2012 Olympic Games Opening: Your opening week primer

The long wait is over with the Olympic Games getting under way. (Getty Images)

The opening ceremony is Friday, and the games have already begun. With so much going on, we wanted to give you one place to keep track of all our Olympic coverage. Check back here for our complete coverage of the opening of the 2012 Olympic Summer Games.

• Ten predictions for the games, including this gem: The U.S. will win the gold medal count. Book it.

• Our own travel guide to the best and brightest London has to offer. "How you like your short little river now? You're so near-dead if you tried this tomorrow."

• Count Carl Lewis among those doubting Usain Bolt. "(Yohan) Blake has beaten Bolt two years in a row now after the World Championships in 2011 and we don't know what Bolt's head is like when he loses."

• The top 20 American Olympians of all time, including No. 1 who's competing in these games. "And what speaks so big of his career: what he does in London will only enhance his legacy, most likely. There's virtually no way he can do anything to downgrade his ranking on this list."

• Kobe Bryant thinks the under-23 idea for basketball is "stupid." "In truth, nothing Bryant does willl ever make an impact because of the lasting legacy of the Dream Team. And despite Bryant's comments to the contrary, this team will never be judged the same way."

• Spain's uniforms are... uh... well... just ask them. "But at least the jacket is an improvement on that ... I guess technically it is a "shirt" Craviotto is wearing, as opposed to, say, "national humiliation."

• The London Eye (a big ferris wheel) is going to become a Twitter mood ring for London during the games. "Sort of like a Bat Signal for the ones too lazy to check their own smartphones."

• The U.S. is about to rock the less-known sports, including archery. "Ellison has now won 35 of his past 37 international matches, making him a clear gold-medal favorite ahead of a clutch of South Korean archers."

• You know what we need? More athletes talking about getting paid for the Olympics. Oh, hey, Sanya Richards-Ross. "As Richards-Ross said as part of her Twitter dialogue -- one in which she admirably passed along the viewpoint of a few dissenters -- the point is to make the discussion one that's actually, seriously being discussed."

• U.S. Women's Swimming team gets their Hannah Montana on. "And the Jay-Z song was on, and the Jay-Z song was on, Jay-Z song was oooooon..."

• A woman who could beat the snot out of Michael Phelps thinks he's been acting too cool for school. "But I mean, if we're looking at people you don't want to make angry? I'm going to nominate Rousey."

• An in-depth examination of U.S. performance in the games over the past three decades. "First off, I gotta be honest. I had no idea we were so inept at javelin. You're telling me Aaron Rodgers can't huck a spear 90 meters right now? Let's get him out there and stop embarrassing ourselves."

• A Greek triple-jumper got bounced for a racially-insensitive tweet. "Papachristou won't be in London because of one dumb joke. That's a shame for her, and for the Greek team, no matter how you slice it."

• Nike's new ad. It is boss. "The truth is, greatness is for all of us."

• Some details on the opening ceremony. And more from the director, Danny Boyle.
• Good news! Tickets still available!

• Everything from the first day of the games and women's soccer. "As with fellow easy victors Brazil, it's too early to say Sweden are on their way to the podium, but you also can't discount the force with which they put their boot to their overmatched opponents' throat."

• The U.S. flagbearer is the fencer Zagunis. "At 27, Zagunis has become one of the most dominant women in the history of individual fencing. In total, Zagunis has amassed 11 Olympic and World Championship medals, in addition to dozens more international medals for smaller events."

• Whoops.