The excitement is mounting in the UK, as London gets ready to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. Spectators from all over the world will see the best athletes in the world compete for medals from 27th July – 12th August. London has the honor of being the first city to host the event on three occasions, the previous two taking place in 1908 and 1948. The capital won its bid against stiff competition and was one of five locations left in the bidding process. The others were Moscow, Madrid, Paris, and New York City. The organizing committee for the games, chaired by Lord Coe, was delighted when the announcement came that London had won. Sebastian Coe shares the excitement of the athletes, as a former gold medallist himself.
The Olympics is one of the most complex events to organize, as it brings sportspeople from the four corners of the world. 2012 will involve 39 different disciplines across 26 sports. Each of the games sees a slightly different program with some events losing out and some being added. The London games has dropped Baseball and Softball, and added Women’s Boxing.
The focal point for the games, where the opening and closing ceremonies will take place, is the new London Olympic Stadium, which began construction in 2008 at a cost of $766 million. The 80,000 capacity stadium will present the Track and Field events. The stadium, located in the east of the city, is part of the regeneration scheme in the area. Other events will take place at existing venues, some of which are very familiar to international audiences. The Soccer competition is hosted at Wembley Stadium, the venue for England’s international soccer fixtures. Tennis will take place at the Wimbledon courts, which is the venue for the British Open every year. The O2 Arena, (formerly the Millennium Dome), will serve as the venue for Gymnastics.
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Tickets for both the Olympics and the Paralympics will go on sale in 2011. These will be sold right up to the start of the event, as long as they are available. The ticket cost will include free travel on public transport on the day of the event. This is to encourage people to use the public transport system, which will help to keep the London traffic flowing. There are three events, the Triathlon, the Marathon, and Road Cycling, that don’t require a ticket. You just have to turn up and give support from the roadside. If you are not fortunate enough to get a ticket for the games, you can cheer your favorite sports on TV. In the USA, NBC Universal has the broadcasting rights and the estimated worldwide television audience is 1.5 billion people.
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