TRACK AND FIELD The marquee event will be the women’s 100 meters, which once again figures to be a showdown between the Americans and the Jamaicans (nbcolympics .com, 4:55 p.m.). Same goes for the men’s 100, where heats begin Saturday, offering the first glimpse of Usain Bolt (nbcolympics.com, 7:30 a.m.). Viewers will also see Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee from South Africa, competing in 400-meter preliminary heats (nbcolympics.com, 5:35 a.m.). Two of Britain’s top track stars are also in action, with Mo Farah in the men’s 10,000 meters (NBC, 4:15 p.m.) and Jessica Ennis, who leads the heptathlon after four of seven events. Track highlights, NBC, 8 p.m. (taped) MEN’S BASKETBALL After walloping Nigeria in its last group game, the United States should have a more challenging game against Lithuania (NBCSN, 9:30 a.m.). But the better matchup will be in Group B, where Russia and Spain will meet. Both are undefeated, and the victor Saturday would probably also gain the top seed in the group, which could mean avoiding the United States until the gold medal game. NBCSN, 6:15 a.m

Periodically throughout the Olympics, The Times will check in with Dennis Spurr, owner of the Fantastic Sausage Factory in Weymouth, England, a pretty town on the coast where the sailing events are taking place. Spurr’s sausage business was targeted by the Olympic branding authorities in 2007 after he put up a sign featuring the Olympic five-ring logo fashioned out of sausage links. He took it down on their demands, but replaced it with a sign featuring five squares made out of sausage links.
Q.

It has been a little while. How are things are going?
A.

It’s livened up a bit down here now. The town’s got a lot busier. A bit more atmosphere down here. We’ve had some fun. We’ve had the sausage-making Olympics today.
Q.

Oh, tell me about that.
A.

Well, you know, I think I told you I was going to bring my sausage-making machines out and we were going to show people how to make sausages. Well, I had a standing-in-the-shower thought, and we sort of changed it around a little bit, and we’ve had the Fantastic Sausage-Making Olympics today.