London 2012 is no first for the capital; indeed it has hosted the Olympic Games not once but twice previously in both 1908 and 1948. As well as the 2012 Paralympic Games, the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, which are officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad, will also take place in London, which was announced the winner of the bidding process in July 2005. Most of the Games will take place in Stratford, East London, but in total five London boroughs are involved in staging the event, namely Newham, Greenwich, Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.
Over 200 nations will be participating in the Olympic Games across 26 different sports and 39 different disciplines; the programme of the 2012 Paralympic Games features 20 sports and 21 disciplines. In contrast to the Beijing Olympics in 2008, open air swimming as well as women’s boxing will be inlcuded in the London Olympic schedule, while baseball and softball will not be featured.
Both existing and new venues will be used for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as temporary facilities. These include such fabulous locations as Hyde Park and Horse Guards Parade. Most of the Olympic events will take place in the Olympic Park in Stratford, East London which will be home to the Olympic Stadium, the Aquatics Centre, the London Velopark, the Olympic Hockey Centre and three Olympic Park Arenas.\n\nAfter the Olympics are over some of the new facilities will be used in their original Olympic form while other venues will be reduced in size or relocated to other places in the within Greater London, the venues have been divided into three zones: the Olympic Zone, the River Zone and the Central Zone. There also are venues outside the boundaries of Greater London; the sailing events for example will be hosted by the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy on the Isle of Portland in Dorset.
Financing
In 2005, when London won the right to host the Olympics there was jubilation across the capital at the prospect of welcoming the world to the British capital. This was however quickly replace by worry and scepticism about how the games would be paid for and by whom. The cost was estimated at £2.4 billion in 2005, but less than two years later in March 2007 Olympics minister Tessa Jowell said the budget might reach £9.35 billion, a figure including a £2.7bn contingency amount and costs regeneration and infrastructure. Fears are still rife that this price tag could increase further at the expense of the London and other taxpayers.
The Olympic Games 2012 are mostly privately funded. However, when it comes to venues and parks, public money will be used. The current estimate is that over £9bn will be needed to stage the games and to cover the regeneration of the East London area. For staging the games (£2 billion), a combination of sponsorship, merchandising, ticketing and broadcast rights will provide the money; this budget will be managed by the London 2012 Organising Committee. 63% of the money will come from Central Government; 23% from National Lottery and 13% from the Mayor of London and the London Development Agency.\n\nTransport & Accommodation Facilities
The transport plans for the Games will help transform the Lower Lea Valley into one of the best connected areas in London. Work for Games related transport improvements has already started to take place. Involved in the transformation process are for example Transport for London, the Highways Agency, Department for Transport and Network Rail.
To cope with the crowds of participants, volunteers and spectators who will travel to the Olympics each day, Railway lines, trains and stations are being upgraded. Most of the ten lines that currently serve the Olympic Park area are being upgraded.
There will be a new DLR line from Stratford International to Canning Town by mid 2010; 55 additional rail cars are being purchased to accomodate demand on the DLR, increasing capacity by 50 per cent (on some lines) and the DLR’s length is being extended by 25%.
The centerpiece of the Games' rail service will be the High Speed 1 rail link from the Channel Tunnel. People will be able to get from St.Pancras to the Olympic park in just seven minutes.
On the Jubilee Line, train frequency will be improved as well as the signalling system and the Stratford Regional Station being upgraded as well. This is key given that up to 120,000 passengers are expected to use the station each morning.
In additon to a new bus system (‘iBus’) that will be introduced, the new railway and new cycle lanes, walking routes will connect the Park with wider London networks.
Expected Olympic Legacy
The transport improvements planned for the London 2012 Games will open up East London and make the Lower Lea Valley a better connected area. A lot of the transformations will be completed before 2012 so Londoners can enjoy the benefit before the Olympics, as well as afterwards. The transport enhancements also mean that there will generally be better accessibility for everyone but in particular disabled people, older people and families with children.
After the Games, the Olympic Village will be converted into 3,600 apartments in Stratford, whilst the public will also be able to benefit from parts of the Olympic Park that will remain sporting attractions such as the VeloPark, the Aquatics Centre and the Hockey Centre. These are all expected to remain in some capacity after the Olympics are over.
As with anything, there are some who believe costs outweigh the benefits, however it seems that increasingly (particularly after the incredible British success in Beijing) people are aware of the economic benefits the Games will bring and most of the Londoners are proud of hosting an iconic international sporting tournament in their city.
