Olympics kick off but lanes leave London in a jam

Britain's women footballers kicked off the 2012 Olympics on Wednesday, two days before the opening ceremony, but London commuters suffered delays as reserved road lanes came into force. The sport got under way as Team GB's women beat New Zealand 1-0 in the Welsh capital Cardiff in front of 36,000 spectators basking in bright sunshine, while reigning champions the United States took on France in the later matches. A Greek athlete was thrown out of the Games in disgrace for comments seen as racist about Africans living in her country. Triple jumper Voula Papachrisou wrote on Twitter that "with so many Africans in Greece, at least the mosquitoes of West Nile will eat homemade food". Although the 23-year-old subsequently deleted the message after a public backlash, the Hellenic Olympic Committee dropped her from the squad for London. On London's already congested roads, the introduction of the full 30-mile (50-kilometre) Olympic lane network for the first time caused long queues in the morning rush hour. 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 London and to their events in time. But while athletes were ferried smoothly to their destinations, drivers endured an eight-mile tailback on the M4 motorway, linking the capital to Heathrow Airport, the main point of arrival for the Games. But the situation seemed to ease later. "The public transport is working well, the lanes are working well. Traffic is moving well," insisted Jackie Brock-Doyle, communications chief for LOCOG, the London Games organisers. LOCOG breathed a sigh of relief when a threatened strike by border and immigration officials, planned for the eve of the Games on Thursday, was called off. The strike risked causing hold-ups 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 in 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." With tens of thousands of spectators set to head to the Olympic Park from Saturday, there were also problems with a key line on London's Underground train network. In a further embarrassment, passengers on a new £45 million ($70 million, 57 million euro) cable car linking two Olympic venues were left dangling over the River Thames for more than 30 minutes after it broke down. As expectation built ahead of Friday's official opening of the Games, former England captain David Beckham -- who was snubbed for Britain's men's football team -- revealed he has been offered a role in the ceremony. "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, 37, who played a key lobbying role during London's campaign for the Games in 2005. In a fresh bid to avoid a drugs case scarring the Games, anti-doping chiefs unveiled a new weapon as they vowed to stage the most rigorously tested Olympics in history. World Anti-Doping Agency director general David Howman confirmed that for the first time a sophisticated test for human growth hormone approved earlier this year would be used at the London Games. 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."