Friday marks the opening of the 2012 Summer Olympic games. But it's the question of the budget that is on many Londoners minds as the Games have put the city under huge financial pressure.
With the opening ceremony alone expected to cost over $40 million dollars, Richard Bestic looks at the cost of the games to the UK, and what those behind bringing the Games to London hope to benefit.
On time and on budget is the British government's proud boast for London 2012.
The London 2012 Olympic Athletes Village in east London pictured through the Olympic rings. London Olympic Games have put the city under huge financial pressure.
The venues, we're told, all up and ready for the running. And that's where most of the money's gone.
Of the 15 billion dollar price tag linked to the Olympics, construction gobbled up some two thirds. Pricey but that's not the worst of it.
Pretty soon after the UK won the bid for stage the Olympics, the world economy took a dive…creating huge financial pressures.
At London 2012's heart, a ceremony projecting images of a Green and Pleasant Britain to a worldwide audience of a billion people – the vision of Slum Dog Millionaire movie director Danny Boyle.
At a billion dollars security takes a big chunk of spending for London 2012, making the UK capital what Britain's spooks at MI5 call a tough target for terrorists.
That's the cost of hardware to include surface to air missiles, helicopters with snipers on board and to challenge unidentified aircraft that stray into a special Olympics air exclusion typhoon fighter jets.
The Olympic torch, now nearing London after a national tour seen by millions. is possibly a measure of a tight budget … with the Olympics organisers selling off unwanted torches on their website.
And private sponsors have also played a big part in making the games financial viable.
So, what does London get for it's money.
Well, according to latest government figures, the building of Olympic venues has already created some 50,000 much-needed construction jobs in the London economy.
And the benefits of the investment are for the long term.
When it's all over, the athletes village will provide housing for thousands in a part of London where accommodation is a huge problem.
And surrounding it, the biggest urban park in Europe on ground that was once a toxic wasteland.
But working out whether the UK economy will benefit from the Olympics is always going to be a vague calculation.
Certainly getting the message of a modern Britain out to a world audience must have its returns in the form of better business and possibly more tourists.
However, as to precisely quantifying that link Golden link between spending and economic uplift, it would seem nobody really knows.
