With just over 130 days before the start of the 2012 Games, London is steadily gearing up to host the biggest sporting event on the international scene. Valhmor Camilleri recently travelled to London to have a close look at preparations for the big show between June 27 and August 12.
This will be the third time that London is hosting the Olympic Games following the editions of 1908 and 1948.
Since winning the bid in 2005, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) embarked on a tight schedule to ensure that the event will not only be the best ever staged but also to leave a lasting legacy on the English capital in terms of sport, culture and economy.
In plotting their strategy, the organisers have been focusing mainly to ensure that they do not repeat the same mistakes committed by the two previous host cities, Athens and Beijing, who forked out big money on venues that were left to rot and hardly ever used again after the Games.
To this end, the LOCOG have planned the construction of an Olympic Park based on the notion that it will include venues which should remain in place on a permanent basis and others that will be removed once the Games are over.
The Olympic Park was erected in a 2.5sq km side in Stratford, East London. The plan was to transform an area, left neglected for several years, into a new urban park with improved infrastructure and top-class facilities.
“We are so proud to have injected new life into this part of London which was in decline, particularly this past decade,” Paul Deighton, the LOCOG CEO, said during a tour of the venues for the international press.
“Our goal was to organise Games that are open to all, where everyone is invited to take part, join in and enjoy the most exciting event in the world... the Olympic Park project was central to our objectives.
“This project has given a new facelift to Stratford besides creating over 10,000 jobs to unemployed people in the area. In future, it will also offer better accommodation for the people in the locality.”
Deighton told journalists that the Olympic Park project incorporates nine venues for the London Olympics but only five will continue to operate in future.
“As organising committee we felt it would not be practical to have new venues without a future once the Games are completed,” Deighton remarked.
“So, we have decided to retain only those that are guaranteed a sustainable future. In fact, the Olympic Stadium will be reduced in capacity and transformed into a multi-purpose venue.
“The cycling velodrome will form part of a new VeloPark for the local community and the Copper Box, which will host handball and modern pentathlon, will be adapted to become a multi-use arena. The Aquatics Centre will also not be demolished.”
It is understood that the basketball, hockey and waterpolo arenas along with Eton Manor (acquatic training facility) will all be put down and, re-used elsewhere, possibly for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Other imposing structures at the Olympic Park are the Broadcast Centre and the Main Press Centre that will host 20,000 broadcasters, photographers and journalists.
These two places will make way for 80,000sqm of business space while the Games’ village, where around 23,000 athletes and officials will be staying during the Games, will be converted to accommodate the local community in 2,818 new homes.
The LOCOG CEO confirmed all venues were completed within the time limit stipulated by the organising team when the project was planned years in advance.
“The Olympic Park and its surroundings has been completed ahead of schedule and various tests were successfully held,” he said.
“That made us optimistic London will be able to provide the world with the best Olympic Games ever. But, more importantly for us, is that we have ensured this part of the city will be ready to make all athletes feel at home this summer and that in future it will become a better place for residents to live.”
In the run-up to the Games, the organisers had to deal with problems at the ticket sale system when thousands tried to acquire tickets with scant success.
Deighton said the LOCOG were looking to lessen difficulties related to ticket sales.
“It’s true we had some problems with the ticket system but we are doing everything in powers to make the situation better,” he said.
“Next month, we shall issue another block of tickets for the public. Our objective remains to have the London Olympics open to everybody.”
2012 Olympics...
• 98 per cent of materials reclaimed from demolition within the Olympic Park in London were reused or recycled.
• 205 national anthems have been recorded by the London Philarmonic Orchestra for victory ceremonies.
• 2,500 tonnes of steel tubing was used as part of the supporting structure of the Olympic Stadium roof. The tubing was actually recycled from old gas pipelines.
• 4,000 trees have been planted across the Olympic Park and Athletes Village.
• 12,000 square metres is the size of the wave-shaped rood at the Aquatics Centre, one and a half times bigger than the Wembley football pitch.
• 800,000 people are expected to use public transport to travel to the Games on the busiest days.