London 2012 Games

As London gears up to host its biggest international event of the year for the third time this July, we give you some facts and trivia in the run-up to the London 2012 Games.

 The United Kingdom is the first country in the world to host the Olympic Games thrice.

Logo

The logo of the London 2012 Games is created with the aim to inspire young people around the world through sport and the Olympic values. The word London and the Olympic rings are embedded in the first two digits of the logo.

Mascots

Wenlock and Mandeville are the official mascots for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. These two animations depict two drops of steel from a steelworks in Bolton. They are named after the town of Much Wenlock and the Stoke Mandeville Hospital, where a precursor of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games respectively were held.

The Olympic flame

Lit by the sun’s rays at the temple of Hera in Ancient Olympia in Greece, the Olympic flame is slated to arrive in the UK on 18 May 2012. Spyros Gianniotis, UK-born world swimming champion from Greece, will have the honor of being the first torch bearer for the London 2012 Games.

On its 70-day journey around the UK, the Olympic flame will pass through the hands of 8,000 inspiring people across the country, taking a route that will be within 10 miles of nearly 95 per cent of the people of the UK. The flame will reach the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Games on 27th July.

The Paralympic Flame will be created at Stoke Mandeville from four separate flames lit in London, Greater Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff.

Inspiration

The Get Set network has roped in close to 22,000 schools and colleges to participate in the London 2012 initiatives. The International Inspiration program has succeeded in reaching out to 12 million children and young people around the world, encouraging them to be active.

The London 2012 Inspire mark has given recognition to over 1,500 outstanding non-commercial projects and events. These projects feature sport, culture, education, sustainability, volunteering and business opportunities. 22 “live” sites around the UK offer live information, videos, news and community events over large screens and event spaces.

Venues

The London 2012 Games Olympic and Paralympic events will take place at venues in the Olympic Park, across London, and out of London.

The Copper Box, Velodrome, Aquatic Centre and Riverbank Arena are a few of the venues inside the Olympic Park.

Among the famous venues in London city are Hyde Park, Wembley Stadium, Wimbledon and Lord’s Cricket Ground. Other interesting and significant London venues are Earl’s Court, Hampton Court Palace, Greenwich Park and the Royal Artillery Barracks.

Venues outside of London include the Lee Valley White Water Center, the Millennium Stadium, Old Trafford and City of Coventry Stadium.

Themes

London plans to host the most sustainable Games possible with focus on five key themes: climate change, waste, biodiversity, inclusion and healthy living. The London Sustainability Plan: Towards a One Planet 2012 aims at minimizing greenhouse gas emissions, waste at every stage of the project and impact on wildlife and their habitats.

The Games are meant to be accessible to all and create new employment, training and business opportunities in the UK. And finally, the program hopes to create awareness and inspire people across the UK to take a keen interest in sport and develop active, healthy and sustainable lifestyles.

An independent body called the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 has been set up to monitor the sustainability plan and report to the public.

Funding

Two key organizations are funding the London 2012 Games. These are the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), a private-sector body, and the Olympic Delivery authority (ODA), a public-sector body.

In order to meet the cost of organizing the Games, organizers have partnered with a host of major companies, namely BMW, BP, British Airways, adidas, BT, EDF Energy, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Lloyds TSB and ArcelorMittal, Adecco, Cadbury, Cisco, Deloitte, Thomas Cook Group and UPS.
 
Infrastructure: some high points

The main venue of the games is the Olympic Park, which itself boasts some prize-winning infrastructure. The Primary Substation at the Park, built by EDF Energy Networks to power the Park during and after the Olympic games, has drawn many accolades. This station was awarded for excellence in architecture, shortlisted for Project of the Year and was chosen as the Commercial and Industrial Building of the Year. In fact, the station has already powered up the Olympic Stadium and construction sites in Stratford City.

The Primary Substation, together with the Energy Centre and Pumping Station, is expected to cater to the London 2012 Games and the long-term power requirements of the Lower Lea Valley communities.

