LONDON -- With the end of the Paralympic Games four days away, Londoners are being promised a bright Olympic legacy of new jobs, homes and park space – but some in the city’s poorest neighborhoods are already questioning whether they will see any long-term benefit.

The regeneration of post-industrial East London was a cornerstone of the city’s bid to host the 2012 Games, and work has already begun on finding new users for the permanent venues and on transforming the 550-acre park into a new community with almost 3,000 new homes as well as schools and leisure space.

---

“This is a generational project – it may be 20 years before we see the full benefit of the work being done today,” Dennis Hone, chief executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, told NBC News.

The future of seven of the eight permanent Olympic Park venues has been decided, with the striking Orbit sculpture becoming a visitor attraction and the Copper Box – which hosted pentathlon, fencing and handball during the Games – turned into a multi-purpose sport and entertainment venue.

More London 2012 coverage from NBCNews.com

On Wednesday, a conference heard how the 700,000 square foot International Broadcast Center – the building through which television pictures of the sporting action were edited and distributed to a global audience of billions - is to be turned into a technology quarter with office space for digital and creative start-up companies, studios, and a high-powered data center. The iCITY project, led by a private developer, aims to capitalize on East London’s growing reputation as a destination for designers, artists and creative entrepreneurs.

“We estimate that it will create 4,000 jobs, plus another 2,000 in the wider local community,” Richard Gibbs, business development director of iCITY, told NBC News.

But some in that community – particularly in Stratford, the poverty-stricken district bordering the Olympic Park - are unconvinced that they will see any of the promised benefits. “The good jobs will go to people from outside the area who have skills and education,” said Judith Garfeld, director of local charity Eastside Community Heritage. “The rest will be the same part-time, low-skilled service jobs that we already have.

“They are creating a new community on the site of the park but there is no sense that those of us who already live here will see any long-term legacy from the Olympics.”

Landscaping will be carried out to turn the grass and waterside areas into the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, with efforts underway to encourage wildlife into what used to be a contaminated industrial zone.

Up to 7,000 people will move into the athletes’ village, whose 2,818 dormitory-style apartments are being converted into proper living spaces to be known as East Village. A housing association will take over 1,379 of the homes, making about half available to those on local council social housing lists and the rest sold through government-sponsored shared-ownership and shared-equity schemes designed to ease young people into London’s sky-high property market. The remaining homes will be available on the private market, mostly for rent.

“It will be very nice for those people, but all it will do is push up the rent and the prices for everyone else in the area,” said a hot dog stand owner who gave his name to NBC News as Tony. “I don’t think it will change things for us.”

He said his stand in Stratford market – a stone’s throw from the main entrance to the Olympic Park – had seen only a 10 per cent rise in business during the Games, despite up to a quarter of a million visitors per day passing through the nearby station on their way to the venues.

“They all got channeled out of the station and straight into the Olympic Park – we hardly saw any of them,” he said.

Stall holder, Angela Brown, who sells flags from around the world, said locals had been left “very disappointed” despite being excited about the Games.

Iraq vet: 'Now it's time to win' at Paralympics

“It was an exciting time and fantastic to meet people from all over world, but in terms of business it has been really, really bad,” she said. “The athletes wandered over but we didn’t see as many spectators as we hoped for.”

Much of the bitterness is aimed at the glitzy new Westfield shopping mall, abutting the Olympic Park, whose huge increase in traffic made it one of the few immediate economic winners from London’s $14.3-billion Games.

“Although Westfield has created jobs, they are low-skill shop jobs,” Garfield said. “Local kids hang around there but they can’t afford to buy anything, it’s not for local people. On the day a local kid got stabbed to death there they didn’t even close the doors.”

Officials insist there has been wider economic benefit. “The cake has got bigger,” Hone said. “It isn’t about places like Westfield take a slice away from others. It may take time, but the whole area will get a lift from this regeneration.”

One of the biggest legacy questions remains unresolved: the future of the 80,000-seat $700-million main Olympic stadium.

Local soccer teams West Ham and Leyton Orient are among the bidders to become permanent tenants of the site, along with a sporting college and an ambitious scheme to host Formula One racing, the London Evening Standard reported. A final decision will be made next month.

Despite the lack of certainty, International Olympic Committee chairman Jacques Rogge believes London’s planning has set the bar high for future host cities.

“There is a lot of things London has done, with probably also a better care for sustainability and legacy than many other cities in the past,” he told an Olympic news conference last month. 

More stories from NBC News:

• Video: 100-meter showdown: Team USA guns for Oscar Pistorius
• Rights group: US waterboarded Gadhafi opponents, sent them to Libya
• Deadly shooting mars new Quebec premier's victory rally
• France sends aid, cash to rebel-held Syrian cities, source says
• Couple held hostage by pirates for 388 days to set sail on new journey
• Hundreds of Afghan soldiers detained, fired over 'links with insurgents'
• Mexico arrests 'El Gordo,' alleged leader of Gulf Cartel drug gang
• Cringe! Britain's finance chief booed at Paralympic Games

Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

 

LONDON -- Angela Madsen's journey to the London 2012 Paralympics is nothing short of extraordinary.

Complications following a back injury she sustained while serving in Marine Corps at the age of 20 led to her becoming a paraplegic when she was in her 30s.

Bound to a wheelchair, she fell into a deep depression. She lost her job. Her marriage dissolved.

---

"I lost my house ... I ended up homeless, kept my things in a locker at Disneyland. Happiest place on earth, right?" she told NBC News at the USA track-and-field training camp at RAF Lakenheath, near Cambridge, England, last week.

But the native Californian missed surfing, so she set out to find a way back to the water, determined to turn her life around.

"I started taking responsibility … and started making the changes and decisions to move positively forward in my life,” she said.

Now, her definition of a disabled person is "somebody who doesn't believe they can and doesn't try.”

'Meet the Superhumans': Paralympians burst onto world stage

She competed in the 2006 world surfing championships and then fell in love with rowing.

She turned this hobby into history by rowing across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

"I didn't row across my first ocean until I was 47,” she said with a laugh.

"I have six Guinness World Records for rowing oceans. I've circumnavigated Great Britain ... I've been places on this planet that no human being has ever been before. A thousand miles from land in any direction ... it's been a pretty amazing life."

Read Angela Madsen's profile at the Paralympic Games' website

Next year, she plans to row solo across the Pacific Ocean.

Madsen rowed for Team USA in the Beijing Paralympic Games, narrowly missing the podium. "I missed the medal rounds by 7-hundredths of a second.”

In the London 2012 Paralympic Games, the 52-year-old is trying her hand at track and field events, competing in the women's shot put and javelin.

"I don’t have any regrets about anything. If I could go back and change anything I wouldn't, except for the amount of pain I have with the rods in my back,” Madsen said. “That could definitely go. But I can’t foresee change in anything. I'm very, very satisfied with the life that I have now."

More world stories from NBC News:

• 'Superhuman' athletes burst onto world stage
• Red Cross halts most Pakistan aid in wake of beheading
• Unexploded WWII bomb disrupts Amsterdam airport
• Pakistani Christians live in fear after girl's blasphemy arrest
• 'A less polar pole': Arctic sea ice at record low
• Botched restoration turns Spanish church into tourist attraction

Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

 

LONDON – Organizers of the London Games on Saturday defended loud music played in the Olympic Stadium while athletes are competing.

Pop tunes with a playlist dominated by British artists were being played constantly between Friday night’s events at the 80,000-seater track and field venue, and also during longer races such as the women's 10,000-meter final.

Some commentators and ticket-holders criticized the decision via social media, calling it “intrusive” and “horribly, unforgivably misjudged.”

