media. "What do you think of London? How excited are you about the Games?" "Er… I'm just back from my gap year." |
| Having said that, we've already had hundreds of athletes through Terminal 4 on Monday. | Having said that, we've already had hundreds of athletes through Terminal 4 on Monday. |
| The American sailing team were first to fly in. Italian, Ivory Coast and Cambodian teams are expected in the next few hours. | The American sailing team were first to fly in. Italian, Ivory Coast and Cambodian teams are expected in the next few hours. |
| Some carry javelins and sails in outsize baggage - maybe leaving a bit of space in their suitcases for a medal. | Some carry javelins and sails in outsize baggage - maybe leaving a bit of space in their suitcases for a medal. |
| They are welcomed by a huge crew of smiling, garishly-dressed Olympic volunteers - and by armed police with sniffer dogs. | They are welcomed by a huge crew of smiling, garishly-dressed Olympic volunteers - and by armed police with sniffer dogs. |
| So far, the airport process has apparently been quick and pain-free for athletes. But it is early days. And they haven't crossed London yet.... | So far, the airport process has apparently been quick and pain-free for athletes. But it is early days. And they haven't crossed London yet.... |
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| Volunteers will direct athletes to the coaches and trains that will take many of them to the Olympic Village in Stratford, east London, which opens its doors on Monday. | Volunteers will direct athletes to the coaches and trains that will take many of them to the Olympic Village in Stratford, east London, which opens its doors on Monday. |
| Two-time 400m hurdles world champion Kerron Clement claimed on the website Twitter that his coach to the village had become lost for four hours. | |
| The American tweeted: "Um, so we've been lost on the road for 4hrs. Not a good first impression London. | |
| "Athletes are sleepy, hungry and need to pee. Could we get to the Olympic Village please." | |
| The village will house 16,000 athletes and officials at its peak. | The village will house 16,000 athletes and officials at its peak. |
| Those leaving the airport by road should benefit from the first of the Games Lanes, which at busy times will operate between Junction 3 and Junction 2 of the M4 motorway towards London. | Those leaving the airport by road should benefit from the first of the Games Lanes, which at busy times will operate between Junction 3 and Junction 2 of the M4 motorway towards London. |
| The motorway has just reopened following emergency repairs on a damaged flyover near Junction 2. | The motorway has just reopened following emergency repairs on a damaged flyover near Junction 2. |
| The rest of the 30 miles of dedicated lanes in the Olympic Route Network (ORN) will be operational by the middle of next week, with heavy fines for those who misuse them. | The rest of the 30 miles of dedicated lanes in the Olympic Route Network (ORN) will be operational by the middle of next week, with heavy fines for those who misuse them. |
| All road users will be able to go into the lanes when they are not in use overnight. | All road users will be able to go into the lanes when they are not in use overnight. |
| Sports Minister Hugh Robertson said the authorities had plans to lift the restrictions if they were causing gridlock. | Sports Minister Hugh Robertson said the authorities had plans to lift the restrictions if they were causing gridlock. |
| Kevin Delaney, from the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said the lanes could exacerbate traffic problems in the capital. | Kevin Delaney, from the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said the lanes could exacerbate traffic problems in the capital. |
| "If anything goes wrong with the central and inner London transport network, we tend to get a wholly disproportionate amount of congestion - and so the Games lanes themselves will actually impose serious constraints on this already stretched network," he told BBC Radio 5 live. | "If anything goes wrong with the central and inner London transport network, we tend to get a wholly disproportionate amount of congestion - and so the Games lanes themselves will actually impose serious constraints on this already stretched network," he told BBC Radio 5 live. |
| The biggest anti-doping operation in the history of the Olympics is also beginning at the London 2012 laboratory. | The biggest anti-doping operation in the history of the Olympics is also beginning at the London 2012 laboratory. |
| Half of the competitors will be tested including every medallist at the Olympics and Paralympics. | Half of the competitors will be tested including every medallist at the Olympics and Paralympics. |
| Considered quitting | Considered quitting |
| Following criticism of G4S chief executive Nick Buckles for the firm's failures over the Games, chairman John Connolly told the Financial Times: "We don't want to do anything that smacks of short-term expediency, but it would be right to consider whether any members of the senior team are best placed to take the company forward." | Following criticism of G4S chief executive Nick Buckles for the firm's failures over the Games, chairman John Connolly told the Financial Times: "We don't want to do anything that smacks of short-term expediency, but it would be right to consider whether any members of the senior team are best placed to take the company forward." |
| This comes after Mr Buckles told the Sunday Telegraph he planned to stay to help deliver the contract but that he had considered quitting over the issue. | This comes after Mr Buckles told the Sunday Telegraph he planned to stay to help deliver the contract but that he had considered quitting over the issue. |
| Mr Buckles is due to appear before the home affairs select committee on Tuesday to answers MPs' questions. | Mr Buckles is due to appear before the home affairs select committee on Tuesday to answers MPs' questions. |
| BBC political correspondent Robin Brant said Labour was hoping Home Secretary Theresa May would go to Parliament on Monday to update MPs. | BBC political correspondent Robin Brant said Labour was hoping Home Secretary Theresa May would go to Parliament on Monday to update MPs. |
| The party thinks there are "serious questions" for Mrs May over the extent to which the Home Office had oversight over the contract, our correspondent said. | The party thinks there are "serious questions" for Mrs May over the extent to which the Home Office had oversight over the contract, our correspondent said. |
| Mrs May said she was only made aware of the scale of the problem at G4S on Wednesday. | Mrs May said she was only made aware of the scale of the problem at G4S on Wednesday. |
| The Mayor of London said: "It's absolutely vital that we get the message across these Games are going to be very safe, very secure. | The Mayor of London said: "It's absolutely vital that we get the message across these Games are going to be very safe, very secure. |
| "Obviously you can never be complacent about security, you can never take anything for granted - and huge amounts of work continue to be done, particularly on the intelligence side, to make sure that we have anticipated every conceivable threat - but London will be very, very safe." | "Obviously you can never be complacent about security, you can never take anything for granted - and huge amounts of work continue to be done, particularly on the intelligence side, to make sure that we have anticipated every conceivable threat - but London will be very, very safe." |
| And he added: "I think we are still the last moment before curtain up, and there is a bit of pre-curtain up jitters and casting around for things to talk about. | And he added: "I think we are still the last moment before curtain up, and there is a bit of pre-curtain up jitters and casting around for things to talk about. |
| "When the athletics gets going, when the whole thing kicks off, when the opening ceremony begins, then I think a lot of these issues that we are currently now discussing will melt away." | "When the athletics gets going, when the whole thing kicks off, when the opening ceremony begins, then I think a lot of these issues that we are currently now discussing will melt away." |
| G4S has said it stands to lose up to £50m on the contract, worth a total of about £280m, after being unable to provide the 10,000 staff it had been contracted to deliver. | G4S has said it stands to lose up to £50m on the contract, worth a total of about £280m, after being unable to provide the 10,000 staff it had been contracted to deliver. |
| Are you coming to the UK from overseas for the Olympic Games? Are you looking forward to London 2012? Do you live near any of the venues? Please contact us using the form below. A BBC journalist may want to get in touch so please include your full contact details - these will not be published. | Are you coming to the UK from overseas for the Olympic Games? Are you looking forward to London 2012? Do you live near any of the venues? Please contact us using the form below. A BBC journalist may want to get in touch so please include your full contact details - these will not be published. |