The Olympics in 2012 Helen Post Pärnu Coeducational Gymnasium Form: g3b 2009

History of the Olympics in London The Summer Olympics held in 1908 in London were at first scheduled to take place in Rome, but the eruption of Mount Vesuvius required the Italian Government to redirect the Olympic funds. The Olympics of 1944 were cancelled due to World War II. The 1948 Games were the first to be held after the war.

Olympic Park It is located in the Lower Lea Valley, which is the area surrounding the River Lea. The building of the Park began in May The main venues are the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre and Velodrome.

Olympic Stadium The Stadium will be at the south of the Olympic Park on an island. The Olympic Stadium will have 25, 000 permanent seats and 55, 000 temporary seats, which will be removed after the Games. The construction of the Stadium started on 22 May 2008 and Prime Minister Gordon Brown was on the site to see the work begin.

The Olympic Stadium will be the heart of the 2012 Olympic and Paraolympic Games. All the Athletic events will take place there as well as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. After the Olympics media reports have suggested that several tenants were interested in moving to the Stadium.

The Brand The number 2012 (in the corner) is the brand of the Olympics held in London. The organizers claim it to be universal and understandable worldwide. The logo was designed by Wolff Olins and it was unveiled on 4 June The design cost nearly £ 400, 000. "This is the vision at the very heart of our brand," said former top- level athlete Seb Coe.

Criticism of the brand Many call the expensive price tag a waste of money, claiming that a national competition would have been more appropriate. Others say that it failed to capture the British spirit and that the design is a source of embarrassment rather than pride. There is also a video about the brand on the London 2012 web site, which could trigger epileptic seizures.

Sports at the 2012 Olympic Games The programme features 26 sports and a total of 39 disciplines. London’ s bid featured 28 sports, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted to drop baseball and softball from the Games. The IOC held another vote to replace the sports dropped. However the final nominees: karate and squash did not receive enough votes.

Women’ s boxing, which was not included in Beijing, is again considered for inclusion. Boxing is the only Summer Olympic sport that does not include events for women. Netball is being drafted as a possible demonstration sport at the 2012 games. The IOC will meet in 2009 to decide which new events to include in the programme.

Other facts about the 2012 Games 10,500 Olympic athletes. 20,000 press and media. There will be free events - including the Road Cycling, Triathlon and Marathon. 7.7 million tickets will be available for the Olympic Games, with another 1.5m for the Paralympic Games. At least 50 % of the tickets will be priced under £ 20.