Watch As 2012 Olympics Torch Lighting Ceremony Kicks Off 'Olympomania' In London [VIDEO]

The 2012 Olympics torch lighting ceremony got underway Thursday, kicking off what London Mayor Boris Johnson called "Olympomania" on stage in Hyde Park before thousands of screaming sport lovers.

The torch lighting ceremony is one of the most exciting parts of any Olympics, as it is the first time that most attendees get a glimpse of the flame that will burn throughout the entire Olympics.

It was not the official lighting of the cauldron that will take place during the massive 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony at 4 p.m. EST on Friday, but it is still a noteworthy start to what will be an exciting couple weeks of competition.

Boris Johnson led the post-flame-lighting proceedings on Thursday afternoon in London, "I've never seen anything like this in all my life. The excitement is growing so much I think the Geiger counter of Olympomania is going to go, 'zoink,' off the scale. People are coming -- people are coming from around the world, and they're seeing us, and they're seeing the greatest city on Earth, aren't they?"

The remarks came within moments of the Olympic flame being lit on a stage in Hyde Park before what looks to be a crowd of tens of thousands of people on the eve of the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony. Some news organizations even estimated the crowd to be as many as one hundred thousand strong.

But Boris Johnson couldn't resist the chance to take a jab at a fellow politician, namely Mitt Romney -- the GOP presidential candidate across the pond in America.

The Brits are not happy with Mitt Romney -- who helped helm the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City in 2002 -- after his remarks during a recent recent interview with Brian Williams on NBC offended the by giving the impression that London may not be prepared for the Olympics:

"It's hard to know just how well it will turn out," Romney said. "There are a few things that were disconcerting. The stories about the private security firm not having enough people, the supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials - that obviously is not something which is encouraging."

The remarks came as he was readying for an international tour that includes stops in England, but it doesn't appear that many of the English really want him there, as evidenced by London Mayor Boris Johnson's remarks after the 2012 Olympics torch was lit on Thursday:

"There are some people coming from around the world who don't yet know about all the preparations we've done to get London ready in the last seven years," Johnson told the crowd. "There's a guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know whether we're ready. Are we ready? Are we ready? Yes, we are!"

Click play below to watch a BBC video of the 2012 Olympics torch lighting ceremony in London's Hyde Park: