India's must-share
stories, links & videos, everyday.

Danny Boyle has said that he is excited on behalf of the 10,000 volunteers who will bring his vision to life in the Olympic Opening Ceremony.

It's got some pretty big shoes to fill, after Beijing set the gold standard by which all other ceremonies will henceforth be judged.

Paul Owen: This is it – tonight Danny Boyle's £27m opening ceremony officially launches the London 2012 Olympic Games. Live coverage here throughout the day.

If history and culture are your thing, the 2012 Summer Games in London may just be for you.

Olympic officials are banking on local enthusiasm to make the games that start today in London a success after economic difficulties curbed spending on the event.

Bells rang across Britain on Friday to signal the final countdown to the Olympic Games, which open with an exuberant and eccentric ceremony.

One individual who isn’t competing in the Games but is sharing the Olympic spotlight is London-based street artist and Oscar-nominated documentarian, Banksy.

Olympic organisers will have to rely on man-made rain at the opening ceremony of London 2012 as the showers dry up in time for the curtain-raiser.

Scepticism has been forced aside by the grandeur of the Olympic Park, the enthusiasm of volunteers and the engulfing cosmopolitanism of the London Games.

During the Olympic Opening Ceremony on July 27, around 10,000 performers, 70 sheep, 12 horses, ten chickens, three cows, and two goats will entertain a crowd of 80,000.