Good morning, and welcome to "Day -1" of the 2012 Summer Olympics. That NASA-like designation is due to events already having begun in the soccer competition, before Friday's Opening Ceremony. Men's soccer begins play today.
Here are some stories that popped up overnight:
Olympic tickets are a tough "get," as NPR's Philip Reeves reports. "It took me 22 phone calls," a Brit says, to snag archery tickets. But Philip found two Americans who say they'll trade or pay for any tickets they want. Their top wish: Seeing sprinter Usain Bolt win gold.
Egypt's Olympians bring counterfeit Nike, Adidas gear to London. "We signed with a Chinese distributor in light of Egypt's economic situation," General Mahmoud Ahmed tells the AP.
The BBC has a nice retrospective of the 1908 London Olympics. The black and white footage makes me expect Buster Keaton to emerge at any second, but maybe that's just me.
North Korea cuts deal to broadcast London 2012 Games, after the negotiations we reported Monday... and thankfully, AFTER Wednesday's flag gaffe.
And... our report on U.S. flagbearer Mariel Zagunis somehow omitted the fact that she "dreams of owning a pig," according to the Today show. She's quite the micro-farmer, it turns out.
But then, Zagunis lives in Oregon, where it seems everyone's all about keeping it local. Video follows; forgive me if it inflicts an ad upon you.
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