---

Jackie Brock-Doyle, director of communications at the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG), said the idea had been approved by the sport's IAAF governing body.

She told reporters on Saturday: “In terms of the music, I think we have the level right, but if you are saying that people are not liking it, then, of course, we will have a look at it, but we have actually had loads of really positive feedback about the atmosphere and the music in the venue.”

Medals for poets and painters? Not at this Olympics, but culture still key at London 2012

Paul Kelso, sports writer at The Daily Telegraph newspaper, wrote on Saturday that the music was “drowning out the golden moments of London 2012.”

He wrote:

Locog have made much of their use of music in venues, and for the most part it has been well-judged and discerningly selected. Who has ever heard This Charming Man by The Smiths at an athletics meeting before?

But last night, as the women’s 10,000m provided the climax of an exhilarating first day, it was horribly, unforgivably misjudged. The race is one of the great treats of the Olympics, a slowly unfolding drama of tactics and pacing, team strategy combining with individual ambition to provide a unique, always memorable event.

But instead of respecting the athletes and allowing the drama to unfold naturally, the witless gang in the stadium DJ booth decided that techno and twaddle would enhance the experience.

So as a group of four athletes, including eventual winner Tirunesh Dibaba, broke the field and gathered themselves for the finish with 2,000m to run, the commentator, Canadian Garry Hill, encouraged a Mexican Wave to track them round the stadium.

Worse, with two laps to go he dropped some house music. For what its worth it was a decent tune, but it was an unforgiveable distraction from the climax of one of the purest tests of athleticism we will see at the London Games. It might also have been a distraction to the athletes as they calibrated their pace for the final surge.

His comments were echoed by many Twitter users.  Athletics Weekly editor Jason Henderson Tweeted: "Not sure about loud, thumping music in athletics stadium. Grands prix, fine. But Olympics should be more traditional, surely."

London journalist Nick Metcalfe posted: “Is the gloss being taken off the Olympic Stadium atmosphere already? Many complaints about intrusive announcements and music.”

Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter

However, the crowd at Saturday's track events was more positive. Tom Wong, from east Yorkshire, England, said: "I really like it - they've chosen the music well and it really helps the atmosphere - it would feel very quiet otherwise."

Anya Starovoytov, from San Francisco, said: "It's getting everyone really pumped up - I can't see that it would bother anyone."

Watch World News videos on NBCNews.com

The music was also defended at Saturday’s press conference by Teresa Edwards, chef de mission at the United States Olympic Committee. She said: “I love it. You can't hear it. In basketball it definitely goes out as soon as the player hits the floor. It entertains the crowd, and we are very used to it in the States, to be honest with you.”

Olympic hosts: Londoners open their homes to the world

Patrick Bauman, secretary-general of the Federation of International Basketball, added:  “Personally I maybe agree that it is loud but that is a personal view. The spectators really love it. It does not bother the players and the athletes, they are playing the game.

“In my venue we haven't received any complaints at all. They come in at 9 o'clock in the morning, they leave at midnight and they are all happy, so I think they have the right mix of talent on the field, at least in our sport, and of music and of loudness as well because people like to cheer, they like their kiss cam, and they like singing English songs which are known worldwide, and I think that is really good. It brings more to their experience. It has been excellent, and certainly better than what we had in the past.”

More world stories from NBC News:

• Tropical Storm Florence joins Ernesto in Atlantic
• UN General Assembly condemns Syrian regime; Russia and China balk
• Cholera threatens displaced Congolese
• Belarus, Sweden kick out ambassadors as teddy bear war heats up
• Reuters confirms hackers posted fake Syria news story on its service

 

LONDON – When one of the most expensive cities in the world hosts the Olympics, high prices for tickets and hotel rooms are no surprise. But Londoners have embraced the spirit of the Games by opening up their own homes free of charge to athletes’ families and spectators from around the world.

Dozens of British residents have invited guests to use spare rooms as part of organized homestay schemes, while countless more have offered up their sofas through message boards for budget travelers such as Couchsurfing.

---

For some, it was reports of hotels and homeowners attempting to cash in on the Olympics that motivated them to offer open up their homes. 

In February, NBCNews.com revealed that landlords in Britain's capital were evicting tenants in order to cash in on the Games by charging tourists many times the usual rent.

“I didn’t want the world to come away from London thinking we were only interested in trying to make money from people,” said Liz Gill, who is hosting Graham and Delwyn Cure, from Tasmania, Australia, whose 19-year-old daughter Amy is due to represent her country at the women’s track team cycling later on Friday.

“When you visit a country for the first time you take away an impression of the place and the people and when I read all these reports of exorbitant hotel prices I thought it would be such a shame if that’s what Britain was remembered for. We’re delighted to have visitors,” she added.

As long ago as February, when the biggest tranche of tickets for London 2012 went on sale, hotel rooms in London had already peaked during Games dates. British consumer organization, Which?, found a double room at the Best Western hotel on Shaftesbury Avenue for Saturday – the night of the men’s 10,000 metres final – was $733 compared to only $435 for a normal Saturday night last month.

Gill offered space in her north London home through More Than Gold – a charitable organization originally set up to represent the work of local churches at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

She is not charging anything for her spare room – something she says is “part of the spirit of the Olympic Games.”

“We have only known for a few weeks that Amy was definitely going to be part of the Olympic squad,” said Graham Cure. “There was no doubt we didn’t want to miss our daughter in her first Olympics, but by now air fares were more expensive and we were thinking about where to stay.

“We’d already spend AUS$3,000 ($3,150) each on tickets and I’d previously looked at renting a house from a list on an official website, but most people on it wanted upwards of AUS$4,500 ($4,750) a week and wanted bookings for the entire three weeks, whereas we only needed one week. There was no way we could spend that sort of money.”

Delwyn Cure added: “We always hoped something would fall into place, and in the end somebody at Cycling Australia mentioned homestay schemes and we were put in touch with Liz.”

While athletes’ families are usually given free tickets for events, offers of accommodation are rare.

For others, it was not just the price of London hotels but the atmosphere that was unappealing.

“I hate soulless and expensive chain hotels,” said Shamey Cramer, a postgraduate student originally from Los Angeles who secured a spare sofa in east London – minutes away from the main Olympic Park - through the Couchsurfing site.

“Some people like hotels, but I much prefer to meet people and experience more of the place I’m in. This is my first time doing this and it seemed the perfect way to see London during the Games.”

His host, Emy Ritt, who is working as a transport organizer for London 2012, said: “It’s a great way to meet people. You can see each other’s profiles before making arrangements, so you generally can tell it’s people you’re likely to get along with.”

More world stories from NBC News:

• Medals for poets, painters? Not at this Olympics but...
• Images: The lives of Syrian rebels fighting for freedom
• Palestinian official under fire over Auschwitz visit
• A hotel? An archaeology site? Or both?
• Poland confronts its role in Jewish deaths
• Obama authorizes secret US support for Syrian rebels
• London's funny, zip-lining mayor taken very seriously
• Good, bad or ugly? Street artists weigh in on Olympics

 

Updated at 8:12 a.m. ET: It took a zip line to stop Boris Johnson laughing, even then it was only for a few minutes.

If every Olympic Games has a breakout star, London’s mayor is surely in contention along with Ryan Lochte and Ye Shiwen.

Johnson might not be an athlete but he would surely get gold for grabbing attention.  From mocking Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in front of a crowd of thousands to risqué comments about volleyball players, Boris Johnson has awarded himself a starring role during London 2012. While some see a larger-than-life personality, perfectly representing his city, others believe it is another big step in a marathon effort to become British prime minister.

