this is the first day of the athletics competition. team great britain's jessica ennis has gotten off to a fantastic start. for some people, this is the main show of the olympic spirit you will have stars like bolt and blake out there competing in the 100 meters but i think the heat starts tomorrow. you also see some of the kenyan runners, as well, in the distance events. a lot of excitement as the athletics competition starts today. more from us a bit later on. you are watching "bbc world news." news."

last night party, a closing ceremony, the athletes in the olympic stadium were really the supporting cast. one direction, madness, the pet shop boys and others kicked off the wonderful symphony. annie lennox provided the most memorizeing entrance and the spice girls. then there was the handover of the lam flag to the mayor of rio with a glimpse of carnival to come when the olympics arrive in south america for the first time in four years. so now, the london olympics flame was doesed and the stadium rocked out to take that and the who with "my generation." then a frenzy of close out of games that were beyond most wildest dreams. >> they have been flawless. i just hope rio takes the mantle and lives up to the next game. >> back at heathrow, the athletes are being invited to leave their departing thoughts on a tree that will be displayed at the airport. >> now the games may be over, but there is still some olympic news coming through. one shot putter has been stripped of her olympic gold medal after failing a drug test. 31-year-old threw

you may have noticed the athletic tape as art work on the athletes' bodies. ing it either as shoulder art or racing stripes. it has a name. it's called kinesio tape and while the inventor says it decreases pain and supports muscles and joints, others say it's just a fad. less elaborate but more fun and intricate are the fingernail designs in the olympic spirit. there is genuine artistry riding along with the best athletes in the world. >> phelps holding him off! >> and a word here about michael phelps. his lifetime olympic medal count just going into today's competition is so high it's almost easy to get blase about it. but think about it this way. if michael phelps was a country, he'd be tied with india for medals. and the woman whose record he passed to become the all-time most decorated olympian is here at these games. she is retired russian gymnast larisa latininya and when we went back in the archives we found this. it's a time capsule from her early days on the balance beam in 1958. while it's never easy to balance on a four-inch plank and we so admire t

you want to see the best athletes at their best. at you do get at the olympics. >> oscar paetorius, you're not a fan of this. >> he's a friend of mine. >> right. you think it gives him an advantage? >> i think it does give him an advantage. some scientists say it gives them an advantage. some scientists say they don't know. let's take oscar out of it. he's a friend of mine. in order to be totally objective about the situation, which is all about at the end of the day, it's not about oscar. it's about fair competition. when you're talking about fair competition, you have to take personalities and people out of it and just look at the rules. it's difficult for anyone to understand this when you're talking about oscar who's such a hero and inspiration to so many people. i consider oscar a friend. since he's here and he's going to be running in the stadium for the next few days i'm going to be cheering for him hoping he gets to the final. it's unfortunate he's not running as fast this year as he was last year. >> i think a guy who can ru

the u.s. athletesike it. >> they have everything there, a foosball table, most crucial. they have a manicure, pedicure place. if you want to go over there all you have to do is show a gold meteorologist and they will give it to you for free. a lot of people may remember lolo jones who came so close to gold but clipped that last hurdle. she's here in london, back, looking for redemption. she says she's a winner no matter what happens on the track. we'll catch up with her in a bit. >> mr. roker. >> a render when we get back to new york, not that we're rushing out of here, but we're calling it today in history. a closer look at the stories behind some of these iconic images. we may recreate a few of them ourselves. we want you to recreate your favorites as well. go to today.com and send them to us. in fact, matt actually redid the marilyn monroe over the subway grate. >> i loved it. >> we didn't know your legs looked that good. >> did you not watch halloween. >> i averted my eyes. >> let's look at the gam

we've got your kind of stuff to come, the athletics, track and field. ng point. you and him, peaki ining of you powers, who'd win? >> that's a question people ask me quite a bit. and i say, look, i ran against people in my time, and one thing that they've opinion doing all week, what do you think about the race, what do you think you can do? i refuse to inject myself into their race, because it's their time, i'm retired. i ran against the people and beat the people in my generation, jesse did it, everyone did it. do you think that bob hayes or jesse owens wouldn't be right at the top of the thing right now? let's let them define their era. >> did you ever in your era come up against anybody who you though you possibly couldn't beat? >> i looked at it in a different way. i was always competing against perfection. and when you are around from 1980 to '96, i had layers of people. and there were people that came when ben came in and i knew he was on drugs and hibs, this is going to be tough, or leroy brel, and i said, this is going to be tough. so there were

