In less than 100 days, the last runner in a 10-week relay across England will carry the iconic Olympic torch into the opening ceremony at the 2012 Summer Games, which are July 27 to Aug. 12. Promoters ballyhooed the 100-day countdown last week to generate early excitement for an event featuring 10,500 athletes from about 160 countries competing in 26 sports around London. Also coming are 21,000 media people and 8.8 million ticket-holders.

Events at the 16-day Olympics include high-profile sports such as basketball, running and gymnastics, as well as ones you probably won't see much on TV – canoeing, handball and badminton, for example. Team USA will include high school students, such as 16-year-old table tennis star Ariel Hsing of San Jose, Calif., who qualified last weekend, and likely swimming qualifier Missy Franklin, a parochial school junior from suburban Denver. But America's synchronized swimmers didn't make the cut, placing sixth last weekend at a last-chance tournament in London.

"The whole world is getting ready for London," says host committee chairman Seb Coe. "Expectations are high, and we won’t disappoint." Queen Elizabeth II will speak at an elaborate opening ceremony designed by Oscar-winning film director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire). A new stadium and modern velodrome (cycling arena) are ready, although some huge temporary structures still are rising. "The Olympic Park retains the air of a building site," the Guardian newspaper in Britain's capital reported last week, "and landscaping will be necessarily last minute." The writer added: "The British public is not yet frothing with excitement."

British broadcaster tweets: "London 2012 official motto is 'Inspire a Generation.' Hasn't someone used that before, like an electronics company? Sure I've seen it in TV ad." -- Jonathan Lampon, BBC Radio host

Official says: "Around the world, the excitement is growing and expectations are high." -- Jacques Rogge, International Olympic Committee president

Among the sports: BMX, kayak, fencing, archery, rowing, synchronized swimming, water polo, Taekwondo, judo, wrestling.