Where Is The Olympics 2012 Happening – The Key Venues For The Summer Olympic Games
After the successful Winter Olympics in Canada two years ago, many are now asking - where is the Olympics 2012 happening? The capital city of England will make another world record for soon becoming the first ever city to officially accommodate the Olympic Games three times, having previously done so in the years 1908 and 1948. The City of London was chosen as the host city on July 6, 2005 during the 117th IOC Session in Singapore. London defeated Moscow, New York, Madrid and Paris during the tight selection process.
The United Kingdom, equipped with the willpower to protect the environment and satisfy its mission to be the greenest government in the world, recently finished the official venue of the 2012 Summer Olympics. The London 2012 Olympic Park in Stratford, East London is where the majority of the games will be held. It will serve as the major venue of this year’s London Olympics which will happen from July 27 to August 12. Some events will also be held in other locations across London and the U.K.
The Olympic Park had been constructed to be as energy-efficient and as sustainable as possible. For example, all sports venues will use at least 40 percent less water than equivalent buildings through certain initiatives such as collecting rainwater on roofs so that this can be reused for toilet needs. Spectators can really expect a green and eco-friendly venue for the Olympics this year.
The Olympic Park will house most of the games because it has largest and most up-to-date infrastructures. The Olympic Stadium, for example, which is situated south of the Olympic Park, has a seating capacity of 80,000. It will be the centerpiece of this year’s Summer Olympic Games and will be the venue of the athletics events as well as the Olympics opening and closing ceremonies.
The Olympic Park Venues
The VeloPark is going to be the arena for track and BMX cycling. The VeloPark, which is located in the City of Bankstown, features steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. This venue is carefully designed to allow bikers to keep their bikes relatively perpendicular to the surface while riding fast.
The Aquatics Center, just as the name suggests, is an indoor facility that will accommodate the aquatic events such as swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, water polo, and modern pentathlon (swimming). It has two swimming pools and one diving pool.
The Copper Box, formerly known as the Handball Arena, is going to be the venue for handball and goalball competition. This 2,750-square-meter play area was renamed because aside from handball, it will also hold the modern pentathlon (fencing) games.
The Basketball Arena will accommodate 12,000 viewers for Olympic basketball and the semi-finals and finals of the Olympic handball. The venue will also serve as a holding area for athletes during the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic Games.
The northernmost area of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is the Eton Manor, which will host the temporary training pools for athletes in aquatics events, such as swimming, synchronized swimming, and water polo. To uphold to its commitment of being green, the venue will use a new 130m-high wind turbine which will supply power to the park during and after the games.
Other London Olympic Venues
For those who are asking “Where is the Olympics 2012 taking place?”, these are just some of the key venues found in and around the Olympic Park. Other London Olympic venues include the Earls Court in West London, ExCel London in East London's Royal Victoria Dock, Greenwich Park in South East London, Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall, Hyde Park in London's West End, Regents Park, The Royal Artillery Barracks, Wembley Stadium in North West London, and Wimbledon in South West London.
Venues Outside London
The venues outside London include the Broxbourne White Water Canoe Centre in Hertfordshire, Eton Dorney near Windsor, Hadleigh Farm in Essex, Hampden Park in Glasgow (Scotland), The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff (Wales), Old Trafford in Manchester, St James’ Park in Newcastle, Villa Park in the West Midlands, and Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour in Dorset.
The list of Olympic venues is quite long, really. But, we hope this article answered your question, “Where is the Olympics 2012 happening?”
