Olympic Venues

[Mr Tickle]

Michael Johnson is the sprinter that will be running on the stadium track to mark 2 years to go. Also a cyclist will be in the velodrome and the BBC will be broadcasting many of its shows that day from the Olympic Park which is a nice idea.

Heres an article:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/rogermosey/2010/07/how_does_one_of_the.html

[Rob2012]

TWO YEARS TO GO - JULY 27th

Looking forward to these things on the 27th July, from the BBC:

• There'll be a special programme on BBC One at 2.15 in the afternoon with Sophie Raworth and Jake Humphrey reporting live on the inaugural event in the stadium and reflecting all the activity going on.
  
• We'll see some top athletes in action in the 2012 arenas with highlights including a bike whizzing round the track at the Velodrome - and the first sprint on a track within the main stadium. Indeed, we can confirm that the man performing there will be Michael Johnson - the gold medal hero of the Atlanta Games and BBC Sport's top athletics pundit.
  
• We'll be revealing the new BBC London 2012 website - which will bring together all the information about 2012 in one place, so covering not just sport but also news and culture and events.
  

Link

[Mr Tickle]

Im a bit tempted to take the day off, it should be on iplayer though I suppose. I bet the One show will be live from the park as well at 7pm

[Mr Tickle]

OOOOh feast your eyes on these little beauties

[Rob2012]

Much, much, much bigger (DarJoLe grabs all of 2012's official pics onto his Flickr page):

[adrianme17]

Michael Johnson is the sprinter that will be running on the stadium track to mark 2 years to go. Also a cyclist will be in the velodrome and the BBC will be broadcasting many of its shows that day from the Olympic Park which is a nice idea.

Heres an article:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/rogermosey/2010/07/how_does_one_of_the.html

Fab - love michael Johnson - hope he is with the BBC in 2012 ! Btw - enjoy your trip around the olympic park davey !

Im a bit tempted to take the day off, it should be on iplayer though I suppose. I bet the One show will be live from the park as well at 7pm

Take the day off - this won' t happen again in our life time! I already have the day off so am lucky!

[Mr Tickle]

oooh cheers Rob, they look so good, you can see such great detail. And yes, think I will book the day off : )

[Rob2012]

A superb article from none other than Kevin McCloud pointing out the good and bad of London's progress so far. It's a nice read this; it's an honest, politically untainted, warts-and-all opinion of one man, and hasn't come from either the Press Office of London 2012 or the Editor's Desk of the Telegraph. Kevin McCloud's take on the Olympic Park, its architecture, its future:

London 2012: Kevin McCloud reports from inside the Olympic site

[Mr Tickle]

Thats a really good article. Really well balanced, seems he agrees with most on here that the Velodrome is the most successful design in the Olympic park too

[Mr Tickle]

I was worried at the 2 years still to go mark the media still wouldn't be on board and still bitching at every available opportunity about the Olympics in 2012, and we would have to wait till 1 year to go before they started to realise they had to get behind this project.

How wrong could I be. I think its a testement to the way this project has been handled that the media is on board. There was loads of positive stuff all over the press this weekend and Im sure that will carry through to Tuesday and beyond

We have been turned from 'Cant do Britain' to 'Can do Britain, and can do with style' in one fair swoop.

This from the Telegraph

Imagine the craziest train set in the world, then throw in a backdrop of soaring, hyper-modern structures, and top the whole thing off with the sort of bustling purposefulness normally reserved for termite mounds or the lair of a James Bond villain. That is the impression you take away from the Olympic Park.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/7909185/London-2012-Olympics-Games-site-a-crazy-wonderous-train-set.html

[Rob2012]

Water flowing at London 2012 Canoe Slalom venue

WATCH VIDEO

Water is now flowing at the Lee Valley White Water Canoe Centre, the venue for the London 2012 Canoe Slalom events. The venue is on track to be completed later this year and will be the first brand new 2012 venue to be finished.

Construction work on the new lake and competition courses has been completed allowing water to begin flowing at the venue and testing work to start on the canoe courses. Works on the internal areas of the two-storey facility building and landscaping works are underway.