---

That might sound ridiculous, but consider how far Boris has already come (Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson only needs one name). He was a journalist who found wider attention appearing on satirical quiz shows. His persona is one of an upper-class buffoon, with a messy mop of blond hair and a ready response of ‘oh cripes’ to tricky situations. But his shambolic appearance masks a shrewd and focused politician. It’s a combination that has allowed him to defy the political odds:  winning two mayoral elections as a Conservative in a left-leaning city at a time when his party is unpopular.

PhotoBlog: Boris Johnson, London mayor, stuck on a zip line

Ask a London cabbie what he thinks and here’s the response: “He’s my type of politician,”said Michael Murphy. “He’s a big personality and that’s what you need in a city like London.”

Boris doesn’t scare the voters -- he entertains them. On the Late Show he laughed along as David Letterman mocked his hair and then said his own bike-hire scheme was “Communist.” As the Olympics began he described female beach volleyball players as glistening “like wet otters.” It’s far from his worst gaffe and yet they never seem to do him any harm. In fact, many believe they add to the mayor’s eccentric, “real” persona.

Watch World News videos on NBCNews.com

Boris Johnson’s biographer describes it as the ability to relate to the man in the pub.

“He hears the central ridiculousness of political life and can see the comic side,” Andrew Gimson told NBC News. “People love that because most people are skeptical about politicians.”

Johnson’s fellow Conservatives are taking notice. A recent poll showednearly a third would like him to take control of the party if Prime Minister David Cameron were to step aside.

The perception of rivalry between the two is exacerbated by a shared history. Both went to the elite boarding school Eton College before studying at Oxford University.

Teen held after Olympian gets Twitter death threat

“He considers himself to be a great deal more able than David Cameron,” Gimson said. “He considers Cameron his warm-up act.”

It could be quite a while before Johnson takes the main stage.

Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter

He would first need to be elected to Parliament, then elected leader of the Conservative Party. Yet it is something being taken seriously in London.

In the Daily Telegraph newspaper, Benedict Brogan sums it up: “Westminster is divided between those who now believe him to be unstoppable, and those who can’t stop laughing at the idea that he is being taken seriously as an alternative Prime Minister.” 

There was plenty of laughter as the mayor was rescued from the zip line on Wednesday, cheerfully waving union flags as he was pulled along. It’s an indicator of how powerful Brand Boris has become, that this seemed neither strange, nor likely to detract from his growing popularity.

UK military asked to cover 3,500 Olympic security worker shortfall

Good, bad, ugly? Street artists weigh in on Olympics

Olympics hurdle: US athletes' bus driver gets lost in London

Inside Olympic Village: World's top athletes share college dorm-style rooms

London's 'East End': From haven for gangsters to Olympic showcase

Terror suspect's eye color? Flying cameras to spy during Games

Gigantic welcome for London Olympic attendees

Bad neighbors for Team USA? Occupy camp faces ax

VIDEO: Olympic torchbearer proposes mid-relay

Brits revel in gloom ahead of Games, but don't believe the gripe

Olympic housing crunch: Landlords evict tenants to gouge tourists

At London Olympics, dogs have sniffed out key anti-terror role

Slideshow: When the Olympics is your neighbor

Go behind the scenes with our 'TODAY in London' blog
 

Updated at 6:50 a.m. ET: LONDON -- An athlete steps up to take his throw -- except he is holding a missile, not a javelin; a pole vaulter soars high, but seems headed for a landing on a moldy mattress; an Olympic mascot's leg attracts some unwanted attention from a passing dog.

Banksy, whose works routinely sell for tens of thousands of dollars, and other street artists could hardly let the London 2012 Games go by without having their say -- despite the legal risks.

---

While at least four graffiti artists have been arrested by police ahead of the Games -- then released on bail conditions designed to prevent them from making their mark near the venues -- London is full of art works ranging from crude and comical to heavy satire to straightforward celebration.

A piece by artist Jimmy C. is among the latter, a large spray-painted mural of Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt's face with streaks of vibrant color radiating outwards on the side of a row of houses in Shoreditch, not far from the Olympic Park.

He could only afford the $1,500 cost of the painting after he sold more conventional artworks at a gallery show in Paris, France, and had some money left over from paying his rent.

"People pick up on a spiritual narrative in my paintings," he told NBCNews.com, explaining that when he went through art school painters like Caravaggio and Velazquez were among his favorites and may have influenced his work.

“Some street art is very quick, humorous and political …  I try to create more lasting things with human qualities that everyone can identify with," he added.

'A very charismatic guy'
East London resident Jimmy Cochran, 39, as he is known in ordinary life, admitted he didn't know too much about the Olympics before deciding to paint something. He said he'd asked friends in Britain and Australia, where he grew up, what they thought about the Games.

“He [Bolt] kept coming up in more ways than one,” he said. “I thought ‘OK, this is interesting.’ I looked him up online, looked at images of him and realized he was a very charismatic guy, a big personality. I was drawn by his features.”

He painted the image on a wall often used by street artists, but didn't ask permission from the owner, who Cochran said he had been told was in Greece.

Teen held after Olympian gets Twitter death threat

 

Unlike Cochran's picture, Banksy's works, which appeared on his website without any explanatory comment, have a clear political edge.

Banksy rose from being a small-scale street artist to an international star, whose work has fetched as much as $1.8 million at auction. 

He has always tried to keep his identity a secret, although the Daily Mail newspaper has claimed to have identified him and published a photograph that it said was believed to be him.

Banksy's piece showing a javelin thrower carrying a missile is entitled "Hackney [an East London borough] welcomes the Olympics," while the pole vaulter image is called "Going for Mold," according to a spokeswoman for the artist.

His spokeswoman, of Banksy's Pest Control operation, said the images did exist in the real world, but refused to say where they were. 

More London 2012 coverage from NBCNews.com

A dispute with a London graffiti legend known as King Robbo and perhaps some jealousy at Banksy's success mean some graffiti artists will paint over his work where they can find it, a London street art source told NBCNews.com.

For other street artists, the risk is mainly from the authorities.

Corporate clown lasted six days
An artist known as Mau Mau painted an image of Ronald McDonald with sponsors' names on his costume and an Olympic torch belching out black smoke over the Olympic rings on a wall in Ealing, West London. The local authorities painted over it six days later, he told NBCNews.com, despite the wall belonging to a friend of his.

Mau Mau said he came up with the idea after the Olympic torch relay went past his studio in the Devon area of western England and he "could barely see the torch" because of trucks emblazoned with corporate logos.

"I love to watch sport," Mau Mau said, refusing to give his real name. "I love to see Usain Bolt run the 100 meters … It's lovely to see lots of countries together competing.

"I don't see that as negative at all, it's more the branding side of things. I think it should be run more ethically… it should be more for the people and less about huge corporations," he added.

Leave the big hat! 10 things you can't bring to the Olympics

Teddy Baden, 32, painted the image of one of the Olympic mascots and the overly amorous dog to poke fun at the Olympics in a "non-malicious" way, he said.

"It becomes such a serious thing sometimes," he said, adding that he hoped the image would appeal to the "English sense of humor."

"We always support the underdog in sport, and we can take a pop at things and have a laugh at ourselves ... it's just a bit of fun," he said.

'Welcome to London, it's gray'
Lee Bofkin, co-founder of Global Street Art, which finds walls that artists are allowed to paint and keeps an archive of images, told NBCNews.com that the "vast majority of [street] art has been satirical, sending up the Olympics, noting its heavy-handed corporate presence, and just sort of generally poking fun."

He expressed disappointment that some art had been painted over, citing a wall in Plaistow, East London, a popular spot for street artists that was until recently covered with art.

"A few weeks ago, it was completely painted gray," Bofkin said. "It's a shame. We're saying to tourists 'Welcome to London, it's gray,' rather than 'Welcome to London, it's colorful.'"

