Expectation builds as London Olympics get set to kick off

The Olympics start Wednesday, two days before the opening ceremony as Britain's women footballers kick off the Games, but commuters in London suffered delays as reserved road lanes came into operation. Britain takes part in the first sporting action, an honour reserved for the host nation, when Team GB's women take on New Zealand in the Welsh capital Cardiff in front of an expected crowd of 35,000. Reigning champions the United States take on France among later matches. The Games lanes -- dubbed "Zil lanes" after the limousines that whisked VIPs past the traffic in Soviet times -- are designed to ensure Olympic athletes and officials get through congested London and to their events in time. The introduction of the full 30-mile (50-kilometre) network for the first time caused long queues in the morning rush hour. There was an eight-mile tailback on the M4 motorway, the main road linking the capital to Heathrow Airport, the main point of arrival for the Games, said Transport for London (TfL), the city's public transport authority. But the situation seemed to ease as the morning wore on. "The public transport is working well, the lanes are working well. Traffic is moving well," insisted Jackie Brock-Doyle, communications chief for the London Games organisers. They breathed a sigh of relief when a threatened strike by border and immigration officials on Thursday, the eve of the Games, was called off. The strike risked causing holdups at Heathrow on a day when thousands of athletes and spectators are expected to arrive. The Public and Commercial Services union said it had reached an agreement with the Home Office interior ministry on a dispute over jobs. Olympics minister Jeremy Hunt had earlier urged the border officers to call off their action, saying: "For an immigration officer... Thursday is one of the biggest days in their professional career." As expectation built ahead of Friday's official opening of the Games, former England captain David Beckham -- who was surprisingly snubbed for Britain's men's football team -- revealed he has been offered a role in the ceremony. Beckham, 37, who played a key lobbying role during London's campaign for the Games in 2005, has already ruled out any prospect of him lighting the Olympic flame, saying the honour should go to an established Olympian. "It is some kind of role in the opening ceremony, which I am honoured to be involved in because obviously I was involved in the start process with this seven years ago," said Beckham. Without the star power of Beckham, the Great Britain men's football team is battling apathy. A press conference held by coach Stuart Pearce and captain Ryan Giggs on Tuesday at Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium attracted just seven reporters. But Pearce, the former England defender who took the decision to omit Beckham, predicted that interest would pick up once his team take on Senegal on Thursday at Old Trafford in front of an expected crowd of 70,000. "Once it gets started and they see the magnitude of the teams, the professionalism and the standard of football they will see, they will sit up and take notice," Pearce said. Meanwhile, Asia's Olympic chief said London faced a battle to match the spectacular, no-expense-spared 2008 Beijing Games. Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, president of the Olympic Council of Asia, said: "I think London faces a big challenge because Beijing was such a great success, and people are watching to see what they will do in their Games. "London is a famous capital city and everyone is happy to be here, but people are looking for the technical things like the opening ceremony, the competitions and the venues." Beijing grabbed the world's attention with a spectacular opening ceremony and the state-of-the-art Bird's Nest stadium and glowing Water Cube aquatics arena.