By Andrew WarshawJuly 25 - Global attention may be focussed on Friday's Olympic Opening Ceremony but the first competitive action of London 2012 got under way today – not in the capital but at Cardiff 's Millennium Stadium 150 miles away.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter was among an enthusiastic crowd who saw Team GB's women's football team,

GB might rue all those missed opportunities – plus two more when Kiwi keeper Jenny Bindon got off the

GB held to goaless draw against Sweden in last London 2012 warm-up gameJuly 2012: I'm enjoying life

with Team GB women's squad, says Scottish starJune 2012: Little and Dieke defy Scottish FA to represent

Team GB at OlympicsMay 2012: Exclusive - London 2012 will put women's football on the map, insists Briton

By Tom Degun at the London Media centreJuly 25 - Worldwide Olympic Partner P&G has today opened its Family Home in Bankside, central London which is designed to serve as a "home away from home" for the families of athletes competing at the London 2012 Games.

the world's most famous athletes including Ileana Lochte (pictured top, second left), the mother to Team

USA swimming star Ryan Lochte and Carol Hoy (pictured top, second right), the mother to Team GB cyclist

writer of this story at [email protected] storiesJune 2012: Mothers of London 2012's GB

By Andrew WarshawJuly 25 - The first major off-the-field controversy surrounding the make-up of the Team

GB men's football team flared up today when it emerged that Welsh star Gareth Bale – who had withdrawn

Bale (pictured above, left), who was included in the original Team GB squad and would have been an automatic

Villas-Boas (pictured above, right) immediately defended Bale who would certainly have started for Team

GB either at fullback or, more likely, on the left side of midfield against Senegal tomorrow.Bale, said

Team GB at OlympicsNovember 2011: Wales fans aim anger over Olympic Team GB at Bale and RamseyOctober

2011: Bale poses in Team GB shirt to fuel London 2012 speculationOctober 2011: I won't stand

By David GoldJuly 25 - Rafael Cabral has been forced to withdraw from Brazil's Olympic men's football squad with an elbow injury.

Olympics.Contact the writer of this story at [email protected] storiesJuly 2012: Team

GB find out how much work to do after Brazil lessonJuly 2012: Neymar tips his Brazil side to claim football

, particularly during the Aaron Cook saga where the world number one was bizarrely not selected for Team

GB for London 2012, but I cannot claim to be a leading taekwondo journalist.Less still had I participated

By Andrew WarshawJuly 25 - David Beckham, controversially left out of the Team GB squad at London 2012

music for Samsung London 2012 advertJuly 2012: Neville backs Pearce's decision to leave Beckham out of Team

GB squadJuly 2012: There's not a manager around who picks on sentiment, insists PearceJuly 2012: I'd

By Mike Rowbottom at Team GB House in LondonJuly 24 - Louis Smith, who became Britain's first Olympic

Like all GB athletes there is some anxiety involved – we're all anxious to get started."

But we've had a fantastic few weeks as a team."The team looks fantastic."We feel ready."

We've done fantastically well in the past so there is always that expectation, but for any GB athlete

asked where he might be if he had stayed with the game.Sam Oldham chose gymnastics over football"In the GB

Olympic team!"

By David Gold at Team GB House in LondonJuly 24 - Phil Scanlan, the team leader of Britain's shooting

team, has said that the squad are keen to use the opportunity provided by London 2012 to catapult their

By Mike Rowbottom at the Olympic Village in LondonJuly 24 - Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, denied that concerns over possible strikes and transport difficulties would affect the overall impression of the London Olympics as a successful Games and a lure to future foreign investors.

Speaking after the official Welcoming Ceremony for Team GB (pictured top) held here in the Athletes'

able to say they have witnessed a Games that is the best we have ever seen.Nick Clegg (in suit) at the Team

GB Welcoming Ceremony"No doubt there will be some ups and downs along the way, but people are going

left) claims gold at Barcelona 1992"But to actually come all this way and to now be here wearing the GB

team kit – we've just had a great induction into the [Olympic] Village with Clive Woodward and his team

years younger than you or 20 years older, if they do a good job they are someone you want to be in a team

GB now."

As a 40-year-old I think I've got a pretty good lifestyle and I get to be an athlete on Team GB.

and Paralympic Games, but there will be no Welsh players on show when the Britain's women's football team

But selection is a matter for the team managers."

We want to see the best team of the field."

If the best team does not include Welsh players that is a disappointment internally."

Let's see the best team out there and win the tournament."

GB in action during a friendly match against Sweden With the men's third place play off and quarter

By Tom Degun at the Main Press Centre on the Olympic Park in LondonJuly 24 - Worldwide Olympic Partner Samsung have unveiled their new London 2012 Olympic Games advert which features former England football captain David Beckham recreating the melody of Beethoven's Ode to Joy by kicking footballs against a wall of drums.

The 37-year-old Londoner, who helped the London 2012 bid team secure the Games before being controversially

left out of the Team GB football squad last month by head coach Stuart Pearce, starred in the advert

By Mike Rowbottom at the Main Press Centre on the Olympic Park in LondonJuly 24 - The troubled relationship between Phillips Idowu and authority was highlighted again today when the British Olympic Association (BOA) revealed they had written to the athlete asking him to provide details about the hip injury that kept him away from a training camp.

world champion triple jumper, who is due to compete at the Olympics on August 7, did not travel to the Team

GB camp in Portugal.BOA chief medical officer Dr Ian McCurdie has written to Idowu asking for his medical

The basis for doing this is a clause in our team members' agreement that says athletes are required to

Team GB Chef de Mission Andy Hunt told BBC News: "The situation is he hasn't gone to the preparation

stories ahead of preparation for Crystal Palace returnApril 2012: Idowu, Pendleton and Pollock join Team

By Mike Rowbottom at Team GB House in LondonJuly 24 - British archer Alison Williamson, who will take

Melton Mowbray with a wide grin as she appeared at a pre-competition media event here along with her team-mates

We sat down as a team to look at what we could do to improve."

Alan Wills is part of the Team GB men's archery teamWilliamson, Oliver and Folkard took silver at the

GB for London 2012January 2012: Alan Hubbard - Sorcerer Alison and apprentice Amy will be targeting

Stafford rally around GB archer Williamson to help her achieve London 2012 Olympic dream

taking charge of the opening football match of London 2012 when she referees the tussle between hosts Team

GB and New Zealand tomorrow, the FIFA Organising Committee for Olympic Football Tournaments has announced