London stands on the brink of officially opening the 2012 Olympic Games.
In a matter of hours the spectacular opening ceremony will welcome the world to east London.
The slow build of enthusiasm over the last few months has suddenly become an Olympic movement.
Tens of thousands lined the streets to cheer the Olympic torch through London last night with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge appearing with the flame outside Buckingham Palace.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson told Sky News: “It is just sensational.. in the last two days it has all changed everything has come together.”
“You are seeing people who were really hostile and sceptical about the Olympics suddenly being infected by a bug, this benign virus of enthusiasm and they are enjoying it.”
Mystery still surrounds who will be given the honour of lighting the Olympic flame and exact details of the £27m extravaganza have been kept under wraps.
The Queen, Sir Steve Redgrave, Sir Roger Bannister, Daley Thompson and David Beckham have all been touted as contenders but organisers have managed to keep it secret.
Anticipation has rippled through the crowds who have so far visited the spectacular Olympic Park.
American sports fan Rod Coffee, from Miami, told Sky News: “It has already outlived my expectation you guys have done an amazing job.”
He added: “In London it is more multi-cultural and as an American with you guys being kind of the mother of several different nations so I think the international feel is really going to come through for you guys.”
Among Londoners at the park there is a sense of pride in what is happening on their doorstep.
Cleveland Sterling, 21, from Lewisham, saw the riots and looting in his neighbourhood last summer and now sees the world arriving in his city for a celebration of sport.
The amateur boxer told Sky News: “We’ve only got a few weeks of traffic in exchange for an extraordinary event. It’s incredible.”
Antonia Nkemnacho lives in Stratford itself. She told Sky News: “I am very pleased to be welcoming the world, you don’t feel like going to the West End now because what we have here makes you feel proud.”
The pace of change in this corner of east London has been extraordinary. In seven years industrial wasteland has been transformed into a festival site incorporating the very best sporting facilities.
Although the early rounds of some competitions are already under way, tonight’s show gives the athletes a chance to announce their nation’s arrival at London 2012.
Jamaican 4x400M relay runner Dominique Blake told Sky News: “It is just a really amazing sense of pride that you carry and it is a memory you will remember for the rest of your life. It’s awesome!”
Film director Danny Boyle has masterminded the opening ceremony and Ms Blake is delighted to be part of the big reveal.
“I know it is like a big surprise so I’m really excited to see it,” she said.
Elie Chahine 