Sports
Olympics June 2012 London
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, the most awaited sporting event in 2012 is scheduled to start from the 27 July in London, United Kingdom. With this, London would be the first city in the world to host the games in its modern avatar three times, the first time being in 1908 and the second in 1948. London defeated Moscow, New York City, Madrid and Paris on 6 July 2005 to host the
Olympics in 2012. Officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad, the Games will see participation from 205 countries in 300 events from across the globe.
Majority of the sporting events of the 2012 Olympics would be held in East London. Remaining events are going to be held across London and in other parts of England, Scotland and Wales. Some of the most important Olympics venues will be:
- Olympic Stadium: For Athletics events. The opening and closing ceremonies of the Games will also be held here.
- Aquatics Center: For swimming, water polo, diving, synchronized swimming sporting events.
- Basketball Arena: For basketball and handball events
- Eton Manor: Aquatics training.
- Hockey Center: For hockey events.
- Velo Park: For cycling Track and BMX events.
- Earls Court (West London): For Volleyball events.
- ExCel London( London City Airport) : For Boxing, Judo, Table Tennis, Weightlifting, Wresting, Taekwondo.
- Greenwich Park (South East London): For Equestrian Sporting events.
- The Royal Artillery Barracks (South East London): For Shooting events.
- Wembley Stadium (North West London): For Football events.
- Wimbledon (South West London): For Tennis events.
- Apart from the above, the following are some of the other venues outside London.
- The Broxbourne White Water Canoe Center, Hertfordshire
- Eton Dorney, Windsor
- Hadleigh Farm, Essex
- Hampden Park, Glasgow
- Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
- Old Trafford, Manchester
- St James Park, Newcastle
- Villa Park, West Midlands
- Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour, Dorset
Olympics are not complete without a mention of the mascot of the Games. For the Olympics, there are two who have the names as Wenlock and Mandeville. The mascots are digital age animations that depict two drops of steel from a steelwork factory in Bolton. While a section of the population has been critical of the design of the mascots, children between the age of 5 to 15 seem to enjoy the animation.
With less than 50 days to the start of the Olympics, the city of London is geared to give the world a great show. Security is a major issue with more than 10,000 police officers and 13,500 army personnel deployed as part of the security procedures. Over 70,000 volunteers called “Game Makers” will provide their services for free for the entire duration of the games. The opening ceremony is slated to be a spectacular event with a cast of 10,000 volunteers and 900 children. From Trafalgar Square that houses the countdown to the Olympics, to the underground painted in the colors of the Games, London seems to be gearing up for the biggest Sporting event in the world with great elan.