The Keep Britain Tidy campaign group once opposed all kinds of graffiti or unauthorized painting on buildings, but no longer.

“What we have a problem with is low-grade ‘tagging,’ that kind of graffiti … that’s just horrible and makes places look unloved,” Helen Bingham, a spokesperson for the group, told NBCNews.com. “We have less of a problem with Banksy-esque street art.”

She said ultimately local people should decide if they wanted an image preserved or removed, but admitted it was a tricky subject.

“One person’s art is another person’s abomination … of all the issues we deal with, it’s the most difficult," Bingham said.

More world stories from NBC News:

• US: Leaders' deaths put al-Qaida on 'path of decline'
• Good, bad or ugly? Street artists weigh in on Olympics
• Video: Syrian rebels obtain anti-aircraft missiles
• Video: 'Blitz Spirit' lives on in London's East End
• Greenland again sees widespread ice melt
• Fugitive anti-whaling activist says ex-crewman betrayed him
• Teen arrested after Olympian gets Twitter death threat
• Rome's leaning Colosseum has experts worried

 

A woman managed to gatecrash the Indian Olympic team’s march round the stadium at the Games' opening ceremony, it has emerged.

The interloper –- said to be one of the thousands of volunteers who took part in the show –- walked alongside flag-carrier and wrestler Sushil Kumar at the head of the team at Friday's event, causing anger among Indian Olympic officials.

---

In stark contrast to the athletes, who were dressed in blue and yellow, the interloper was dressed in a red jacket and light-blue pants.

She also sported a broad smile in some of the photographs.

Sebastian Coe, chairman of Games organizers LOCOG, told the daily press conference Sunday that he could confirm “that she was a cast member [of the opening ceremony show], who clearly got slightly over-excited.”

Military drafted in to fill empty seats at London Olympics

“I think there’s a very important point here to take into consideration – and I don’t minimize the fact she got into the Opening Ceremony –  she could not have got in the opening ceremony without having gone through all our security protocols anyway,” Coe said.

“Don’t run away with the idea she had walked in off the street to do that,” he added.

London protesters decry 'Corporate Olympics'

He said he would be speaking to Indian officials about what happened.

The Deccan Chronicle newspaper identified the woman as a graduate student from Bangalore, India.

Read more on the Olympics from NBC News

Indian Olympic official P.K. Muralidharan Raja was quoted by the paper as saying they had been "initially told that she would accompany the contingent ’til the track, but she went on to take the entire lap. There was another man also, but he stayed back and did not enter the stadium.”

Harpal Singh Bedi, Indian Olympic team press attache, told a press conference that the gatecrasher "not only walked, she led our contingent. It looked like she was the leader," according to an AP Television report.

"... if this had happened in India, people would say 'you don't know how to run the Games, security problems,' ... I think this was definitely a security lapse," he added.

More London 2012 coverage:

• UK military asked to cover 3,500 Olympic security worker shortfall
• Olympics hurdle: US athletes' bus driver gets lost in London
• Inside Olympic Village: World's top athletes share college dorm-style rooms
• London's 'East End': From haven for gangsters to Olympic showcase
• Terror suspect's eye color? Flying cameras to spy during Games
• Gigantic welcome for London Olympic attendees
• Venues for the London 2012 Olympic Games
• Bad neighbors for Team USA? Occupy camp faces ax
• VIDEO: Olympic torchbearer proposes mid-relay
• Brits revel in gloom ahead of Games, but don't believe the gripe
• Olympic housing crunch: Landlords evict tenants to gouge tourists
• At London Olympics, dogs have sniffed out key anti-terror role
• Slideshow: When the Olympics is your neighbor
• Go behind the scenes with our 'TODAY in London' blog
  

LONDON - Britain was forced to bring in military personnel at short notice to provide security for the London Olympics -- and has now done the same to help fill thousands of empty seats at several venues despite the massive public demand for tickets.

Many ordinary people who applied for tickets -- in what was essentially a lottery – missed out and there were numerous complaints about the allocation process.

---

But the first day saw rows of empty seats at events including swimming, dressage, tennis, gymnastics and volleyball -- according to reports in The Guardian and Telegraph newspapers -- to the outrage of many, including U.K. Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

Hunt said the sight of so many empty seats was "very disappointing," according to ITV News. "I was at the Beijing Games, in 2008, and one of the lessons that we took away from that, is that full stadia create the best atmosphere, it's best for the athletes, it's more fun for the spectators, it's been an absolute priority," he added.

London 2012 organizers LOCOG said it was looking into the issue, saying it appeared many of the empty seats were in "accredited seating areas," which are reserved for members of the "Olympic family," such as officials, athletes, their family and friends, journalists, and some corporate sponsors.

At the daily briefing Sunday, LOCOG chairman Sebastian Coe said most venues were "stuffed to the gunnels," but admitted some of the "tens of thousands" of Olympic family members had either not turned up -- on the morning after the Opening Ceremony and associated parties -- or had only gone for a short while before moving on somewhere else.

There was laughter as he was asked about the logistics of "drafting in the army" to fill seats.

"We won't be cancelling leave," Coe quipped, saying military personnel and others, such as local teachers and students, were simply asked if they wanted to see events when there were unfilled seats. Tickets were also being sold to the public, he said.

Coe, who said 75 percent of tickets went to the public, said he did not expect the situation to continue.

"I'm pretty sure this is not going to be an issue that we are going to be talking about in three to four days' time," he said, explaining accredited ticket holders would still be "figuring out" what their duties involved, transport arrangements and other logistical issues this early in the Games.

"I do take it seriously. Where we possibly can, we will get people into those seats where and when they are not being used," Coe added.

Twitter was abuzz with pictures of empty seats and criticism of the large areas without spectators at the affected events.

Sally Bercow, wife of the speaker of the House of Commons in the U.K. parliament, said in a message on Twitter that she was “loving” the Games, but added she was “so cross at all the empty seats. Sort it out FGS! So unfair for all of us who wanted to go :-/”

'How dare they?'
Comedian Jenny Eclair ‏was equally annoyed. “I've seen enough empty seats in my life without watching the Olympics - tragic waste - how dare they?” she tweeted.

And former British newspaper editor and CNN broadcaster Piers Morgan tweeted that “These empty corporate sponsor seats at swimming etc are a total bloody disgrace. Sort it out, Lord Coe.”

London protesters decry 'corporate Olympics'

The Guardian said there were an estimated 500 empty seats at the swimming heats featuring Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte; more than 1,000 at the gymnastics morning section, which was supposed to be sold out; and more than 3,500 at the volleyball.

The Telegraph’s report about the issue had more than 1,000 comments from readers.

“I was at the volleyball last night in Earls Court. Virtually all the prime seats right in front of the court were empty. An absolute disgrace and extremely unfair to the competitors who would surely appreciate a crowd of supportive fans to cheer them on,” one reader, kafkander, wrote.

Olympics party: In shadow of Games, London celebrates

“The time to fix it is now. Simply issue a decree that if people are not in their seats by 45 mins before event start time, the seats will be re-let at cut price cash on the door fees … I would have liked to have gone but couldnt get tickets and/or was disenchanted by all the reports of the Pre Olympic ticket scandals and outrageous pricing,” another, whitevanman, said.

