2012 Olympics | featured news

The South African was hoping to become the first amputee runner to compete in the Olympics, which could still happen if he is selected for his nation’s 4x400 relay team.

Former England captain David Beckham has failed to make the British soccer team for the London Olympics.

Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt has told CNN he can set a new 100 meter world record at the London 2012 Olympic Games -- and could run as fast as 9.4 seconds.

Some London residents are getting troops and surface-to-air missiles on their rooftops for the Summer Olympics.

Coming for the Olympics with money to spend? Then there's still time to ensure you can take tea at The Ritz, drink at the Savoy's American bar, or sleep in an Art Deco room at Claridge's....

Queen Elizabeth II's busy summer calendar just got a bit more crowded.
Buckingham Palace said the monarch will open both the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics this summer, signaling that both events will be celebrated as great state occasions - something the British are famous for.

London organizers say the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics will be themed "A Symphony of British Music" - a hit-packed journey ranging from classical composer Edward Elgar to chart-topping singer-songwriter Adele.

The star midfielder, whose record five-year, $32.5-million contract with the Major League Soccer club expired Dec. 31, will announce Thursday that he has reached agreement on a new contract for the 2012 season, which begins in March. Details of the contract were not immediately available but it is expected to call for a summer sabbatical from MLS play, allowing Beckham to play for the English team in the London Olympics.

It will be great for TV ratings, that’s for sure. A group of pole dancing advocates wants the activity, more commonly associated with dim nightclubs, recognized as an Olympic sport. The Pole Fitness Association and other pole dancing advocacy groups are circulating petitions to have vertical dance, which they compare to gymnastics, added to the London 2012 lineup.

Olympics organisers publish a list of hotspots that businesses, Londoners and visitors to the capital should avoid during the Games.