Olympics 2012 Schedule: Day 1 Event Guide, Athletes to Watch, TV Info & More

While the preliminaries of plenty of sports kick off on Saturday, that doesn’t mean there aren't gold medals on the line right off the bat.

From the onset, the stakes are monumental in multiple events, with over 10 gold medals scheduled to be handed out on Saturday. 

Here are the listings for all of the action for the official Day 1 of the 2012 London Olympics.

Let the games begin!

(Click Here for Full Olympic TV Schedule)

*Denotes gold medal on the line

(All Times ET)

Event Info

*Archery—Men’s Elimination Rounds

TV: 11:15 a.m. to 12 p.m. (NBC Sports Network), 5:45-7 p.m. (NBC Sports Network) 

Basketball—Women’s Group Action 

TV: USA vs. Croatia—11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (NBC Specialty: Basketball)

Beach Volleyball—Men's and Women's Tournaments Begin

TV: 4-5 a.m. (NBC Sports Network), 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. (MSNBC), 5-6 p.m. (NBC), 8 p.m.-12 a.m. (NBC)

Boxing—Round of 32

TV: 8:30-11:30 a.m. (CNBC), 3:30-6:30 p.m. (CNBC)

*Cycling—Men’s road race

TV: 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. (NBC)

Equestrian—Men’s and Women’s Individual & Team Eventing

TV: 1:45-2:45 p.m. (NBC Sports Network)

*Fencing—Women’s first medal

TV: 9-9:30 a.m. (MSNBC), 2:45-3:45 p.m. (MSNBC)

Gymnastics—Men’s Qualification

TV: 8-12 p.m. (NBC)

Rowing—Men’s and Women’s Heats

TV: 3:30-4 p.m. (NBC)

Soccer—Women’s Group Action

TV: 7-9 a.m. (MSNBC), 9:30-11:15 a.m. (NBC Sports Network)

*Shooting—Men’s and Women’s 10-meter Air Pistol Final

TV: 6-6:45 a.m. (NBC Sports Network)

*Swimming—Men’s and Women’s 400-meter Individual Medley Final,  Men’s 100-meter Freestyle Final, Women’s 4x100-meter Free Final

TV: 2:30-3:30 p.m. (NBC), 8-12 p.m. (NBC)

Table Tennis—1st Round

TV: 5-6 a.m. (MSNBC), 2-2:45 p.m. (MSNBC)

Tennis—Men’s and Women’s Singles

TV: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Bravo)

Volleyball—Women’s Tournament Begins

TV: China vs. Serbia—6:45-8:15 a.m. (NBC Sports Network), USA vs. Korea—3-5 p.m. (NBC)

*Weightlifting—Women’s First Medals

Athletes to Watch on Day 1

Brady Ellison, Archery

Ranked No. 1 in the world, the Glendale, Ariz., native is on pace to be the standout performer in this event. Nothing short of winning gold will suffice for Ellison.

The first gold medal of the Olympics will be handed out in archery.

Mark Cavendish, Cycling

The Great Britain cyclist is widely considered to be one of the best sprinters of all time. He will be one of the strong favorites in Saturday’s road race.

Fresh off winning his 23rd stage on the final day of the Tour de France, he is going to be tough to beat in this setting in his home country.

Michael Phelps, Swimming

The quest for seven gold medals begins on Saturday in the finals of the 4x100-meter freestyle.

Some wonder if he trained with the same rigors as the ’08 Olympics, and this will be the first chance to see him in action with our own eyes.

What makes this even more intriguing is that he’ll be going up against Ryan Lochte, his compatriot and main competition.

Missy Franklin, Swimming

The Colorado native has the potential to be the darling of the Olympics for the Americans. She will have her first shot at a gold medal in the 4x100 freestyle event.

Will this be just the first of a plethora of medals for the 17-year-old phenomenon? 

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