An Overview Of The Summer Olympics 2012
If you’re planning to travel to London for the Summer Olympics 2012, then you’re in for some great experience. It is nothing new to the City of London to host the Olympic Games because it has done it twice already – the first one in 1908 and the second one in 1948. The preparations for the Summer Olympics 2012 are now in full swing, particularly because we are now just a few weeks away from the Opening Day Ceremonies.
The Summer Olympics 2012 is set to start on July 27 and scheduled to end on August 12. It is expected to be a spectacular celebration of sports and culture, as 204 nations come together to compete in 302 events composed of 26 sports events, namely archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, canoe slalom, canoe sprint, cycling (BMX, road, track, mountain bike), diving, equestrian (dressage, eventing, and jumping), fencing, football, gymnastics (artistic, rhythmic, trampoline), handball, hockey, judo, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, synchronized swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting, and wrestling.
The majority of these events will be held at the Olympic Park in Stratford. The 200-hectare park features the newly-constructed Olympic Stadium, VeloPark, Aquatics Centre, Basketball Arena, and Riverbank Arena. The 80,000-seater Olympic Stadium will be the centerpiece of this year’s Olympic Games and will be the venue of track-and-field events as well as the Olympics opening and closing ceremonies. Aquatic events such as swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, and water polo, on the other hand, will be housed at the London Aquatics Centre, which can accommodate 17,500 spectators. The 12,000-seater Basketball Arena will be hosting the basketball and handball events, while field hockey will be played in the 15,000-seater Riverbank Arena. And lastly, the VeloPark will house all the cycling events.
The Olympic Park is just one of three zones in London where the events will be held. The other two zones include the River Zone and the Central Zone. The major competitions that will take place in the Olympic Zone are basketball, cycling, diving, fencing, field hockey, handball, swimming, and water polo. The River Zone, which is located on both sides of the River Thames, will host the following sports events: basketball, boxing, equestrian, fencing, judo, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, weightlifting, and wrestling. The third zone or Central Zone, which covers much of central and western London, will generally be the venue for archery, athletics, badminton, cycling, football, swimming, and volleyball.
Tourists from all parts of the world are expected to come a few days before the Opening Ceremony. If you’re going to be one of the visitors this July, you will never run out of hotel accommodations where you can plan your stay. The railways in London underwent massive renovations and improvements to cope with the requirements of the Olympics, so guests should never have a problem with transportation.
The mascots for the Summer Olympics 2012 are Wenlock and Mandeville. Wenlock is the mascot for Olympic Games whereas Mandeville is the mascot for the Paralympics. The mascots are one eyed and made of steel.
Queen Elizabeth II and husband Prince Philip were chosen to open the 2012 London Olympics. The event will commence at the sound of an enormous Bell made by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, East London. The large Bell measures two meters in length, three meters in width and 23 tons in weight. It has been reported that this Olympic Bell is the largest ringing Bell in Europe.
Of course, watching the Olympic Games is just not the only thing to do in London. The city can give you a wide variety of fun activities that will surely make your vacation memorable. Aside from shopping, dining, or watching the Olympics, it will be worth your time to visit the most historical and remarkable destination spots all over London, such as The Tower of London, The Tower Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, The Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey, just to name a few.
You may be surprised to know that the Summer Olympics 2012 is not just about seeing the best athletes in the world or visiting the best places in London. More than anything, it’s about learning the values of the Olympic Games, namely excellence, respect, and friendship. It is a very good opportunity for the various nations to get to know each other and share experiences even just for a short while.