More London 2012 coverage:

• UK military asked to cover 3,500 Olympic security worker shortfall
• Olympics hurdle: US athletes' bus driver gets lost in London
• Inside Olympic Village: World's top athletes share college dorm-style rooms
• London's 'East End': From haven for gangsters to Olympic showcase
• Terror suspect's eye color? Flying cameras to spy during Games
• Gigantic welcome for London Olympic attendees
• Venues for the London 2012 Olympic Games
• Bad neighbors for Team USA? Occupy camp faces ax
• VIDEO: Olympic torchbearer proposes mid-relay
• Brits revel in gloom ahead of Games, but don't believe the gripe
• Olympic housing crunch: Landlords evict tenants to gouge tourists
• At London Olympics, dogs have sniffed out key anti-terror role
• Slideshow: When the Olympics is your neighbor
• Go behind the scenes with our 'TODAY in London' blog
  

 

LONDON -- Hours after the opening ceremony fireworks echoed around east London, up to 400 demonstrators marched through a neighborhood near the Olympic Park to protest what they called the "Corporate Olympics."

The event, organized by Counter-Olympic Network and supported by 35 groups ranging from Occupy London to ecological and local anti-austerity campaigners, targeted issues including free tickets for sponsors, missile sites on residential blocks and the ethics of Olympic corporations such as BP and Dow Chemical.

---

“A significant number of people in this country -- about 20 percent, according to a poll -- are not happy with the Olympics because of the involvement of large corporations about which are significant concerns,” said Julian Cheyne of the Counter-Olympic Network. “We are representing their views and making sure that opinion is expressed.

“It is shameful that BP is a sustainability partner of the Olympics after the damage it did to the Gulf coast with their spill, and Dow Chemicals are not meeting their moral and ethical obligations to help the victims of the Bhopal disaster.”

London cyclists say 'green' Games boast 'a bit of a joke'

The Saturday lunchtime event passed without incident, in contrast to Friday night’s Critical Mass protest –- against the temporary closure of cycle lanes to make way for VIP Games traffic -- that saw 130 arrests.

It coincided with a visit by the Queen to the athletes' village and the swimming arena, and came only 12 hours after the spectacular opening ceremony watched by billions across the world. The protest was significantly smaller than organizers' original estimates of up to 5,000, and at one stage was almost outnumbered by news reporters and camera crews.

Protesters, flanked by large numbers of police motorbikes, began in Mile End and went past the Bow Quarter apartment building whose roof tower is one of six sites around London where the military have installed Rapier missile launchers as part of London’s $877 million security operation protecting the Games.

“This is the heaviest militarization of London since the Second World War,” Cheyne said.

One protest banner read: “International games OK. No to Corporate backed destruction of people’s homes, green space, livelihoods, human rights.”

As protesters shouted slogans outside Bow Quarter, soldiers guarding the missile launcher stared back from their temporary lookout position at the top of the tower.

As it went along Bow Road, the march was blocked by a small group of local residents who brandished an Olympic flag and chanted back: “Up the Olympics!”

Diane Grieves, who lives on the street, said: “I’m delighted about the Olympics -- it’s really helped the area and brought everyone together. If there weren’t corporate sponsors then the Olympics would be even more expensive for taxpayers.”

Protester George Barda shouted “No to the corporate Olympics” while wearing a T-shirt highlighting the victims of the 1984 disaster at Bhopal chemical plant of the Union Carbide Company, which merged with Olympic sponsor Dow Chemical in 2001.

He was also wearing a pair of shoes and a backpack from Olympic sponsors Adidas.

“I’m just wearing these shoes out because I have nothing else left,” he explained to NBCNews.com. “I know I’m part of the problem for buying the products but the bigger issue here, which is much more important, is that the Olympics has been taken over by unethical corporate sponsors despite the fact that they only contribute five per cent of the cost of the Games.”

Among the others taking part was Dana Wojokh, from New Jersey, who was highlighting the plight of Circassians -- a Caucasian and Middle-Eastern mountain tribe that was the victim of genocide by imperial Russia at the end of the 19th century centered on Sochi, where Russia intends to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.

“This is our chance to tell the world what happened to Circassians -- oppression that is still happening, for example in Syria,” she said.

A spokesman for the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games told BBC News: “The Olympic Games is the biggest event in the world, and big events have always been a magnet for protests of all shapes and sizes; we have planned for this.

"We implore any protesters to consider the impact of any action on the athletes, most of whom have spent half their lives preparing for London 2012.

"We are a sport-loving nation, and ruining sporting events is not the way anyone wants London 2012 to be remembered."

More London 2012 coverage:

• UK military asked to cover 3,500 Olympic security worker shortfall
• Olympics hurdle: US athletes' bus driver gets lost in London
• Inside Olympic Village: World's top athletes share college dorm-style rooms
• London's 'East End': From haven for gangsters to Olympic showcase
• Terror suspect's eye color? Flying cameras to spy during Games
• Gigantic welcome for London Olympic attendees
• Venues for the London 2012 Olympic Games
• Bad neighbors for Team USA? Occupy camp faces ax
• VIDEO: Olympic torchbearer proposes mid-relay
• Brits revel in gloom ahead of Games, but don't believe the gripe
• Olympic housing crunch: Landlords evict tenants to gouge tourists
• At London Olympics, dogs have sniffed out key anti-terror role
• Slideshow: When the Olympics is your neighbor
• Go behind the scenes with our 'TODAY in London' blog
  

Updated at 8:45 p.m. ET: STRATFORD, East London – For billions of people watching around the world, Friday night’s 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony signaled the start of two weeks of sporting excitement.

But for nearby residents just outside the main Olympic Park — within earshot of the spectacular show, but separated by 11 miles of electric fence — the celebrations also marked the end of seven years of planning and redevelopment which has transformed the local area and made an impact on many lives.

---

Tens of thousands gathered in parks to watch the ceremony on giant screens, or hosted parties in apartments and backyards in the shadow of the stadium. Cheers erupted when British cycling hero Bradley Wiggins rang the bell to begin the display.

“For people living in this area, the Olympics isn’t just about these two weeks — they’ve been living with the anticipation and excitement for years — as well as the noise and disruption,” said Stephen McVeigh, deputy head of residential property at Genesis Housing, whose 700-home development includes a 43-story tower, Stratford Halo, under construction yards from the Games.

Brits rally around Games after Romney's Olympic gaffe

“It is incredible, but also a bit strange, to be so close to the excitement and the action, yet still watching on television.”

As McVeigh spoke to NBC News, the Royal Air Force display team — the Red Arrows — roared overhead, coating the urban skyline in red, white and blue trails that drew a huge cheer from nearby streets.

Although the tower is unfinished, workers and corporate guests gathered on the 38th floor from where the view included a section inside the stadium.

Across the River Lea, southwest of the stadium in an industrial zone that has witnessed decades of decline, one local furniture factory decided to make the most of the event by clearing its workspace and yard and converting them into a giant temporary nightclub and bar complex called Fringe 2012.

Inside, with the music from the ceremony drifting across the river, revelers who had paid up to 25 pounds ($39) cheered their favorite points in the ceremony — including the appearance of live cows and comic actor Rowan Atkinson (best known in America as Mr. Bean) — and joined the stadium crowd in singing the National Anthem, "God Save The Queen."

When the Olympics and politics collide: Is neutrality just a 'fairy tale'?

“We decided this was a better business plan so we applied for a (liquor) license and put a giant screen and turned it into a place for people to feel part of the Olympic experience even if they couldn’t be in the ceremony or get tickets for the events," said Steve Black, whose family has made sofas on the site for generations.

“Hopefully this will change the area for good — this all used to be factories but soon it will be bars, restaurants, galleries," he said. "It’s a celebration for the area as much as for the opening of the Olympic Games.”

London's 'East End': From haven for gangsters to Olympic showcase

Thousands packed into Victoria Park, about two miles west of the stadium, to watch the ceremony on big screens.

