London following Beijing

Watching the closing ceremonies last I was thinking how in the heck will London top these 2008 Beijing Games. I don't think they'll be able to. Certainly London's piece in the closing ceremonies was lame.
Here's what a London mayor Boris Johnson said in a Business Week article.
"We've been dazzled, impressed, and blown away by these Beijing Games," he says, adding, "but we've not been intimidated."
That's good to read.
One thing I did notice was the lack of full venues in the Beijing Games, and the article mentioned that too.
For instance, although Beijing's operations worked with clockwork precision, many events were surprisingly short on spectators (BusinessWeek.com, 8/15/08). London has already said it aims to avoid that by making more seats available to Londoners at discount prices.
Later ...
Formerly imperial Britain—now more laid-back than ambitious, upwardly mobile China—will be hosting its third Olympics and has less to prove to the world. As long as security is effective but not heavy-handed, London should manage to provide Olympians and guests a great time.