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The 26 sports of the London Olympics will take place in 28 venues. Where are the Games being held? |
Olympic Park Venues
Aquatics Centre
Sports - Swimming, diving, synchronised swimming, modern pentathlon (swimming) and water polo.
Basketball Arena
Sports - Basketball, handball finals
Eton Manor
Sports - Aquatics training, wheelchair tennis
Facts - A new 130m-high wind turbine will also be located at Eton Manor. It will help provide power to the park during and after the Games, generating energy for the equivalent of 1,000 homes.
Handball Arena
Sports - Handball, goalball, modern pentathlon (fencing)
Hockey Centre
Sports - Hockey
Olympic Stadium
Sports - Athletics, opening and closing ceremonies.
VeloPark
Sports - Cycling Track, Cycling BMX
Earls Court is in West London
Sport: Volleyball
About Earls Court - From exhibitions and conferences to live music, Earls Court holds hundreds of events each year attended by visitors from around the world.
ExCeL London - is situated near London City Airport in east London's Royal Victoria Dock.
Sport: Boxing, Fencing, Judo, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Boccia, Paralympic Table Tennis, Paralympic Judo, Paralympic Powerlifting, Volleyball (Sitting), Wheelchair Fencing
Greenwich Park on the south bank of the River Thames in south east London.
Sport: Equestrian events - Jumping, Dressage and Eventing, Paralympic Equestrian, Modern Pentathlon
About Greenwich Park - Includes the Old Royal Naval College and National Maritime Museum, which, together with Greenwich Park, are part of a World Heritage Site. It is London's oldest Royal Park, dating back to 1433. It has been a World Heritage Site since 1997. Within the park is The Royal Observatory and the home of Greenwich Mean Time at Longitude 0°.
Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall, the political centre of the UK.
Sport: Beach Volleyball
About Horse Guards Parade - Dates from 1745 and takes its name from the soldiers who have provided protection for the monarch since the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. The parade ground lies at the heart of London's ceremonial life, and hosts the Trooping of the Colour event that takes place on the Queen's official birthday each year.
Hyde Park in London's West End
Sport: Triathlon, 10k Open Water Swim
About Hyde Park - The largest of London's Royal Parks, Hyde Park has been open to the public since 1637. The park is home to a number of grassroots sports clubs, including the Serpentine Swimming Club, whose members swim in the Serpentine Lake whatever the weather - even on Christmas Day.
Lord’s Cricket Ground
Sport: Archery
Millennium Dome: The O2 in Greenwich - on the point of the Greenwich peninsula
Arena 1- Sport: Artistic Gymnastics, Trampoline, Basketball, Wheelchair Basketball
Arena 2 Sport: Badminton, Rhythmic Gymnastics
Regents Park
Sport: Road cycling
About Regents Park - One of London's famous Royal Parks, the Regent's Park has been open to the public since 1845. As well as being home to London Zoo and the Open Air Theatre, the park is a much-loved sports venue for thousands of Londoners.
The Royal Artillery Barracks on Woolwich Common in south east London
Sport: Shooting, Paralympic Shooting, Paralympic Archery
About the Royal Artillery Barracks - The London port of Woolwich has a long military history and the construction of the current Royal Artillery Barracks buildings began in 1776.
Wembley Stadium in north west London, around six miles from the city centre.
Sport: Football
About Wembley - The new stadium's arch soars over 130m into the sky, more than four times the height of the towers of the old Wembley Stadium.
Wimbledon in south west London
Sport: Tennis
About Wimbledon - Home of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and the setting for the famous Wimbledon tennis tournament since 1877. It is the only remaining major grass-court Tennis venue in the world.
Out of London Olympic Games venues
The Broxbourne White Water Canoe Centre in Hertfordshire
Sport: Canoe Slalom
Location - 30km north of the Olympic Park, on the edge of the 1,000-acre River Lee Country Park which is part of the 26-mile long, 10,000 acre Lee Valley Regional Park in Hertfordshire.
Eton Dorney near Windsor
Sport: Rowing, Paralympic Rowing, Canoe Sprint
About Eton Dorney - The venue is a 2,200m, eight lane rowing course with a separate return lane constructed to international standards. It is set in a 400-acre park with a nature conservation area.
Hadleigh Farmis to the east of London, in Essex.
Sport: Mountain Bike
Hampden Park in Glasgow is Scotland's national stadium.
Sport: Football
The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff is Wales' national stadium.
Sport: Football
Old Trafford in Manchester is home to Manchester United Football Club.
Sport: Football
St James’ Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the north east of England
Sport: Football
Villa Park in the West Midlands
Sport: Football
Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour in Dorset on England's south coast.
Sport: Sailing, Paralympic Sailing
The Symbols of the Olympic Games
 The Rings The Olympic Rings are five interlocking rings that stand for the five original continents, (Africa, America, Asia, Australia, and Europe) and the athletes from around the world. The colours of the rings are blue, yellow, black, green, and red respectively. They were chosen because at least one of these colours is found on the flag of every nation.
On the Olympic flag, the rings appear on a white background. At the Olympic Games, the flag is brought into the stadium during the opening ceremony. After its arrival, the flag is hoisted up the flagpole. It must fly in the stadium during the whole of the Games. When the flag is lowered at the closing ceremony, it signals the end of the Games. Motto The motto of th Olympic Games is "Swifter, Higher, Stronger". These three words encourage the athlete to give his or her best during competition, and to view this effort as a victory in itself. To better understand the motto, we can compare it with the following well-known phrase : The most important thing is not to win but to take part ! The Flame
From the moment the flame is lit to the moment it goes out, a very precise ritual is laid down : The lighting In memory of the Olympic Games’ origins, the flame is lit in Olympia, Greece, some months before the opening of the Games. The Olympic flame can only be lit by the sun’s rays. The relay route The torch is carried by relay from Olympia to the host city of the Games. Arrival at the stadium The day of the opening of the Games, the flame enters the stadium. With the lighting of the cauldron by the last relay runner the flame is transferred from the torch to the place where it will continue to burn for the entire length of the Games. The flame is extinguished on the final day of the Games at the closing ceremony. |
The Olympic flame is one of the best-known features of the Games. 
