London 2012 - Olympic flame arrives in Britain

With the rolling Atlantic ocean behind him, yachtsman Ben Ainslie set the London Olympic torch relay on the road from Land's End in the extreme south-west tip of England on Saturday.

Standing next to a signpost marking 3,147 miles to New York to the west across the ocean and 874 to John O'Groats in the far north of Scotland, the triple Olympic gold medallist waited torch in hand.

Rematch for Liu and Richardson in Shanghai

SHANGHAI (AP) Liu Xiang's hurdles rematch with Jason Richardson is the most anticipated race of the Shanghai Diamond League meet on Saturday.

Dayron Robles won the 110-meter hurdles at the world championships in Daegu, South Korea, last August, but was disqualified after Liu appealed. Robles smacked Liu's hands over the last hurdles. Richardson was promoted to the gold medal, and Liu received the silver.

Brazil looks to flex its sailing might in London

AO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil is known as a soccer powerhouse. But if Olympic medals are any measure, it might just as well be known as the country of sailing.

The South American nation has enjoyed more success on the water than in any other discipline and Robert Scheidt is one of its biggest names.

While not quite the household character in Brazil that former soccer ace Ronaldo is, he's not far off, at least when the Olympics come along.

UK bribery law poses hurdle to hospitality

The Olympics may be the hottest ticket in London this summer but some of the best seats remain unsold as big companies weigh the cost and the risk of breaching Britain's new bribery laws before buying premium hospitality packages.

Romney led Olympics to success - with some help

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—Over and over, Mitt Romney takes credit for turning around the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City after a bribery scandal and says the success of the games is one big reason he should be president.

REFILE-INTERVIEW-Olympics-German MP wants Games moved if riots continue

BERLIN, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Olympic officials should consider moving the London 2012 Olympics if the riots and looting of the past days in the capital continue, German member of parliament Manuel Hoeferlin said on Friday.

INTERVIEW-Olympics-German MP wants Games moved if riots continue

LONDON, Aug 12 (Reuters) - BERLIN, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Olympic officials should consider moving the London 2012 Olympics if the riots and looting of the past days in the capital continue, German member of parliament Manuel Hoeferlin said on Friday.

American Felix may focus solely on 200 at London

RALEIGH, North Carolina, July 27 (Reuters) - Twice U.S. Olympic silver medallist Allyson Felix may put an all-out bid for her first 200 metres gold ahead of making a run at a widely expected 200-400 metres double at next year’s London Games, the three-time world champion said on Wednesday.

London enters final countdown with a splash

* Year to go until London 2012

* IOC’s Rogge invites athletes to the Games

* Daley makes first dive into new Olympic pool (Updates after Rogge speech, medals unveiled)

LONDON, July 27 (Reuters) - London began the final year countdown to the 2012 Olympics with a splash of water and a flash of gold on Wednesday as IOC president Jacques Rogge formally invited the world and its athletes to the Games next July.

Chunky and bold, London reveals medals for 2012 Games

LONDON, July 27 (Reuters) - The thousands of athletes striving to compete at London 2012 now know what treasure awaits at the end of their long and tortuous journeys after the medals for next year’s Olympics were revealed in Trafalgar Square on Wednesday, one year before the start of the Games.

First swim in 2012 pool lets imagination run wild

LONDON, July 27 (Reuters) - Finding a metre of space is often a rarity when swimming in London’s crowded public pools so one can imagine the pleasure of not only having an entire lane to myself on Wednesday but a lane of the previously untouched London 2012 Olympic pool.

Soccer can be a sellout in 2012, says Deighton

LONDON, July 27 (Reuters) - Next year’s Olympic soccer tournaments may well sell out before the Games despite nearly 1.5 million tickets being available at present, London 2012 chief executive Paul Deighton said on Wednesday.

London enters final countdown with a splash

* Year to go until London 2012

* IOC’s Rogge hails London preparations

* Swimmers try out new Aquatics Centre (Adds Rogge quotes, detail, pool opened)

LONDON, July 27 (Reuters) - London 2012 began its final year countdown on Wednesday with swimmers making a splash in the newly-opened Olympic pool and

ADVISORY-Olympics-London 2012 yearahead package

Reuters will move a package of features, interviews, analyses and factboxes to mark the July 27 year-to-go until the opening of the 2012 London Olympics.

ADVISORY-Olympics-London 2012 yearahead package

Reuters will move a package of features, interviews, analyses and factboxes to mark the July 27 year-to-go until the opening of the 2012 London Olympics.

Britain aims to stop Australia raining on Poms’ parade

LONDON, July 12 (Reuters) - Britain aims to finish at least fourth in the London 2012 medals table with a team budget of 13 million pounds ($20,839,000) to deny Australia the satisfaction of “raining on the Poms’ parade”.

Van den Broeck to stay in intensive care, Vino operated on overnight

Medical update after stage nine crashes

Jurgen Van Den Broeck will stay in intensive care for two or three days as he recovers from his injuries after crashing out on a descent during Sunday’s ninth stage to Saint Flour.

Merkel consoles as German women's team out of World Cup

BERLIN (AFP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel has thanked the national team despite their shock quarter-final exit from the women's World Cup, while

London equestrian venue “nowhere near good enough”

LONDON, July 6 (Reuters) - The surface at the equestrian venue for the London 2012 Olympics has been criticised by competitors at the end of a three-day test event.

London 2012 still has 1.5 million soccer seats to fill

(Reuters) - Some 1.5 million Olympic soccer tickets remained unsold on Sunday after the end of the first phase of London 2012's 'second-chance' offering in Britain.Organisers said the only tickets still available were for men's and women's soccer matches, volleyball and freestyle wrestling.