Olympic Delivery Authority Chairman John Armitt said: ‘With water flowing down the courses at the White Water Centre we are getting our first look at the facilities that the world’s best canoeists will compete on in 2012. With the venue due to be completed later this year, we are also on track to deliver an early sporting legacy for the East of England region well before the Games begin.’

Before and after 2012, the venue will be owned and managed by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority as a sporting and leisure facility for canoeing and white-water rafting, as well as a major competition and training venue for elite events.

[adrianme17]

Water flowing at London 2012 Canoe Slalom venue

WATCH VIDEO

Water is now flowing at the Lee Valley White Water Canoe Centre, the venue for the London 2012 Canoe Slalom events. The venue is on track to be completed later this year and will be the first brand new 2012 venue to be finished.

Construction work on the new lake and competition courses has been completed allowing water to begin flowing at the venue and testing work to start on the canoe courses. Works on the internal areas of the two-storey facility building and landscaping works are underway.

Olympic Delivery Authority Chairman John Armitt said: ‘With water flowing down the courses at the White Water Centre we are getting our first look at the facilities that the world’s best canoeists will compete on in 2012. With the venue due to be completed later this year, we are also on track to deliver an early sporting legacy for the East of England region well before the Games begin.’

Before and after 2012, the venue will be owned and managed by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority as a sporting and leisure facility for canoeing and white-water rafting, as well as a major competition and training venue for elite events.

looking good - and will be open to the public in 2011 - can't wait to have a go - went on the new one they have built in cardiff docklands 3 weeks ago and that was great!

[Mr Tickle]

yeah looking really good, I really like that curved wooden building too, really nice and simple.

[Rob2012]

And a photo of the facility next to the course

[The Tower Bridge Fox]

looking good - and will be open to the public in 2011 - can't wait to have a go - went on the new one they have built in cardiff docklands 3 weeks ago and that was great!

That white water river looks amazing.

[SkiFreak]

It'd be fun going down that whitewater course on an inner tube.

[Jim856796]

Boxing, Fencing, Judo, taekwondo, Table Tennis, Weightlifting, and Wrestling are all placced to take place at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre. The bid originnally proposed four sports halls inside the exhibition centre to accommodate the sports. Now, because Fencing events were moved there from the Olympic Park, a fifth sports hall (or possicly a sixth hall) may be needed. ExCeL recently had an expansion completed.

[Citius Altius Fortius]

I just checked the travel time to the venues for canoeing and canoe slalom and had to recognise that it is quite far outside of London and it takes appr. 2 hours resp 1 hour to Dorney Lake resp. Lee River Slalom Center...

Does anybody know if there will be shuttle services resp. a better service during the Games?

[Rafa]

There is mention of transport if you go through those brochures about the slalom venue.

Alternatively go to London2012.com and find the transport documents which provide brief info on the venues and the transport services.

[Citius Altius Fortius]

There is mention of transport if you go through those brochures about the slalom venue.

Alternatively go to London2012.com and find the transport documents which provide brief info on the venues and the transport services.

I used the official journey planner of the "tube-website" - if the public transportation system in London doesn't introduce special services for the venues you will need a lot of time to go to these venues...

[Rob2012]

From Prongle on Flickr:

[The Tower Bridge Fox]

Great picture.

I don’t want to alarm any one but Old ford lock was bombed in the war and some of the waterways near by looked like they hadn’t been dredges since the war, don’t worry I’m sure there is time to remove the unexploded bombs. Between now and the Olympics.

[Rob2012]

Couple of new stories from today, the first about the triathlon, the second about the marathon:

Ducks beware: 2012 triathlon heads to Hyde Park

Triathletes at the 2000 Olympics had to negotiate Sydney's shark-infested harbor, so the ducks and geese of London's Hyde Park seem unlikely to cause much fear in 2012.

Revealing their plans for the first "downtown" triathlon since the event's debut at the Sydney Games, London 2012 Olympic organizers also promised that the park's thriving wildlife would not be unduly disturbed either.

