First 2012 Olympics contests kick off

Editor's note: Are you in London for the Games, or watching the event from elsewhere? Share the sights and sounds of the Olympics with CNN iReport.

London (CNN) -- The Opening Ceremony for the 2012 Olympics may not be until Friday, but for some athletes, the Games begin Wednesday.

British women take to the soccer field against New Zealand in Cardiff, Wales, the first of six women's soccer games around Britain Wednesday. Women from the United States, France, Japan, Canada, Brazil, Cameroon, South Africa, Sweden, Colombia and North Korea are all in action on what Games organizers are calling "Day -2."

Organizers got good news Wednesday morning, as border staff who had been planning to go on strike Thursday over job cuts called off the plan.

English doctor who inspired the Olympics

Inside athletes' village during Games

Making a champion for the Olympics

One man's Olympic revenge

London drivers, meanwhile, got bad news, as traffic restrictions went into effect. They're banned from special "Olympics Lanes" reserved for athletes and officials, and face a £130 ($200) fine for using them.

Read more: How to avoid London Olympic rush

The city's transportation agency, Transport for London, reported moderate traffic problems Wednesday morning as the rules went into effect.

While Britain's wettest June in more than a century may have cast a cloud over the final preparations for the Games, forecasters say the weather is now set to brighten.

More than 10,000 athletes from 205 countries are assembling in London for Friday's Opening Ceremony.

Every country will have at least one female athlete after Saudi Arabia included two women in its team for the first time, setting an important precedent for women's rights in the kingdom.

And with medals to be handed out in 26 different sports, there's always the chance of a shock upset or the emergence of a shining new talent to captivate the crowds