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This article was first published 11 years ago

PHOTOS: London ready to roll for the Games

Last updated on: July 24, 2012 12:13 IST

Image: Olympic Torch
Photographs: Harish Kotian

This is what the London Olympic Games torch looks like.

Dubbed the "cheesegrater", it is perforated with 8,000 holes that represent each person who will carry it on the British leg of the torch relay.

The gold-coloured torch is made up of an inner and an outer aluminium alloy skin held in place by a cast top piece and base.The torch weighs 1kg including the burner and gas canister and stands 800 mm high.

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PHOTOS: London ready to roll for the Games


Photographs: Harish Kotian

London is buzzing with Olympics fever. Check out central London.

An estimated one million extra visitors are expected in greater London during the Games, which begin July 27 and run through August 12 -- a near three-week extravaganza as opposed to the Jubilee weekend.

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PHOTOS: London ready to roll for the Games

Image: Mittal-Arcelor tower
Photographs: Harish Kotian

The gigantic Mittal-Arcelor tower is quite a sight inside the Olympic Park.

The towering, twisted mass of metal will be Britain's lasting monument to the nation's role in hosting the 2012 Games.

Said to to be a 19 million pound sculpture, ruby red, helter skelter-style, stands at a massive 377 feet.

It was instantly nicknamed the Eyeful Tower - and likened enthusiastically by London Mayor Boris Johnson to a giant 'hubble-bubble' shisha pipe.

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PHOTOS: London ready to roll for the Games

Image: Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna
Photographs: Harish Kotian

United we stand! Indian tennis duo Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna at the Games Village.

Bhupathi and Bopanna were finally given the nod to play together after the All India Tennis Association backtracked on a controversial decision to split up the pair.

India will field two men's doubles teams in London, following a player revolt over the original decision to pair Bhupathi and his former partner Leander Paes, who no longer speak to each other.

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PHOTOS: London ready to roll for the Games

Image: Security guards
Photographs: Harish Kotian

Security forces wielding modern automatic guns secure the Games 24/7.

The government was caught on muddy field in trying to guarantee security at the Games, which could provide an invitingly high-profile target for militant attacks, while not letting its precautions become so intrusive that they spoil the atmosphere of the Games.

About 23,700 security guards were due to protect venues as part of Britain's biggest peacetime security operation, and 13,500 military personnel had already been earmarked to contribute to this.

On Wednesday, the government put an extra 3,500 soldiers on standby after the private security firm G4S said it might not be able to supply the 10,400 security guards it had contracted to provide.

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PHOTOS: London ready to roll for the Games

Image: Postage stamps
Photographs: Harish Kotian

Postage stamps of the London Games.

The Royal Mail on Monday unveiled a separate series of Olympic stamps featuring athletes from four of the most popular events alongside London landmarks.

They show a cyclist, a fencer, a diver and runners beside Tate Modern, Tower Bridge, the Olympic Stadium and the London Eye.

The Royal Mail is planning a tribute to Britain's Olympians that really sticks -- a set of gold medal stamps. The postal service says it will issue a stamp honoring every member of Team GB who wins gold during the Games -- and they're aiming to have them go on sale within 24 hours of the athlete's victory.

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