There was an ironic cheer when it began to rain, but the best reaction of the night came when a comedy skit depicted The Queen alongside James Bond actor Daniel Craig.

A major part of the show was an homage to the U.K.’s National Health Service, with nurses dancing and hospital beds arranged to spell out NHS and GOSH, for Great Ormond Street Hospital.

There was applause as performers, many of whom work for the NHS, passed through Stratford subway station still dressed in their stylized uniforms.

Christalene Alaart, originally from South Africa but now living in London and working at the NHS Royal Free Hospital, told NBC News that it had been “quite exciting, knowing there’s 3 billion people whose eyes would be on us, and 80,000 in the stadium.”

She added that her mother had been to see a rehearsal. “She was in tears, overwhelmed with what she saw, also that fact she was there and part of it,” Alaart said.

New Zealander Carina Burgess, 26, an NHS pharmacist in London, said it was “pretty cool to be given that much credit, for a whole segment to be dedicated to the NHS.”

And Annmarie Badchkam, 36, a midwife at London’s Homerton Hospital, said “it was definitely amazing ... thanks to Danny Boyle, it was an amazing experience.”

Dikaia Chatziefstathiou, an academic and expert on the Olympics at Canterbury Christ Church University in England, was among the dancers for part of the show featuring music from the 1980s and 1990s.

“It was extraordinary experience,” she said. “I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming or actually part of it.”

She said she regarded herself as a “critical friend” of the Olympics but said taking part in the ceremony had reminded her that the Games was a “big festival … a great festival.”

Professional opera singer Elinor Jane Moran, 31, from London, was among those dancing to current British hip hop music in the show – something she’d never done before and learned during the rehearsals.

She enthusiastically related how she had shaken hands with U.K. hip hop star Dizzee Rascal as he came on stage in an unscripted moment.

“I thought it was extraordinary,” she said of the show, “particularly the Industrial Revolution section and also the nurses were just wonderful.”

“The energy, the passion, was just extraordinary, I thought,” Moran added. “We’re very proud of it, very, very proud of it.”

Spectators were sporting flags from all over the world, from Australia to Brazil, Japan to Canada.

Yulia Semakima, 25, from Omsk, in Russia, who is studying law in London, was among those caught up in the mood of the moment.

“I’m not a big fan (of the Olympics), but now I feel like I’m becoming more and more enthusiastic about it,” she said, dressed in a Russia shirt and cap.

“I think we will be third (in the medal table) after China and then the U.S. I hope we can beat France and Germany,” she added.

Referring to a considerable amount of typically British moaning in the months ahead of the Games, she could not understand why Londoners did not seem “really to be impressed with this.”

One Briton who was definitely enjoying the Games was Lucy Chisholm, 44, from Twickenham, London, who was wearing British flags in her hair, on her T-shirt and had one painted on her cheek.

“I feel very patriotic at the moment. With everything that’s been going on in Britain, it’s been fantastic. We’ve had the (Queen’s) Jubilee and that really brought people together,” she said.

Chisholm said she hoped anyone who had complained about the Olympics “haven’t got tickets,” adding, “We’ve had so much moaning, but that’s what Britons do, isn’t it. Everybody should get together and embrace it.”

Jamaica supporter Richard Woodburn, 32, from London’s East End, was wearing a Jamaica sports shirt and proudly showed a picture on his cellphone of his house bedecked with Jamaican flags.

“They (Jamaica) are going to clean up in the athletics — 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 400 meters relay, men and women,” he said.

“The Games are here — just enjoy it. There’s so many people enjoying it,” he said gesturing to the crowd of thousands around him. “Just run with it.”

Mark Townsend, 46, who was born in Britain, grew up in Canada and whose wife Mariko is from Japan, was similarly upbeat, saying he hoped the Games slogan of “Inspire a Generation” would come true for his children, age 11 and 5.

“My 11-year-old daughter is going to play (soccer) for Canada, Japan or Britain,” he said.

Paul Meikle, a cub scout leader from Castle Rock, Northern Ireland, with a group of more than 40 cub scouts, explorers and adults, said the beginning of the Opening Ceremony was “really, really good” and “well put together.”

He welcomed the decision to start the ceremony with songs from the four parts of the United Kingdom — England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales — saying it was “inclusive of everyone.”

“It’s really, really exciting to be here,” Meikle said. “We’ve come across to spend the first couple of days of the events here.”

He said the scouts planned to watch the cycling road race Saturday, with Britain’s Mark Cavendish among the favorites to win.

At Forman’s Smokehouse, a family-run fish processing company that was forced to relocate to make way for the Olympic Park, managers transformed the forecourt into a spectacular temporary beach-themed bar complete with beach volleyball court, palm trees and champagne counter.

When Sir Paul McCartney performed "Hey Jude," the crowd mirrored those inside the stadium by singing along with their hands in the air.

“London is so buzzing at the moment, and the atmosphere here is incredible,” said Amy Loudon, 25, who traveled across London with her friends Anna Celeste Walters and Alex Sinclair to party nearer the Olympic site. “People seem to be in a much better mood now, after all the moaning.”

Gary Bott, 31, a construction worker, traveled two hours from the city of Cambridge in order to celebrate in London. He was unable to get into the public screening at Victoria Park because it was too crowded.

“It’s much better to be closer to the action, even if we’re watching on a screen,” he said. “There ceremony made us really proud to be British.”

Paco Lima, a 35-year-old soldier from Mexico, was also soaking up the atmosphere at Forman’s — and cheering on his country when Mexican athletes joined the parade.

“The ceremony was great — like a Hollywood production,” he said.

Among those performing in the spectacular show was dance student Jack Ludwig, 22. He told NBC News before the ceremony began: “I don’t think I’ll ever get to do anything like this in my lifetime again, so to be part of it is incredible.

“During rehearsals I was looking up at various spots in the crowd and thinking ‘that’s where the Queen will be sitting, that’s where all the world leaders will be.'”

NBC News' Jim Seida contributed to this report.

More world stories from NBC News:

• Syria regime 'reeling, armed to the teeth' with chemical weapons
• 'Fairy tale': Is the Olympics really neutral?
• Engel: Rebels dismayed over US statement on Syria
• After tough London trip, Romney heads to Israel
• Millionaire medalists: Does the Olympic spirit live on?
• Wife of ousted China politician charged with murder

News on NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Updated at 10:05 a.m. ET: LONDON — On August 14, 1948, Ray Lumpp stood in London's Wembley Stadium. As "The Star-Spangled Banner" played and "Old Glory" fluttered in the breeze, an Olympic gold medal was placed round his neck.

"To be in the Olympics was a dream come true," Lumpp, 89, told NBCNews.com from his Long Island home. "To receive a gold medal … it still shines in my heart." 

In the aftermath of World War II, parts of London still lay in ruins, food was rationed and the "strictly amateur" athletes were put up in basic accommodation. But "The Austerity Games" remain a special event for people like Lumpp.

---

In sharp contrast to 1948, the London 2012 Olympics has a total budget in excess of $17 billion, a sum greater than the GDP of many of the 200-plus competing nations. About 9 million tickets have been sold and a global TV audience of billions is expected to watch more than 10,000 athletes compete.

Amid the glorification of multi-millionaires competing in sports including basketball, tennis and soccer, the sea of corporate sponsorship and fortress-style security — has the Olympic spirit been forgotten? What would previous Olympians make of today’s event?

Would the Ancient Greeks — who staged the first Olympic Games in 776 B.C. — give their blessing or call down the wrath of Zeus? And what would the founder of the modern Games, French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin, make of the demise of the amateur ethos?

Lumpp played in an era where, unlike today, amateurism was central to the Olympic ideal.

