A Brief Guide to London 2012 Olympics Venues
The seven year wait for the London 2012 Olympics is nearly over – with the release of 2012 Olympics tickets the first major indicator that the glamour of the Games is drawing near.
Ever since the moment London was unveiled as the host city of the 2012 Olympics in 2005, huge amounts of work have gone into the planning, design and construction of several venues across the city. In this guide, we take a look at five major venues to watch out for in the summer of 2012…
2012 Venue Guide
1. Olympic Stadium
The Olympic Stadium is the centrepiece of Olympic Park, and will showcase track and field events as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. Costing over £500 million to construct, the stadium will be able to hold up to 80,000 people and is set to become the new home of Premier League football side West Ham Utd after the Games.
2. Aquatics Centre
Situated within walking distance to the Olympic Stadium, the Aquatics Centre is perhaps the most architecturally striking of all the newly constructed venues for the 2012 games. The British swimming team are highly fancied to take home several medals, so expect the race for 2012 Olympics tickets at this 17,500 capacity venue to be intense.
3. Horse Guards Parade
The choice of Horse Guards Parade as the venue for beach volleyball raised a few eyebrows when London first secured the Games, and the prospect of cheering crowds and novelty music pumping out from this lynchpin of Royal pomp and ceremony is an image many Olympic fans are eagerly awaiting. Temporary courts and seating will be installed on site, respectively holding 12,000 and 5,000 people.
4. ExCel Centre
The ExCel Centre is one of the world’s largest exhibition and conference centre, and considering this venue sprawls out over 100 acres, it’s hardly surprising London 2012 zoned in on this Docklands destination as an Olympic hub. Several events will take place here including boxing, fencing, judo, taekwondo, table tennis, weightlifting and wrestling.
5. Old Friends: Wimbledon, Wembley Stadium, Lord’s Cricket Ground
London has a rich sporting history and with sustainability such a key issue for modern bid cities, inevitably one of the attractions of bringing the Games to the capital was the fact many venues boast a proud history in hosting elite competitions. During the 2012 Olympic Games, Wimbledon, Wembley and Lord’s will all play a leading role in hosting football, tennis and archery events.
The application process for London 2012 tickets closes in May 2011.