Olympic medals placed at Tower for safekeeping

LONDON (AP) — There's safe, and then there's Tower of London safe.

To avoid risking an ounce of precious Olympic metal, London's organizers are handing over their cache of gold, silver and bronze medals to the Tower of London for safekeeping Monday. A fanfare of Royal Marine trumpets will sound as the 4,700 medals arrive. The Tower's famous Yeoman warders — commonly called Beefeaters — also will attend.

The Tower protects Britain's most valuable treasures, including the Crown Jewels. And though the Olympic medals are precious, using a London landmark in this fashion is almost like starting the 100 meters by sounding Big Ben's bongs.

But there's a larger wish at hand: Britain has been eager to promote its tourist attractions as part of the games taking place from July 27-Aug. 12.