United States' Conor Dwyer, left, Michael Phelps, center, Ryan Lochte, second right, and Ricky Berens, right, pose with their gold medals after their win in the men's 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Tuesday, July 31, 2012. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa De Olza)
United States' Conor Dwyer, left, Michael Phelps, center, Ryan Lochte, second right, and Ricky Berens, right, pose with their gold medals after their win in the men's 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Tuesday, July 31, 2012. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa De Olza)
United States' Conor Dwyer, left, Ryan Lochte, center, and Ricky Berens, right, celebrate as Michael Phelps closes in on their team's gold medal win in the men's 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Tuesday, July 31, 2012. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa De Olza)
United States' Michael Phelps celebrates his team's gold medal win in the men's 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay final at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Tuesday, July 31, 2012. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Jamel Herring, of the United States reacts after being defeated by Kazakhstan's Daniyar Yelessinov in their men's light welter 64-kg boxing match at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 31, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
North Korea's Kim Myong Hyok competes during the men's 69-kg weightlifting competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 31, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
LONDON (AP) ? Around the 2012 Olympics and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of the games to you:
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MEN IN TIGHTS
Someone is walking around with Bradley Wiggins' body-hugging Lycra.
Foxhills, the country spa hotel hosting the British cycling team, confirmed Tuesday that the Tour de France winner's training gear was stolen from a locker room while the athletes were having a steamy soak.
"Watch your kit at the Foxhills spa in Surrey, there is a tea leaf about," Wiggins tweeted. "Tea leaf" is Cockney slang for thief.
Many of the cyclist's 325,000 followers offered messages of sympathy. "Hope you did not have to sprint back to the room in the buff," tweeted one.
?Shawn Pogatchnik http://twitter.com/ShawnPogatchnik
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TWITTER AND NBC
Here's the latest on the saga of the journalist whose Twitter account was suspended after he asked followers to email the NBC Olympics president to complain about the network's coverage of the opening ceremony.
Twitter acknowledged Tuesday in a post on its blog that its team working with NBC for their Olympic partnership "proactively" identified the tweet that it said was in violation of its rules and encouraged the network to report it. The social media website's general counsel wrote the behavior was "not acceptable and undermines the trust our users have in us."
NBC Sports says in a statement it wanted to protect its executive, not get the user suspended from Twitter. "We didn't initially understand the repercussions of our complaint, but now that we do, we have rescinded it," the statement read.
? Jay Cohen ? Twitter http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap
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BEFORE PHELPS
So, Michael Phelps has now won more Olympics medals than any other athlete in history. But do you know who had held the record until Tuesday?
It was Larisa Latynina, a small, white-haired former gymnast who hasn't been in action for nearly 50 years.
She won nine gold medals as a gymnast for the Soviet Union, and her 18 total medals had stood since 1964.
The 77-year-old Latynina was in the crowd at North Greenwich Arena on Tuesday to watch the women's gymnastics team final, and she received a warm ovation when her face was shown on the scoreboard late in the competition. She stood up and waved, a big smile on her face as she was introduced by the arena announcer.
Latynina's Olympic career ended after she took home six medals ? two of each ? from the 1964 Tokyo games.
?Jon Krawczynski ? Twitter http://www.twitter.com/APKrawczynski
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SORRY MATE
Chuang Chih-Yuan of Taiwan is feeling terrible despite reaching the quarterfinals of men's table tennis. He pulverized Adrian Crisan of Romania 11-3, 11-4, 11-4, 11-5 on Tuesday. Trouble is, Chuang says Crisan is his best friend in the game.
"But this is sport and I was very sorry yesterday when I knew I would have to play against him. It was a very bad feeling. ... It was like you have to kill your brother."
? Stephen Wade ? Twitter http://twitter.com/StephenWadeAP
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PHELPS RECORD
The Americans have just won the 4x200 freestyle relay ? and that's a 15th gold for Michael Phelps and a new Olympic-record 19th career medal.
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PISTORIUS RELAY
Double-amputee Oscar Pistorius has been cleared to run any part of the Olympic 4x400-meter relay.
Pistorius was the leadoff runner in the semifinals at the world championships in South Korea last year but the IAAF had raised concerns that his carbon-fiber blades would endanger others in the race. South Africa won silver.
