A Japanese boy chews on his teddy bear as he waits for the Judo competition to start in the ExCel Centre at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 28, 2012, in London.
A Japanese boy chews on his teddy bear as he waits for the Judo competition to start in the ExCel Centre at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 28, 2012, in London. Ng Han Guan, Associated Press
By Associated Press

Although the ExCel venue is well south of the Olympic Park, the venue is shaping up as a surprisingly good place to catch the Olympic spirit.

ExCel is hosting boxing, weightlifting, judo, fencing and table tennis in separate spaces, but the sprawling complex is connected by a central hall that has turned into a pedestrian mall where the combined crowd can mingle amid a large array of dining options.

With thousands of fans pouring off trains Saturday, ExCel had a remarkable vibe as each of its sports except wrestling got underway. The venue's only obvious flaw is a lack of seating in that central hall, where hundreds of people are just sitting on the ground to eat their baked potatoes and curries.

— Greg Beacham — Twitter http://twitter.com/gregbeacham

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