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Opening Date: 27th July 2012

Closing Date: 9th September 2012

Website: www.london2012.com

 

The Olympic Games in London, UK, is the XXX Modern Summer Olympic Games, and the 48th Olympiad

 

London was elected host of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games on 6th July 2005 by gaining 54 of the 104 votes cast, beating off competition from eight other Cities; Paris, Leipzig, New York, Istanbul, Moscow, Madrid, Havana, and Rio de Janeiro.

 

The Olympic Park in East London will be the centre of the London 2012 Olympic Games, featuring a host of new sporting venues, with up to 180,000 spectators entering the Olympic park each day of the games. 

 

London 2012 includes 26 Olympic sports in 34 venues, 20 Paralympic sports in 21 venues, with 10,500 Olympic and 4,200 Paralympic athletes taking part. 20,000 press and media workers will broadcast and report on the games to the rest of the world, and over 9 million tickets will be sold to the events.

 

The London Olympics 2012 incorporates a rich mix of brand new, state of the art facilities with world famous, traditional sporting venues and other locations. 

 

The purpose built Olympic Park includes the brand new Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre, Velodrome and BMX circuit, along with the hockey, handball and basketball arenas. Also within the Park is the Olympic Village, built to accommodate all the Athletes, there staff and officials, and located within walking distance of all the venues included in the Olympic Park.

 

London is one of the most famous and historic cities in the world, particularly when it comes to international sport, and it makes full use of it at the London 2012 games. Famous venues such as Wembley Football Stadium, The All-England Club in Wimbledon, Lord’s Cricket Ground and Horse Guards Parade will provide world class sporting facilities for several of the London 2012 sports. London’s Famous parks also see much of the action, with Hyde Park and Regent’s Park the setting for many events

 

 

The Modern Olympics is inspired by the Ancient Olympic Games performed in Greece as far back as 776 B.C. and continuing until they were banned in 393 A.D. by the Roman Emperor Theodosius. The ancient games were dedicated to the Ancient Greek gods and performed in Olympia, from which The Olympics gets its name. Some events from the Ancient form of the games are still performed in the Modern version, including running, long jump, javelin, shot put and boxing. 

 

The modern Olympics movement was founded by Pierre de Coubertin, based on the ideology of the peace moment of the late 19th century. The first Modern Olympic Games took place in 1896, sited in Athens, Greece, on the Olympia planes of the original games. 14 nations took part, with 241 athletes competing in 43 events and on April 6th 1986, James Connolly of the USA won the triple jump to become the first Olympic Champion of the Modern movement.

 

 

 

A key aim of the London Olympics is to create a lasting sporting legacy, to substantially increase the long term participation in physical activity and improve the health of the whole UK population. London 2012 aims to use the increased focus and interest in exercise generated by the games to stimulate an increase in physical activity at all levels, not just in a sporting environment, and particularly at grass roots level. Studies have shown that active promotion and organisation is required to produce a long term and lasting increase active participation in exercise that will bring life long health gains. This, in tern, will increase participation at higher levels within sport, and improve the sporting success of the United Kingdom at international and elite level. 

 

 

 

While the founding principal of the games remains focused on the bringing together of nations of the world in a peaceful celebration of mankind’s potential and common ability The Modern Olympic Movement has developed beyond its original sporting celebration. The Olympics today brings together an extensive range of human achievements to make the games a success; architecture, construction, fashion, science, art and design, technology, cultural and political union, economic stimulation and urban regeneration. The modern Olympics now brings together all aspects of life to celebrate mankind, advocating peace between all nations and now wields a greater and lasting influence.

 

The four years leading up to London 2012 will include Cultural Olympiad taking place across the UK and throughout the world, building up to its peak of the opening ceremony on 27th July 2012. Following the opening ceremony, a 60-day festival of culture and sport will come to life, spanning the Olympic and Paralympic games. Celebrations of art, music, fashion, sculpture, architecture and many other cultural and social events will take place in all regions of Britain.

 

 

The Olympic and Paralympic games now bring a huge economic boost to the host city and the wider host nation. London 2012 is expected to see the biggest economic enhancement and regeneration of any Olympics to date, with £9.325 billion being spent to host and organise the event alone. 98% of companies contracted for the London Olympics are UK companies, with just under half coming from outside London and dispersed across all regions of Britain. 68% of these are small and medium sized businesses, and 12% are based in the hosting boroughs of London, an important factor in the key aim of the London Olympics in regenerating east London boroughs. 

 

A predicted 38,000 full time jobs will be created in London, with a further 8,000 jobs across the rest of the UK as a long term consequence of the games. In total, the pre, during and post Olympic economic impact is predicted to increase the GDP of London by £5.9 billion, with an extra £1.926 billion increase in GDP across the rest of the UK.

 

 

The London Olympics will start with the opening ceremony on 27th July 2012, and close on the 12th August 2012. In total, 26 sports are included in the games, with a range of events and disciplines in each one. Below is a list of the Olympic sports and the venues used for each one.