"Even if I just wanted to play professional basketball, I would have been removed from the American team — just by saying I wanted to be a pro, I would have been removed," Lumpp told NBCNews.com. "The Olympics was supposed to be for fun and games — no compensation."

"I was married with one child and one on the way. I was a gold medal Olympic champion, but I owed money," he said. "You couldn't have sponsors, you couldn't do this, you couldn't do that ... you have to live and you have to eat."

More London 2012 coverage from NBCNews.com

After Lumpp returned to the U.S., he signed a professional contract with the New York Knicks and was soon "out of hock."

'For the love of it'
While he said that the acceptance of professionals into the games was a good idea — meaning countries could send their best competitors and a level playing field for all — he added that "sometimes money is too important, you lose the ideals of the Games."

"The Games are about taking part, peace and understanding, and competing against one another, not fighting …  playing against each other for the love of it," he said.

"[In 1948] we had great admiration for the British people. Whatever they had, that was it … but whatever they had, they shared it and put on a great Games under the conditions,” he said.

Fortress London: UK protects Games with biggest security operation since WWII

Lumpp said the success of the 1948 Games – the first since Munich 1936 in Hitler’s Germany — had been vital.

"After that 12-year period when there were no Olympics, it was important, very important, that the next Games be a success because it would affect the future of the Games … because people might say 'it's not worth it,' and it could fade away,” he said.

The gap between Games was somewhat longer when Coubertin hit upon the idea of recreating the evemt.

The Christian Roman Emperor Theodosius had decreed in 393 A.D. that "pagan cults" such as the Olympic Games would no longer be permitted. Some 1,503 years later, the first modern event was held in Athens.

Modern Games born from war
Despite the emphasis on promoting global harmony, Coubertin’s big idea was born out of a war.

"It may be a little bit disappointing. You may think it's a product of peace," Dikaia Chatziefstathiou, an expert on the Olympics and an academic at Canterbury Christ Church University in England, told NBCNews.com.

France had not long been defeated in the 1870-1871 war against Prussia and there was concern that the country’s youth were "not very active," she said. "The French government worried that the army wasn't strong enough."

Coubertin, an expert on education, was brought in to shake things up and, on a fact-finding mission to England, he noted the emphasis on studying Ancient Greece and Rome at the country’s private schools, and was also impressed by the emphasis on sport and "muscular Christianity."

This, he thought, could be the answer to France’s diminished military might.

But the late 19^th century was also the so-called Age of Optimism when it was hoped that the world could put an end to war, disease and other great scourges. International movements such as the Scouts, the international Esperanto language, the YMCA and others sprang up "all about making society and the world a more peaceful place,” Chatziefstathiou said.

"He [Coubertin] came to the idea that actually sport can be used to have a peaceful celebration among the nations because he saw the power of sport,” Chatziefstathiou said. "He said 'Why not use sport and education to actually unite nations around the world?'"

London's Olympic lanes befuddle motorists

The idea caught the world’s imagination, but the first Olympiad in 1896 was a very different games to 2012 or even 1948.

There were no women. "He [Coubertin] really didn't want women to sweat. He didn't want women to have any physical exertion," Chatziefstathiou said, explaining this in terms of the social norms of the aristocracy of the time.

Also, most of the 1896 competitors were members of the upper classes and, if the right sort of person turned up, they just might find themselves allowed to take part.

George Stuart Robertson was one such athlete. He wrote an Ancient Greek ode that was recited at the end of the 1896 games and won a bronze medal in the doubles tennis. He also took part in the discus, which was perhaps a mistake, as he is still on record as achieving the worst-ever throw of about 27-and-a-half yards.

However -- in a sign of the Olympics' ability to break barriers — one of the heroes of 1896 was a Greek peasant called Spyros Louis, winner of the marathon.

"He became a big symbol of the Games … because without money, without preparation he came and ran in his traditional [Greek] clothing," Chatziefstathiou said.

While Coubertin subscribed to amateurism, she said she did not think he would not be appalled by the money in today’s Games. "If he saw that the movement wouldn't really survive without commercialism … I don't think he would be against commercialism with controls," she said.

Chatziefstathiou’s interest in the Games extends beyond the purely academic. She will be one of scores of dancers from all over the world in Friday's Opening Ceremony and was enthused by the "joy" among them at a practice held Monday.

Even Twitter keeps Opening Ceremony (mostly) a secret

"If Coubertin came back [today], he would absolutely love the spirit of the people, and how many people of all ages, all nationalities are all there and enjoying it, and really actually believing it [the Olympic spirit]," she said.

Concerns over corruption, such as betting scandals, might be a worry, but Coubertin would be proud of how "his baby" had grown, she said.

"He wouldn't say 'Oh my God, this is a monstrosity' because he was so keen to keep the movement going," Chatziefstathiou said. "I think he would be absolutely over the moon."

The participation of women, however, might prove too big a step for a man of his background, she suggested. "I don't think he would like this. He would be able to adapt to many things, but this is a spectacle I don't think he would be keen to see."

Ancient Games: Naked and men-only
Most Ancient Greeks were similarly against women at the Olympic Games, and to a much greater degree. With the exception of the priestess of Demeter, who oversaw events for religious reasons, any woman found watching the events faced being killed.

However, at least one female spectator is said to have survived the experience.

Kallipateira, the mother of a boxer, sneaked in dressed as a man to watch her son compete, Armand D’Angour, a fellow and tutor in classics at Jesus College, Oxford University, told NBCNews.com.

"Then when her son wins, she jumps up with delight and gives herself away as a woman," he said.

Check out our 'TODAY in London' blog

Summoned by the judges, she told them how sport was part of her and her family's life, saying "this is who I am." And the judges, D’Angour said, decided to let her off.

The idea of female athletes would have been shocking for most Greeks, "apart from one city state, which was Sparta," he said.

In Sparta, women had a degree of equality and were known to be "very sporty."

"Spartan women were considered to be women with six-packs —  strong, not necessarily beautiful, and quite scary," D’Angour said.

However, all Ancient Greeks would have been more in tune with the today’s Olympics when it came to ideas about money.

D’Angour said athletes were sponsored by their cities and spent years in training.

"And of course if they won, they were feted, celebrated and odes were written for them — an expensive business. They would be fed at public expense for the remainder of their lives. There was a lot of money in it," he added.

Flame 'nothing to do with Ancient Greece'
The amateur ideal or so-called “Corinthian spirit” was “a bit of an invention really,” D’Angour said.

Other modern inventions include the Olympic flame — "that’s nothing to do with Ancient Greece, it comes from the idea of the eternal flame in Rome" — and the Olympic rings, he said.

D’Angour, author of Ancient Greek odes to the Athens and London Olympics, said Ancient Greeks would be shocked by "the completely irreligious" nature of the modern games.

"Zeus, the head of their gods, was very much in the center of the games," he said. A central message was "as great as human beings strive to be, they can never be as great as the gods."

And they might also be disappointed that the athletes were wearing any clothes.

"They competed naked — you’d see a lot of dangly bits. We don’t really know the origins of that. One story says a competitor in a running race tripped over something he was wearing, and after that they decided everyone should go naked," D’Angour said.

"I think it was to do with a celebration of the body beautiful. They were keen on the beauty of the bodies, shining, oiled bodies with fantastic musculature and beautiful balance," he said.

Get the latest results from NBCOlympics.com

But overall D'Angour said he thought that any Ancient Greeks transported to London 2012 be pleasantly surprised.

"The ambition to do well, the striving to achieve excellence in a sport … Let’s say they got over the fact they were living in a different century, I think they would find it fairly familiar and would be excited," he said.

They might be a little bemused by events such as synchronized swimming, he said, but the 100 meters and the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, would likely be popular. But even Bolt would be measured against ancient heroes, whose true speed can only be guessed at.

