The London Olympics 2012 will mark the third time the UK has hosted the Olympic Games and Great Britain’s invigorated performance in the 2008 Olympic Games means that we’ll be expected to pick up even more of those gold medals. The Olympic opening ceremony is expected to be an extravagant affair and they’ll be plenty of events and activities with which Londoners can get involved.
Many of London’s existing sports and event venues such as Wembley Stadium and the O2 Arena will be used during the Olympic Games and construction has begun on some new additions to London’s skyline. The London Olympic Stadium in Stratford will be the centrepiece of the 2012 Summer Olympics; this venue will also contain the Olympic Village which houses the athletes and Olympic officials throughout the Games. Even some of London’s iconic landmarks will be home to temporary structures to accommodate over 300 different sporting events that will be taking place. Beloved venues such as Hyde Park will host the Triathlon and the Indoor Volleyball competition will be held at Earl’s Court.
During the summer of 2012, London will be transformed in preparation to welcome Olympic athletes and their supporters from across the globe. Since winning the bid back in 2005, London has begun an overhaul of its public transport system by expanding some of the existing tube lines and Overground railways, which will be necessary to transport the expected 10,000 competitors from over 200 countries.
Central London will be split into three sectors; the Central Zone, the River Zone and the Olympic Zone.
- The Central Zone will be made up of various London venues which stretch across central and West London. These include Regent’s Park for road cycling, Lord’s Cricket Ground for archery and the Horse Guard’s Parade for beach volleyball. Let’s hope they remember to give that last one a good clean up first.
- The River Zone is based largely around Greenwich and comprises venues which straddle the river Thames. Indoor sports such as table tennis, trampolining and judo will be held at the ExCel Exhibition Centre and Greenwich Park will be used for equestrian events.
- The Olympic Zone is based in Stratford and will be a specially constructed 500 acre facility that will house the majority of events including the Olympic Village. A dedicated Aquatics Centre and indoor velodrome are among the many buildings currently under construction.
Make sure you get yourself down to Hyde Park to cheer on Team GB at the finish line. Throughout the summer the park will also be home to music, film, theatre and cultural events in celebration of the London Olympic Games in 2012.
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