he was the first athlete to actually speak, and i had four minutes to talk. i spoke 2 1/2 minutes about the real problems of drugs in sport. i won't ever change my view on that. the difficulty, of course, is that, you know, that these athletes are eligible to come back to the sport after a two-year ban. >> should they be? >> personally, no. but do i think a two-year ban is not long enough? yeah, i don't. i think we should -- we made a mistake of moving from four to two years. we should have left it at four years. and actually this dug would have been academic, because off four-year ban, by implication, you miss the games. >> but i kind of think the only way you'll really eradicate it is to be incredibly draconian. to say, if you get caught, you're banned for life from the olympics. wouldn't that -- wouldn't that in one hit do more effective work with this than what is going on at the moment? >> yes, you're right, but of course the problem you then have are the legion of lawyers that will fight it on all sorts of grounds. and that's why the international federa

>> jon: the one athlete in the village. "yeah, i'm okay."ughter) >> but, no, family's important and i made the choice and i said you know what? it's time for me to do other things. i want to be a wife. i want to be a mom. i'm working on several different campaigns. >> jon: what are you... are you running for something? >> i could probably win. (cheers and applause). >> jon: i think you could. i really think you could. u.s.a., that's for sure. what is your... i know you have one thing. we'll get to that. >> so i'm currently doing a campaign called "ditch the drip." >> jon: (laughs) sorry? (laughter) >> ditchthedrip.com. it's about seasonal allergies and i know many people suffer. i'm a sufferer and it's about going to your doctor and getting it taken care of before you get worse. >> jon: allergies. >> allergy season coming around again. >> jon: because i was like please don't make this about gonorrhea. >> but also i love working with kids and it's about getting that next generation, which is why the female athletes did so well. it's about get

joining me now from the olympic park is a wheelchair athlete and humanitarian campaigner named ann. i want to focus on your challenge over the next few days. how has your training been going and when will you get on the tract? >> the training is going really well. i'm not competing this year, but i am supporting many athletes from africa. i'm working with a young girl from congo who was injured in a landmine. it is exciting. >> it is exciting and difficult for you. you have missed qualification. in beijing you came very close. is it very difficult to keep the motivation going for the training? as an athlete, you have to be prepared to put it in every day to keep up that level of performance. >> because we are high- performing athletes, we trained in and out of season. like still goes on. if you don't make a certain team, it does not mean that you quit. you get motivated to even work harder. >> a lot of people around the world will be watching the track events over the next few days if. there may be a question in their minds, does the technology with the development of the very fast w

as it does for the special olympic athletes. does to bring them out to training camp today and have them meet -- >> it is crazy. i got butterflies in my stomach. >> this man has been the howard county flag football coach for years. >> to see them before the season is wonderful. to see their eyes light up, that is worth it. >> i get to meet people all over the county and cheer them on. they cheer me on. >> it looks like fun. one of the most talked-about vents was gabby douglas winning the gold medal. she has earned a spot in american history. she has a spot on the next cornflakes box. she has signed a deal to be on the special addition cereal boxes beginning this fall. this is their second major endorsement. that growth will be a superstar. take a close look at her last name. if you rearrange the letters, you can spell usa gold. it seem like she was truly destined for alleged a great list. -- for olympic greatness. >> for a couple of hours in the afternoon, it looks like some storms started to move across the area, but it did not

the athletes are heading home. awaiting them, a special terminal complete with park benches and breadboxes with the british isles sendoff. the athletes are being asked to write down their greatest moment of ldon 2012 to be placed on a memory tree. i knew rock of olympic hopefuls are being motivated to try the beach volleyball and indoor volleyball teams have been inspired to try out. coaches ve already seen interested in theports skyrocket. bikes when i saw them -- >> when i saw them and their big win, it influenced me and many want to try it, becauset seemed like a lot of fun. >> officials at a high school say they see an increase in students in soccer and field hockey. >> jay leno will return with gaby douglas. gay la be joid by michelle obama. since she teased about post olympic food choices, you can catch that the entire interview right after our newscasts. the woman who declared the sexual revolution was not just for men. len gurley brownas died. she died at the nework city hospital after a brief hospitalizatio