"I think what they would feel is 'this chap [Bolt] is a bloody fast runner' but – because they didn’t have records —  they would say 'Diagoras,' —  who ran in 426 BC — 'was pretty good too, I can tell you,'" D’Angour said.

And there might be a few requests for one ancient favorite, chariot racing, to be restored.

"That would be fantastic, wouldn’t it?" D’Angour said. "Can you imagine? It'd be like Ben Hur all over again."

More world stories from NBC News:

• In Japan, a nuclear ghost town stirs to life
• Olympic security plan turns London into fortress
• Myth vs. truth in the Syrian conflict
• 'Building Tomorrow' -- one school at a time in Uganda
• Spain teeters on the edge of a steep 'fiscal cliff'
• Going for gold: British workers cash in on Olympics with strike threats
• 'Building Tomorrow' - one school at a time in Uganda
• Ice melt found across 97 percent of Greenland, satellites show
• Afghan police commander leads defection to Taliban
• In Kenya, cell phones can do everything

Follow World News on NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

 

LONDON -- For some, the Olympic Games represent the epitome of sporting achievement and fair play, and a noble set of ideals that help inspire humanity to dream of a better world.

But if you are a driver of one of London’s famous red buses, it should mean about $900 extra in your paycheck. And if you are a British worker who isn’t getting a coveted Olympics bonus, it means you might just go on strike just to make the point that you’re not happy.

Then there are those for whom the Games is an ideal time to raise a grievance over pay, pensions or working conditions, in the hope that the threat of industrial unrest -- as the world focuses its attention on the U.K. -- will speed the negotiations along.

Labor unions in Britain may have been relatively quiet over the government’s austerity policies, but the arrival of the Olympics has given them the chance to flex their muscles in a way that some see as far from sporting.

---

On Thursday -- the day before the London 2012 opening ceremony -- thousands of government workers, including Border Agency guards at airports, are due to go on strike for 24 hours in a dispute over pay and other issues. Marianna Panizza, a senior press officer at Heathrow Airport, said in an email that so far "immigration waiting times [were] well within their targets," adding that "We hope this will continue through the strike action." (Update: The PCS union called off the planned strike by U.K. border force staff on Wednesday.)

More London 2012 coverage from NBCNews.com

Then on Friday, RMT union members at South West Trains, which runs services into London, will stop working overtime or coming in on rest days until Aug. 12 because they have not been offered an Olympic bonus.

Visitors arriving in London for the start of the Games should be extra careful with their possessions, as unionized staff in the lost property office at Transport for London – the company that runs the city's Tube subway network – have been told not to work shifts from 7 a.m. Friday until 7 a.m. Saturday. That also goes for staff at Transport for London’s travel information centers and the London Transport Museum.

'A question of fairness'
A dispute over Olympic payments could also disrupt London’s so-called “Boris Bikes” – bicycles available to hire cheaply on the street – from early Friday to Sunday morning.

London Olympics: 8,000-mile torch relay around the U.K.

Geoff Martin, a spokesman for the RMT union, defended workers seeking a slice of the Olympic “windfall.”

“It’s a question of fairness,” he told NBCNews.com. “The vast majority of our members have got them [Olympic bonuses] … if it is right for those members to get a share of the additional profits companies will generate – which they will – why shouldn’t staff working in other companies benefit as well?”

Martin said 80,000 extra passengers a day were expected to use South West Trains services, meaning more work for staff.

“The point is, this is a unique set of circumstances. It’s the biggest transport challenge London has ever faced,” he added.

Martin said most transport companies had been “very reasonable” and agreed to let workers get their “fair share of the windfall.”

Ramadan set to cause 'traffic chaos' near London's Olympic site?

Quite how many more people, if any, will visit the London Transport Museum -- home to such attractions as the 1866 Metropolitan Railway A class 4-4-0T steam locomotive (number 23) – because of the Olympics remains to be seen.

Last month, two-thirds of London’s 8,000 red buses were off the road because of a one-day strike by thousands of drivers.

The show of strength appears to have worked as last week saw the drivers get their deal. Staff will get an extra payment of about $42 a shift, which will mean an extra $895 or so over the period of the Games for the average worker.

'Ambassadors for London'
A spokesman for the Unite union, which represents drivers and other workers, told NBC News that they were entitled to the extra money because of the “massive increase in passengers, the increase in traffic.”

“They’ll end up working longer and finishing their shifts later,” the spokesman said.  “They have to manage the entire bus; they have to often help passengers; they have more demands on them from passengers; they have to help a lot of people who don’t speak English.

“Our members are going to be ambassadors for London. They are going to be keeping London moving during the Olympics,” he added. “In such exceptional circumstances, they should have their extra contribution recognized financially … they shouldn’t have to be doing extra work for free.”

33 Team USA athletes to watch in London

Some 450 members of the Aslef union who work at East Midlands Trains also plan to strike on Aug. 6, 7, and 8, in a dispute over pensions.

Tony Travers, of the London School of Economics, told London’s Evening Standard newspaper that transport unions had the government and Olympic organizers “over a barrel.”

“With an extra three million rail and [subway] journeys expected during the Games, there will be queuing at stations and dreadful congestion on trains. If the bus drivers were on strike, it is hard to imagine how bad it might get,” he said.

This family's Olympic odyssey involves bikes, satellite dish -- and reindeer pelts

But Travers also warned the unions might pay a price after London 2012 if the government decided to take revenge with “tough anti-strike laws.”

'Ronald Reagan approach'
Thursday's planned strike by Border Agency and other government staff has caused considerable anger.

U.K. government Cabinet member Jeremy Hunt told the BBC Sunday that some members of the government had considered what he described as the “Ronald Reagan approach” of firing the striking public workers.

"I can tell you amongst [government] ministers there have been people asking whether we should be doing that, but I don't want to escalate things by talking about that right now, because I know amongst those 600 people there are lots of people who want to do the right thing and turn up for work," he told Radio 5 Live.

Troops everywhere, long lines and moans: A very British Olympic Games

Matthew Sinclair, director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance campaign group, was equally appalled, saying ordinary people would be “disgusted” at the union’s attempt to “disrupt the Olympics when the world’s eyes will be focused on Britain.”

“We must not allow a selfish minority to disrupt the Olympics in a vain attempt to stop necessary restraint in public spending, and make the Games even more expensive for hard-pressed taxpayers,” he added.

But not all unions are taking advantage of the authorities’ precarious position on Travers’ barrel.

A spokesman for the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association said the union had decided to cancel a strike ballot at Virgin Trains over the sacking of a union official.

He said this was partly due to an agreement to negotiate but also because of a plea by Transport Secretary Justine Greening for the Olympics not to be disrupted by industrial action "in the greater interest of the country."

More London 2012 coverage:

• UK military asked to cover 3,500 Olympic security worker shortfall
• Olympics hurdle: US athletes' bus driver gets lost in London
• Inside Olympic Village: World's top athletes share college dorm-style rooms
• London's 'East End': From haven for gangsters to Olympic showcase
• Terror suspect's eye color? Flying cameras to spy during Games
• Gigantic welcome for London Olympic attendees
• Venues for the London 2012 Olympic Games
• Bad neighbors for Team USA? Occupy camp faces ax
• VIDEO: Olympic torchbearer proposes mid-relay
• Brits revel in gloom ahead of Games, but don't believe the gripe
• Olympic housing crunch: Landlords evict tenants to gouge tourists
• At London Olympics, dogs have sniffed out key anti-terror role
• Slideshow: When the Olympics is your neighbor
• Go behind the scenes with our 'TODAY in London' blog