The 2012 London Olympics gets underway properly later today, with the opening ceremony set to take place at 9pm UK time (4pm ET).

While it’s true that the Games actually started Wednesday, the marquee sports events won’t begin until tomorrow. So which sports are the most popular? Which of the major Olympic events are getting the most social media buzz?

Not surprisingly, it’s basketball that’s getting the most attention on Twitter and Facebook, with the 2012 USA team drawing comparisons to the 1992 Olympic Dream Team of twenty years ago. (Which is daft, of course, as the ’92 team of legends would win easily against this modern bunch of overpaid cowboys.) In second place, surprisingly, is soccer – the women’s soccer event launched the Games on Wednesday – ahead of swimming, gymnastics and track and field.

This, and other social data from this year’s Games, can be found in the infographic below, courtesy of Networked Insights.

(Source: Networked Insights. Sports wheel image via Shutterstock.)