IAAF President Lamine Diack said Tuesday that it's up to the South African federation to decide
"If they want him to run the second leg, he can run the second leg," said Diack. "It is no problem for us."
? Raf Casert ? Twitter http://www.twitter.com/rcasert
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HEAVY FAVORITES
The U.S. men's basketball team went into Tuesday night's game as the enormous favorite over Tunisia, but that wasn't stopping the gamblers from betting on the Americans.
Kevin Bradley, manager of Bovada Sportsbook, says "65 percent of the money is still coming in on the USA and the pace has been steadily increasing all morning."
? Jenna Fryer ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer
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GUESS MY WEIGHT
How much do the table tennis tables weigh at the Olympic venue?
A. 200 kilos
B. 50 kilos
C. 20 kilos
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"A'' is the correct answer. Heavy duty stuff. Seemed to take a dozen men to move them around at the venue, which has been reduced to using only one table after opening with four for early round play.
?Steve Wade ? Twitter http://twitter.com/StephenWadeAP
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PHELPS SECOND
Agonizingly close for Michael Phelps. He misses a gold medal by a tiny fraction, slipping out of first place right at the end of the men's 200 butterfly. South Africa's Chad le Clos wins. Phelps has tied the record for the most Olympic medals. A small consolation for the American.
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NORTH KOREA MEDALS
There is surely a celebratory air in Pyongyang right now ? North Korea is fifth on the Olympic medals table.
They have four medals overall which puts them in joint ninth position in terms of the total number of medals earned. But it's gold that counts, and Kim Un Guk's success in the men's 62-kilogram weightlifting Monday night means they now have three of them.
The only thing that might dampen their excitement: South Korea is currently in fourth position on the medal standings. China is currently top of the table, followed by the U.S. and then France.
? Fergus Bell ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fergb
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STELLA!
London is the greatest city in the world ? and not just when the Olympics are in town, says Stella McCartney, daughter of Beatles legend Paul McCartney.
The fashion designer who created Great Britain's team uniforms ? which some say have a tad too much Scottish blue and not enough Welsh red ? said the U.K.'s vibrant capital has "a bit of all the world" in it.
"I just love London, I think it has the best of every city I've ever been to ... even with the weather, I still love it," McCartney said Tuesday at a business summit seeking to win a U.K. trade boost from the Olympics.
? David Stringer - Twitter http://twitter.com/david_stringer
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DON'T SHOOT ME NOW
Novak Djokovic made quick work of Andy Roddick, needing just 54 minutes to wrap up victory.
But Roddick says people shouldn't draw hasty conclusions.
"I won two out of the last three coming in here, so it's like night and day," Roddick said.
"I feel like if I win one, it's career appreciation day. If I don't, it's like 'Take him out in the field and shoot him in the head.'"
Of the Serbian's performance, Roddick said: "He was in the zone."
? Jenna Fryer ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer
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TICKET TRIALS
The McNevin family has been waiting in the rain for close to three hours. Not for fun. They are hoping to nab some of the recycled event tickets being offered to people in the Olympic Park.
"We met some guy in the Aquatics Centre who said we should come over to 'the Red Box,'" says Dee McNevin, 47, from Longford in Ireland.
They saw swimming events in the morning but are trying their luck for more tickets since they fly home tomorrow.
The Red Box is the only place you can get an Olympic basketball ticket for 5 ($11) ? the price to sessions that have last-minute seat availability.
Ten minutes later, the Red Box window opens and the crowd bursts into cheers. There is still no guarantee anyone in line will get seats. To add to their misery, the skies open up and the rain comes down even harder.
? Fergus Bell ? Twitter http://twitter.com/fergb
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UPDATE, OLD-STYLE
In an era of 24-hour rolling news, endlessly updated Twitter feeds and ? finally ? Wi-Fi on the Underground, it was hard not to smile at the old-fashioned charm of a Tube announcement this week.
"There is currently good service across all London Underground lines," boomed the station's public announcement system. "And there's been good news for Team GB in the pool, where Rebecca Adlington has won bronze in the women's 400 meters freestyle."
A cheer even erupted from a group of late-night revellers waiting for the northbound Northern Line train.
This being Britain, it was hard to tell what they were celebrating: Team GB's medal, or news that their own effort to traverse the metropolis would proceed unfettered.