All of the new main venues and infrastructure for the London 2012 Games have been completed. The International Broadcast Centre (IBC) and the Main Press Centre (MPC) are structurally complete. The number of completed apartments on the Olympic and Paralympic Village are way past the symbolic 2,012 mark.

Transport

A range of transport improvements serving the Park are already underway. The communities surrounding the Park will enjoy access to the open space via a network of canal towpaths, footpaths and cycle ways.

The sites for the games will be concentrated around Stratford in the West End (city centre) of London. In order to ensure that the spectators reach the venues in time and comfort, London's public transport infrastructure will be expanded by the extension of the London Underground's East London line. There are also plans to create a high-speed shuttle train service.

Presiding dignitaries

As Head of State, Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, will declare open both the Olympic Games (27th July) and the Paralympic Games (29th August) at the Olympic Stadium.

Service personnel from the UK’s armed forces have been chosen to raise the flags at London 2012 Team Welcome Ceremonies and Victory Ceremonies.

The Games

The London 2012 Games comprise the Olympic Games (27th July to 12th August) and the Paralympic Games (29th August to 9th September).

The London 2012 Olympic Games will feature 26 sports, which break down into 39 disciplines.

The Paralympic Games are meant for the physically challenged, including athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. There are 20 sports in the Paralympic program for the London 2012 Games. Paralympic Cycling breaks down into two disciplines: Road and Track.

Wasteland to World-Class Olympic Park

Around 250 acres of new parklands have been created from a former polluted industrial land by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), providing a colorful atmosphere for the London 2012 Games and beyond.

This July, spectators can watch the Games against the verdant backdrop of the Olympic Park. After 2012, the Park will be an addition to the city’s green spaces where people can enjoy themselves and wildlife can thrive.

The Olympic Parklands contain 4,000 semi-mature trees, over 300,000 wetland plants and nectar-rich annual and perennial meadows the size of nearly ten football fields. The meadows have been sown to flower during the London 2012 Games.

In the half-mile stretch between the Olympic Stadium and the Aquatics Centre, a riverside garden in the Park houses 120,000 plants from 250 different species across the globe. These plants are arranged by temperate regions.

The Olympic Park is meant to be highly accessible to the public. The gradients will be accessible to everyone. What’s more, spectators can enjoy views of the new venues and landmarks in the vicinity. ‘Henman Hills’ will be created so that spectators can catch all the action and excitement live on large screens during the Games.

The southern part of the Olympic Park will provide atmosphere for the Games with riverside gardens, markets, events, cafes and bars for entertainment. The northern area will focus on using the latest green techniques to manage flood and rain water. This area will also provide quieter public spaces and peaceful habitats for hundreds of existing and rare species of birds and animals.

Business benefits

Around 1,500 businesses in the UK have received a boost with an estimated whopping £5 billion worth of Games-related contracts. 44 domestic commercial partners have pitched in to help deliver the games and inspire the UK.

Thousands of new jobs are expected be created inside the Park alone, increasing employment and training opportunities for the local people. These opportunities will involve and benefit a wide range of businesses including tourism, sport and culture.

Future plans

Following the Games, the Olympic Park will morph into one of the largest urban parks that Europe has seen in nearly two centuries. Wildlife lovers, eco warriors and birdwatchers can enjoy the new wetland habitat to be created in the natural floodplains of the River Lea. The river’s canals and waterways will be cleaned and widened.

Sports clubs, local communities and elite athletes will be allowed access to the Park’s world-class sports facilities. Communities will also be allowed to use the new playing fields alongside these facilities.  Key workers such as teachers and nurses will be given homes in the Olympic and Paralympic Village, which will house athletes and officials during the Games. More housing facilities are expected to come up inside the Village. Riverside housing, restaurants, shops and cafes are some of the amenities on the cards.

The parklands area will house wildlife and plants, with new habitats created for species including otter, kingfisher, grey heron and water vole. The trees, mostly native species, have been carefully selected to ensure that they are ‘future proof’ against climate change.

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