soon, they will watch the athletes do their things. just around 17 months from now, the web offerings are running up at the official site of the winter olympics. and soon, we'll follow along with the news and information just like we have this summer. as the games in london begin to wrap up, please do keep checking back on our website at nbcbayarea.com for the very latest. now on the home page, you will find several options to get the news and notes you want. with a look at the variety of ways we're bringing you the olympics on line, i'm lawrence scott. >>> thank you lawrence. >>> now check this out, viral video, dancing flight attendants land an airline in trouble. we'll give you the story behind those those bikini-clad pictures coming up. >>> and talk about a sticky situation. a news crew finding this man in a plastic boat, surrounded by sharks. >>> good afternoon in the nbc bay area center, yes, official, 104 also in brentwood. 104 in gilroy and walnut creek. we'll let you know when it slows down in just a few. good morning! wow. wa

some of the olympic athletes will be paying on their medals. ink it's $25,000 -- there we go. $25,000 you are paid, winnings to win a gold medal. if you add the tax of that, the i.r.s. tax on that, and plus whatever the gold value in the medal you can pay $89,886. >> greg: if you have a good accountant -- let's face it. once every four years you have a good account tant and expenses for training. the government sees this as the price is right prize. not as a trophy. he works hard for it. it's a trophy. if i had to pay taxes for the trophy for amateur body building that i performed in home of elderly gentlemen, i wouldn't know what to do. >> kimberly: gross. >> bob: a lot of those gentlemen died prematurely. >> kimberly: really weird. >> greg: it was not my fault. >> kimberly: like "pulp fiction." >> bob: everybody who gets an award for accomplishment, whether it's the nobel peace prize or whether it's the catholic -- what is the name of the catholic award they give? $50,000 -- >> andrea: obama's nobel peace prize. did he pay tax on that? >> bob:

give the athletes a second chance. they made a mistake. see if they can redeem themselves. >> let's take a short break. we will talk about usain bolt and american rivals, what you think about the fascinating, on-going battles in the american women's sprintsing team. i don't know what you thought about that debacle. let's come back after the break. >>> marion jones on the track. i am back with her now. marion, what do you make of the big sprinting races, is usain bolt going to be beaten? there's a general feeling he is not quite as good as last time, certainly not quite as fit. >> well, it's certainly going to be an incredible athletic competition in the next few days. of course, the favorite will be usain and the question marks regarding his health status are certainly important, but usain is a champion, world record holder obviously, and he's coming to the olympic games to do some fantastic things, and that's to win. certainly he is going to be challenged by his training partner. on the women's side, all the controversy to pass a few weeks

the october/november/december time frame typically is when olympic athletes use anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing drugs to build the explosive power and speed base that serves them months later at the olympic games. it would possibly be easy for an athlete to do an injection of epo and already is a significantly elevated hematacrit or increased red blood vessel and that clears in less than a day. the benefits would carry over throughout the two weeks of the olympic competition. to show up at the games and get a positive drug test, that's more of an i.q. test than it is a drug test. they've used these drugs long before, have been benefiting for months and months before they get there. i think there needs to be a reallocation of funding that's available to fight the use of peds and use that for available funds and testing needs to be done long before they get to the london games. >> and to be clear, you're talking about peds, performance enhancing drugs, and people using them before the games as part of their training regimen. you obviously made a name for yourself by he

give the athletes a second chance. they made a mistake. see if they can redeem themselv themselves. >> let's take a short break. we will talk about usain bolt and american rivals, what you think about the fascinating, on-going battles in the american women's sprintsing team. i don't know what you thought about that debacle. let's come back after the break. ♪ ♪ i want to go ♪ i want to win [ breathes deeply ] ♪ this is where the dream begins ♪ ♪ i want to grow ♪ i want to try ♪ i can almost touch the sky [ male announcer ] even the planet has an olympic dream. dow is proud to support that dream by helping provide greener, more sustainable solutions from the olympic village to the stadium. solutionism. the new optimism.™ ♪ this dream >>> marion jones on the track. i am back with her now. marion, what do you make of the big sprinting races, is usain bolt going to be beaten? there's a general feeling he is not quite as good as last time, certainly not quite as fit. >> well, it's certainly going to be an incredible athletic competition in the ne

