Thousands of athletes began arriving in London Monday ahead of the Summer Olympic Games.

The opening ceremony is still more than a week away, but the first wave of athletes and visitors began pouring into Heathrow Airport. Beneath giant Olympic rings, athletes from 50 nations touched down, and the London airport had its busiest day ever.

Hundreds of agents were on hand to ease the long lines that have plagued Heathrow for months. Police and their dogs were out in force. Rows of VIP buses took teams and coaches to the athletes' village in east London.

Motorists found new special traffic lanes painted with the Olympic rings and reserved only for official vehicles and dignitaries.

Protecting the Olympics is Britain's biggest peacetime security and transport operation.