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LONDON — Mitt Romney’s trip to London was supposed to be about the Olympics. And it was — but not quite in the way he had expected.

Mr. Romney’s choreographed visit here caused a diplomatic stir after his comments on the British Olympics preparations and whether Londoners would turn out to support the Games prompted a rebuke from Prime Minister David Cameron and grabbed the attention of the news media.

“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,” Mr. Romney said in an interview with NBC on Wednesday.

That brought a tart rejoinder from Mr. Cameron: “We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities anywhere in the world. Of course it’s easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere.” The allusion was to Salt Lake City , which hosted the Games that Mr. Romney oversaw in 2002.

Mr. Romney’s comments came on the first day of a highly anticipated trip that was expected to test his skills in foreign diplomacy, terrain on which he is not necessarily as comfortable as when dealing with economic issues. His remarks quickly threatened to take over the news from the overseas trip, which will also include a visit to Jerusalem to meet with Israeli leaders on Sunday and a stop in Poland .

Later, in brief remarks before his meeting with the Labour Party leader, Ed Miliband, Mr. Romney seemed to tone down his comments.

“My experience with regards to the Olympics is it is impossible for absolutely no mistakes to occur,” he said. “Of course there will be errors from time to time, but those are all overshadowed by the extraordinary demonstrations of courage, character and determination by the athletes. The Games are, after all, about the athletes, the volunteers and the people of the community that come together to celebrate those athletes.”

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But the British press had already pounced. News of Mr. Romney’s remarks led The Times of London’s Web site at one point under the headline “PM rebuffs Romney over readiness for Olympics,” and The Guardian’s Web site offered up a story titled “Romney’s Olympics blunder stuns No. 10 and hands gift to Obama.”

Mayor Boris Johnson even used the candidate’s words to rally thousands of Londoners at the end of the 69-day Olympic torch relay in Hyde Park, saying, “There’s a guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know whether we’re ready.”

Such overseas trips can be diplomatic minefields for politicians, but they also can offer opportunities, as when President John F. Kennedy won over French news media, telling reporters in France that he was “the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris .” For Mr. Romney, this is a chance to burnish his foreign policy credentials, a goal that now looks a bit more difficult to achieve.

At the White House, officials were privately chortling over Mr. Romney’s remarks. Jay Carney , the White House press secretary, said senior officials had met Thursday morning to discuss security at the Olympics, then added that during a meeting with staffers, President Obama “made it clear that he has the utmost confidence in our close friend and ally, the United Kingdom, as they finalize preparation to host the London Olympics.”

Mr. Carney never mentioned Mr. Romney, but the timing of the Olympics announcement raised eyebrows, prompting one reporter to ask Mr. Carney if it had anything to do with Mr. Romney’s remarks. The press secretary replied: “I’m just trying to fill you in on the president’s day.”

Mr. Cameron praised his nation’s performance in hosting the games, which get under way this week.

“This is a time of some economic difficulty for the U.K., but look at what we are capable of achieving as a nation even at a difficult economic time,” he said. “I think we will show the whole world not just that we come together as a United Kingdom, but also we’re extremely good at welcoming people from across the world.”

Mr. Cameron added: “I will obviously make those points to Mitt Romney. I look forward to meeting him.”

After his meeting with the prime minister, Mr. Romney emerged from 10 Downing Street and further refined his remarks.

“My experience as an Olympic organizer is that there are always a few very small things that end up going not quite right in the first day or so,” he said. “Those get ironed out and then when the Games themselves begin and the athletes take over, all the mistakes that the organizing committee — and I made a few — all of those are overwhelmed by the many things that the athletes carry out that capture the spirit of the games.”

He also mentioned that he had met with the head of the MI6 foreign intelligence agency to discuss Syria and “the hope for a more peaceful future for that country” — another comment the British press seized on as a gaffe because, they wrote, visiting dignitaries typically do not discuss their private meetings with the MI6 chief.

In his original remarks on Wednesday, Mr. Romney also seemed to question the enthusiasm of the British public for the Games, which will include a horse owned by his wife, Ann , competing in the dressage competition.

“Do they come together and celebrate the Olympic moment?” he asked about the British people. “That’s something which we only find out once the Games actually begin.”

The remarks came as Mr. Romney’s campaign had hoped to use the stop in London to remind voters back home about his success in overseeing the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002.

In addition to making an aide available to provide details of Mr. Romney’s meetings, which included talk of the euro zone crisis and other international concerns, the campaign sent out short general memos, one of which described Mr. Romney’s get-together on Thursday with Foreign Secretary William Hague, saying it dealt with issues like the importance of free trade.

“Also worth noting,” the e-mail read, “they both discussed their mutual love of Kit Kat bars.”