London ( CNN ) -- Seven promising young British athletes lit the Olympic cauldron early Saturday , capping the Games ' festive opening ceremony in east London . The torch , which arrived on a boat driven by football star David Beckham down the River Thames , had been carried into the stadium by five-time Olympic gold medalist Steve Redgrave . The retired rower then passed it to the young athletes , who lit part of the outer rim of the torch , setting off a domino effect as fire spread to 205 small metal `` petals , '' symbolizing the nations taking part . The small petals eventually rose on long stems and converged to become a cauldron pointing up to the sky above the stadium . A short time earlier , Queen Elizabeth II formally pronounced the Olympics open for business , saying , `` I declare open the Games of London , celebrating the 30th Olympiad of the modern era . '' Organizers had said they expected a billion people worldwide to watch the opening ceremony -- which was created by Danny Boyle , best known for directing the Oscar-winning film `` Slumdog Millionaire '' -- on television . Explaining the ceremony : From Shakespeare to the Sex Pistols . Tens of thousands more congregated in `` fan zones '' around the British capital to watch the festivities on big screens , their enthusiasm hardly diminished by overcast sky and sporadic showers . The event opened with a scene dubbed `` Green and Pleasant , '' after a line from poet William Blake . It featured an idyllic view of a British countryside . Rolling hills , fields and rivers -- complete with picnicking families , sports being played on a village green and farmyard animals -- made up the elaborate set . Hundreds of volunteers dressed in period costumes walked , danced and otherwise performed as music played . The set soon transformed into one recalling the noisy , grimy transformation of the Industrial Revolution , including large smokestacks emerging from below . After a short film featuring Daniel Craig , the latest actor to play cinematic British spy James Bond , and none other than Queen Elizabeth II herself , the next performance paid tribute to Britain 's National Health Service and children 's literature . J.K. Rowling , author of the best-selling Harry Potter books , kicked off the scene -- which featured , among others , the evil Voldemort from her series and magical nanny Mary Poppins . Next came a performance of the iconic song from `` Chariots of Fire , '' a tale about two British Olympians from 1924 that was lightened up by slapstick comedian Mr. Bean , played by Rowan Atkinson . Then came a showcase for pop songs from the Beatles to the Rolling Stones to Frankie Goes to Hollywood to David Bowie , which was followed by a short live performance by rapper Dizzee Rascal . There was also a special shout-out to Tim Berners-Lee , a London native who is credited with inventing the World Wide Web . His words , `` This is for everyone '' at one point lit up a part of the stands for all to see . Just over one hour in , the Olympic athletes finally made their way into the stadium led , per tradition , by the Greek delegation . The mastermind behind the opening ceremony . That was followed by another performance featuring bicyclists with glowing butterfly wings going around the stadium , one of whom soared into the air . Several dignitaries escorted the Olympic flag as it entered the stadium , among them U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and legendary American boxer Muhammad Ali . Sebastian Coe , chairman of the London Games organizing committee and a four-time Olympic medalist , then promised , `` London 2012 will inspire a generation . '' `` In the next two weeks , we will show all that has made London one of the greatest cities in the world , '' Coe said . `` Let us determine , all of us , all over the world , that London 2012 will see the very best of us . '' International Olympic Committee chief Jacques Rogge noted the history being made with these Games -- the first competition in which every delegation had female athletes and the first time any city has hosted the Olympics three times . `` In a sense , the Olympic Games are coming home tonight , '' he said . Excitement has been brewing in and around London for years , and it 's been especially palpable in recent days . Katie Lawrence , a resident of the U.S. state of Georgia who holds dual U.S.-British citizenship , told CNN that she was hugely excited to be in London to watch the sporting extravaganza . `` I love the Olympic Games , I always have , always will . I 'm always torn as to which team to root for , but I have no shame in rooting for both USA and GB , '' said Lawrence , who saw some of the 1996 Games in Atlanta as a child . `` I can not wait to be immersed in all of the excitement and bustle that the Games bring . '' CNN iReporter Kevin Dunscombe said he was `` very proud '' of London as the host city . `` I really felt the buzz of the Olympics when I walked through Trafalgar Square on my way home last night , '' he said Friday . `` The atmosphere was really electric and this is before the Games have actually begun ! '' Are you there ? Send us your images and videos of the Olympics . British newspaper headlines heralded Friday as the start of something truly special . `` Get the party started , '' read the Telegraph , while the Times of London hailed `` The world in one city . '' The Guardian struck a more reflective note as London prepared to host the Games , saying , `` Time to find out who we are . '' Records already broken and ticket-holders warned . Some 10,500 athletes are set to take part in the Games , the British government said . Some of them competed in advance of Friday night 's formal kickoff , including members of multiple men 's and women 's football squads . All 128 competing archers also took part in a preliminary round at Lord 's Cricket Ground in London to determine seedings for team and individual competitions . Three South Korean archers took the top three seeds in the men 's individual round , with the winner , Im Dong-hyun -- who is legally classified as blind -- setting a world record in the process , according to the official website for the Games . Hundreds of people hoping to attend that event , however , were turned away after apparently being sold fake tickets and because of confusion about whether the event was open to the public , UK media reported . Read more on the gritty East End -- the London area hosting the Olympics . The London organizing committee said tickets had been neither advertised nor sold . `` We think we have made it very clear that this is not a free event , like the road races or marathon , which have been advertised as free events , '' the committee said in a statement . `` This is a ranking round and there is no spectator access at all . We are dealing with this at the venue , along with some people who have turned up with fake tickets purchased from a fraudulent website . '' People are urged to `` be extremely cautious and vigilant when attempting to buy tickets and only purchase from an official source , '' the statement says . Video : British etiquette for London Games . U.S. politics becomes part of the story in London . Dozens of dignitaries from around the world attended Friday night 's opening ceremony . They included U.S. first lady Michelle Obama , who met with members of Team USA at a breakfast Friday morning at the U.S. Olympic training facility . But it was her husband 's presidential challenger this fall , Mitt Romney , who was making headlines . Read more : London prepares for an Olympics to remember . News reports picked up on the verbal to-and-fro between British Prime Minister David Cameron and the Republican U.S. presidential candidate , who appeared to question London 's readiness while on a trip to England and then appeared to backtrack . `` You know it 's hard to know just how well it will turn out , '' Romney said in an interview with NBC News on Wednesday evening . `` There are a few things that were disconcerting . The stories about the private security firm not having enough people , the supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials -- that obviously is not something which is encouraging . '' A day later , in what sounded like a jab at Romney 's own stewardship of the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City , Cameron appeared to draw a contrast between staging the Games in London versus Utah . Read more : Four billion reasons to watch the Olympics . `` We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest , most active , bustling cities anywhere in the world . Of course it 's easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere , '' he said . After meeting with Cameron , Romney praised then British preparations for the Games . He then sidestepped a question as to whether he intended to criticize the 2012 Olympic organizers in his initial comments , saying he expected the Games to be `` highly successful . '' Video : Olympic long-term impact on London . CNN 's Laura Smith-Spark , Stephanie Halasz , Ed Payne and Jim Acosta contributed to this report .
`` I declare open the Games of London , '' the queen says . Ex-Olympian Steve Redgrave passes the flame to seven young British athletes . The IOC chair notes all delegations have female athletes for the first time . The opening ceremony features odes to British history , literature and music .