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squad the sport has ever seen.
• If they can add some more gold around their necks in the all-around competition on Thursday night, they may be able to call themselves the greatest.
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Let all the nations party: Hospitality houses showcase Olympic nations' celebratory side
• LONDON (AP) -- Russia wants to knock your socks off. Denmark is stylish and sophisticated. Ireland is up for a party -- on a budget.
• There are more than 200 countries at the Olympics, and they have two ways to stand out. One is on the medal podium -- the other is by partying.
• Dotted across London, national hospitality houses offer a base for a country's athletes, officials and occasional celebrities. Some are open to the public, showing a festive side to tourists from around the world. Others are strictly invitation only, like the American pavilion at the Royal College of Art.
• Here's an eclectic, unscientific guided tour:
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Round 2 of Phelps vs. Lochte coming up in the Olympic pool as stars face off in 200 IM
• LONDON (AP) -- It's time for Round 2 of Michael Phelps vs. Ryan Lochte.
• Their first showdown of the London Olympics went to Lochte in a runaway on the opening night of the swimming competition. This one figures to be a lot closer.
• The American stars compete against each other for the last time in the 200-meter individual medley on Thursday night. Lochte qualified fastest in 1 minute, 56.13 seconds. Phelps was 98-hundredths of a second back in third.
• "We love racing against each other," said Phelps, who plans to retire after the games. "Neither one of us likes to lose. I like to say we bring out the best in one another."
• In between them again is Laszlo Cseh of Hungary. He's been the perennial also-ran in the last two Olympics, taking bronze behind Phelps at the 2004 Athens Games and silver four years ago in Beijing when Phelps won and Lochte was third.
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