the system? victor conte says yes, and after all he did. he helped top athletes obtain steroids and went to prison for it. he says it's just as easy today as it was ten years ago. he now advocates for a clean competition. mr. conte, welcome to the program. really appreciate you being on. as you know, sir, there is zero evidence that the young chinese swimmer cheated, took any performance enhancing drugs. she tested clean, as you heard. is there any reason we shouldn't believe that? >> the climate over the olympic games because of what happened in the last decade regarding the rampant use of drugs brings suspicion. it's not fair to her, but i think it's important to understand that while they're doing some projected 6,000 tests here at the olympic game, that doesn't tell us what the athlete was doing as much as nine months ago. the october/november/december time frame typically is when olympic athletes use anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing drugs to build the explosive power and speed base that serves them months later at the olympic games. it would

the cards. >> gold medal dreams dashed. a former stanford all american athlete does something he has never done before. and the competition may be over but the celebrations are just beginning. we'll go live to london for the final night of the summer games. >> good evening. i'm diane dwyer. we're about two hours from the closing ceremony of the 2012 london olympics. it's been 17 days of world records, celebrations, heartbreaks and controversy. before the athletes could get ready for the ceremony some had to compete on this final day of the games. now more on the competition and what we can expect tonight. hello, phil. >> reporter: hi, diane. it's about a wrap for these 2012 summer games, the competition is now over. so all that's left is a really big party. when these olympics started there were concerns. the weather, security, empty seats. but all of that evaporated by a london fog t country has wrapped itself in olympic pride. thousands of volunteers telegraphing english hospitality. >> britain delivered. we showed the world what we're made of. >> reporter: fo

the hour with don lemon. but first, catching olympic cheaters. how some athletes are gaming the system. sanjay gupta m.d. starts right now. >>> we've seen world and olympic records shattered in london but no athlete has come under more scrutiny than the 16-year-old swimmer ye shiwen. she beat her personal best by five seconds and in the process broke the world record by a second as well. her final lap was faster than the last lap in the men's gold medal swim. that performance has set off whispers, some accusations about doping, some of it subtle, some not. for example, john leonard, a top u.s. coach, called the performance suspicious and, quote, not right. the ioc spokesman mark adam says the top five finishers of every event are tested to ensure clean wins. ye was no different. >> suffice to say in this case pure rumors, nothing at all of fact or substance and i have heard no word at all from our drugs testing people so i think people should really sit back and enjoy a great performance. >> the world antidoping agency and the ioc keep a very close eye on drug use. athletes can be tested any time during t

many of the athletes hadn't slept much since leaving london on monday evening. after months of hard training the journey appears to have been one long party. and there was some nifty dance moves and acrobatic in the pool. today it was back to the serious stuff. the athletes were welcomed by hamburg's mayor and city officials, and they showed off their medals for the crowd. >> it's a great feeling and amazing atmosphere. there are masses of fans. they followed us the whole time as we were coming in. it's a great feeling. it's great to get the recognition. >> reporter: there are more celebrations in hamburg, autographs for the fans and reception for the athletes. >> fantastic. the german national soccer team is preparing for world qualifiers against acting. >> press conference is ahead of the game, the atmosphere has been charged with both the coach and players defending their lackluster campaign at the european championships. >> first germany coach took a swipe at critics of the team, and now midfielder is weighing in, too. at a press conference in frankfurt, the

i am the commissioner of athletics for the san francisco unified school district. i think it is vital to support this project. i think it is vital to build of the fields off. we truly do have a shortage of fields. i have 12 high-school and they've playboys and girls' soccer. the program is expanding. we put a strain on the fields, but the children need a place to play theory if for this field will be located if lax quality fields. the athletic and that you have heard, that also have the other impacts, had a severe educational impact. our children and of having to travel to get a quality fields that traveled with them out late at night and take them out of school earlier than they need be. if it discourages some participation. all of our national studies, the recent studies and my mouth have shown an axis of the flame athletic participation and academic performance. unheard we want more of soccer fields because it links to education. we also have an economic impact on lights. public school kids can't go to berkeley. we can't do that. i urge you to support this for a

the dmx track. welcome back to london. athletes are sporting more than just medals. lle kosinski takes a look at the tattoo craze. >> reporter: you might think the most incredible bodies on the planet don't need a bit of embellishment but look a little closer or just try not to notice. michael phelps's peace out, matt grevers punches, ryan lochte. it seems like every time an olympian bends, turns or takes aim, the rings are with them. >> hey, nice tattoo. >> sometimes subtle, the small of the back, nape of the neck, over the heart, a butterfly on an italian gymnast's angle. seventeen butterflies from a russian synchronized swimmer. jonathan horton takes off his usa jacket, usa remains. we spotted a fairy on an italian, from jenn kessy, a flower. but more and more for men and women, olympic is bolder, bigger, stronger, biceps, swimmer, canadian superman. went for his name with a crown. race walker who taught the "today" show never liked tattoos until the olympics. >> while not a wall plaque. >> i think a huge signed of who i am. it's something i've worked for 12 years.