For years, Londoners have lamented the lack of Wi-Fi on the Underground, the capital's creaking subway system. They've now finally got their wish in about 80 stations ? but only for as long as the Olympics last.
? James Clasper ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jamesclasper
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STAR-SPANGLED SNEAKERS
Andy Roddick is wearing red, white and blue sneakers for his Tuesday match against Novak Djokovic. They appear to be draped in the American flag, with stars on one side, stripes on the other.
In attendance for Roddick's match was John Isner, who was rushing through the concourse to get in before it began.
"Come on, dude! I want a good seat," he urged a friend.
"Relax. We're in a box," the friend replied.
? Jenna Fryer ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer
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BIKINIS: A TOLL
Bikinis remain a big topic at the beach volleyball venue, and even as we head toward the knockout round players are still fielding questions ? if not complaints ? about the less revealing clothing they're wearing to combat the chilly London nights.
The British tabloids haven't been so consumed by a cover-up since the Profumo Affair.
"They seem to focus so much on our uniform, but if anyone goes to the beach they don't lay out in sweatpants," American Misty May-Treanor told reporters Tuesday in a casual meet-and-greet set up by FIVB, the international governing body. "If the weather's colder, of course we're going to cover up. But the uniform is functional for what we do."
May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings wore long pants and sleeves for their victory over the Czech Republic that ended after midnight Tuesday morning. And Walsh Jennings says she doesn't care if people come for the swimsuits.
Once they see the competition, they'll stay.
The TV networks hope so, otherwise they're caught in a bit of a Catch-22: They want the Americans in the late matches so they can be shown live at a reasonable hour back in the U.S. But because it's so cold, the women aren't wearing the bikinis that might pull in the less athletically enthused fans.
? Jimmy Golen ? Twitter: www.twitter.com/jgolen
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SWAGGER'S BACK
Jordyn Wieber seems over the disappointment of not making the gymnastics all-around competition.
Here's what she tweeted today in advance of the women's team finals, where the Americans have a chance to win their first gold since 1996: "TEAM FINALS TODAY! Really feeling the USA spirit and we are ready to go!"
? Jenna Fryer ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer
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SOCIAL MEDIA GAMES
Another day, another Twitter flap ? at least that's the way it seems so far at the London Games.
Dubbed the social media Olympics, questions about tweets have been brought to the attention of the IOC at each of their last two daily press briefings.
On Tuesday, IOC spokesman Mark Adams was asked about NBC orchestrating the suspension of a Twitter account belonging to a critical journalist.
"That's a matter between NBC and Twitter and I wouldn't want to intrude," Adams said.
But does he regret the role of social media here?
"The IOC Olympics, we have about 15 million social media fans and we are encouraging people to take part in social media," Adams said. "And to be frank, it would be a little bit like King Canute if we said these aren't the social media games because everybody has already decided that they are."
? Jenna Fryer ? Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer
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A SPOONFUL
Who was the toughest 'get' for the London Olympics opening ceremony?
The English super-nanny Mary Poppins.
Her role in the show ? a squadron of flying Poppinses smites a 40-foot Lord Voldemort ? required signatures from publishers, Disney and the estate of creator P.L. Travers. It was among the 86 pop songs, TV tunes, film scores and other copy-righted material used in the show.
"Most poets and artists were quite cool about letting us use their work ... but every single track and every single quotation needed to be cleared. I thought Mary Poppins would be the end of us," says Frank Cottrell Boyce, the ceremony's screenwriter. "I thought no way we'll get permission to use Mary Poppins!"
?Shawn Pogatchnik ? Twitter http://twitter.com/ShawnPogatchnik
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KEEP CALM, CARRY ON
No gold yet for Britain. And not much silver or bronze either.
London Mayor Boris Johnson says it's down to "great natural restraint and politeness" that the hosts aren't hogging the medals.
But British team leaders say everything's going to plan.
"We are where we expected to be at this stage," insists British Olympic Association chief executive Andy Hunt. "There is no sense at all amongst the team that we are not delivering."
In China, Team GB came back with a sparkling haul of 47 medals ? 19 of them gold.
? Graham Dunbar ? Twitter http://twitter.com/gdunbarap
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EDITOR'S NOTE ? "Eyes on London" shows you the Olympics through the eyes of Associated Press journalists across the 2012 Olympic city and around the world. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item, and get more AP updates from the games here: http://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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