Security is a huge nightmare for organisers of any big sporting event. The London Olympics are no different as the city has roped in even the Army to ensure everything is peaceful over the next fortnight.

At a time when each host city has been left calculating what it costs for hosting an Olympics, on security alone, the money spent is phenomenal. As the Olympic Park and adjoining venues are located near a huge shopping mall at Stratford, even the general public needs to be guarded. The best mode of transport for coming to the opening ceremony is Tube, as the local train is known. On Friday, people will have to come in by 3pm, which is almost six hours ahead of the opening ceremony.

“We cannot take any chance and the local station will be virtually locked down at 3pm,” said an official on the condition of anonymity. What all type of security personnel will be guarding the Olympic Stadium and areas near it are not known, but cops in plain clothes will also be there in large numbers.

For those who will need to use cell phones, be prepared for signals being jammed as global political leaders are also expected. “Wi-fi will also most probably not be working inside the stadium for the media,” said another official.

The advice for public is come in early and be ready for elaborate search by the security.

In fact, the opening ceremony could be reduced to just three hours as almost 60,000 people have to travel back home after the event gets over. So, till the opening ceremony ends, there is huge tension for all the security agencies involved. Unlike Beijing, where policemen guarded like agile commandos and wore diapers so that they did not leave their position even for a few minutes, London cops don’t look so tense.