but what the athletes are wearing. >> like to see their favorite athletes.they might be thinking about buying a product and it has that logo on, you sell that logo, it can't do anything but help you. >> sure can't hurt. some swim gear is getting pricey. $300 for goggles. to $400 for some trunks. i get trying to look good but 400 bucks? for -- no, not -- yeah. they better help me win a gold medal if i'm paying 400 bucks. >> or look good at the pool. you're going to want to hit the water today. it's going to be hot, isn't it. >> yeah. great day to try out your olympic moves in the pool because that's the best way to stay cool today. we're not going to get -- we're close to fall, we're not going to get all that many days like this before fall just sneaks up on us so hit that pool if you have one. you're paying the pool man weekly. 88 at noon, you can jump in at that time up to 102 degrees at 4:00 p.m. bay side, 84. we're not sparing the air. i want to point that out. secondly, there is a cooldown on the way. first let's get you out the front door on time on a m

. $155 will buy you an entire bedroom set from the athletes village. a website called remainsofthegames is selling everything that's not nailed down in the olympic park. for $29, you can buy an individual nightstand. and it might just be the very nightstand where michael phelps would flop his medals every night before switching out the lights. >> thank you, phil. we covered beijing together and my personal highlight was the food was so interesting and spectacular there. what's your highlight so far of the london games? personal or professional. >> reporter: oh, diane, absolutely the way they have melded british culture with these games. this is such a historic city. and they have put the venues out in the most spectacular places. you have rowing out at windsor castle. and you have different events taking place at hampton court where henry viii used to live. they have blended this city with the olympics in such a spectacular fashion, it was a pleasure to be here. >> thanks a lot, phil. there was a shocker at the olympics day on the soccer field and we fo

so we wonder how clean are the athletes of london 2012. depends on who you ask. >> reporter: in the soft london afterglow, usain bolt's 100-meter win is being called the greatest race ever. >> usain bolt! >> reporter: but those with long memories may remember another sprint. when ben johnson beat carl lewis at the '88 games in seoul. the world swooned over the superhuman speed until three days later when he tested positive for steroids and was sent home in a cloud of scandal. and now 24 years later that final is considered the dirtiest race in history, because as journalist richard moore points out in his new book, four other sprinters there that race went on to suffer doping standards of their own. so it wasn't just ben johnson? >> no. at the time, he was made a scapegoat. and i wanted to draw a distinction. he probably wasn't the only one. >> reporter: the man who ultimately won that race was carl lewis. after bolt's stunning appearance in beijing, he was the highest profile to raise suspicion, saying, quote, if you don't question bolt's

immediate indication, the victim is an athlete but they haven't been identified yesterday >>> now, to allegations of cheating. eight female badminton players, china and two from indonesia have been thrown out of the games for allegedly trying to throw matches in an attempt to get a more favorable slot in the next round. a disciplinary hearing including to investigate the players, which included the reigning world champions from china. they said in a statement, the olympians violated the code of conduct for not using one's best effort to win a match. several countries have lodged official protests against these athletes. >> i think it was clear or potentially clear from the matches that there had been some possibility of tanking. >> this is unsportsmanlike behavior. people want to see proper competition and we think they have made the right decision. >> indonesia and south korea have appealed the decision. mary is live in fremont with more on how the controversy is reverberating here in the bay area. a former olympian is saying, the players may not be to blame. >> reporter: that's righ

with some of the pictures athletes have tweeted on wbaltv.com. there is much more on 11 news. the guardian angels hit the streets of baltimore. have you done your back-to- school shopping nets? -- yet? >> police have identified the man killed in a double shooting early friday morning. he has died from his injuries. he was friends with the other victim, who was in critical condition. the shootings happened around 4:00 a.m. on east chase street. in baltimore county, police are investigating a shooting early saturday morning. officers were called for shots fired just after 2:00 a.m.. police discovered an adult male who had been shot. he was transported to an area hospital. baltimore guardian angels took to the streets saturday to raise awareness about their organization. they held a rally at the intersection of washington in southwest baltimore. the director of operations says their organization can help citizens with a variety of problems. >> if you have a missing loved one, we profile missing persons. crime, and you can talk to us about that. anyth