"We have no plans to round up the ducks and geese," Royal Parks chief executive Mark Camley said. "They'll waddle off in their own way."

Hyde Park is set to provide a picturesque backdrop to two of the games' more grueling events: the triathlon and the marathon swim. Its central location, close to Knightsbridge and Marble Arch, could also make those events some of the most popular with the public.

Half a million people lined the streets to watch the triathlon in Sydney. In 2012, a temporary stand overlooking the start-finish line by Hyde Park's Serpentine lake will hold 3,000 spectators, but thousands more will be able to watch along the course.

London 2012 sports director Debbie Jevans described it as "ultimately a free-ticket event."

"It's right in the middle of London, you look around you and it's just a wonderful venue," said British marathon swimmer Cassie Patten, a bronze medallist at the 2008 Beijing Games. "I got goosebumps when I arrived this morning, butterflies in my stomach.

"I've swum at Albert Dock in Liverpool in front of maybe 50 people, so to swim in London in front of a home crowd is going to be unreal. Every day when I wake up, it's in the back of my mind, but you've just to keep training as if it wasn't there because you could become overwhelmed by it."

Patten had to contend with being stung by jellyfish as she captured silver at the 2007 swimming world championships in Melbourne.

Nothing so dangerous lurks in the Serpentine, and the lake's size is likely to provide the main challenge.

"The water here is a really nice quality, a good temperature," she said. "Normally, we do four laps of 2.5 kilometers, here we'll be doing six laps, which obviously means there are more turns.

"But with open water swimming, you have to embrace the fact that no event will be the same as the one before, and we've got two years to get used to it."

Link

---

London 2012 Olympics: The Mall set to be marathon centrepiece [possibly]

The route for the marathon at the London 2012 Olympic Games is likely to start and finish at The Mall in a departure from tradition, though a final decision has yet to be made.

Several different courses are under consideration and it is hoped the consultation process will be completed by the end of the month.

However, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) are understood to have a strong preference for the proposal that uses The Mall as its centrepiece.

Running from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square and featuring Admiralty Arch, LOCOG believe the ceremonial route will provide the marathon with an iconic backdrop.

Traditionally the event has finished at the Games' main stadium and the original plan plotted a path from Tower Bridge to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, east London.

But LOCOG are eager to incorporate as many London landmarks as possible and favour The Mall, which is also the finish line for the annual London Marathon.

LOCOG director of venues and infrastructure James Bulley, however, today stressed discussions over the course are still ongoing.

"No final decision over the marathon has been made at this point," said Bulley.

"We're still working with the international federation and various technical bodies to understand exactly what will be best for London 2012.

"A number of different routes and scenarios are being examined at the moment.

"We have some preferred scenarios and we're working those through with the international federations.

"We have to strike a balance between factors such as the implications for traffic and road closures on the day and getting people around to other events.

"We also want to use as many iconic locations in the route as possible and, of course, it has to work well for all the athletes.

"The fact it traditionally finishes at the stadium is a consideration. The stadium has been designed to accommodate it and finishing there remains one of the options."

Link

[The Tower Bridge Fox]

Couple of new stories from today, the first about the triathlon, the second about the marathon:

Ducks beware: 2012 triathlon heads to Hyde Park

Triathletes at the 2000 Olympics had to negotiate Sydney's shark-infested harbor, so the ducks and geese of London's Hyde Park seem unlikely to cause much fear in 2012.

Revealing their plans for the first "downtown" triathlon since the event's debut at the Sydney Games, London 2012 Olympic organizers also promised that the park's thriving wildlife would not be unduly disturbed either.

"We have no plans to round up the ducks and geese," Royal Parks chief executive Mark Camley said. "They'll waddle off in their own way."

Hyde Park is set to provide a picturesque backdrop to two of the games' more grueling events: the triathlon and the marathon swim. Its central location, close to Knightsbridge and Marble Arch, could also make those events some of the most popular with the public.

Half a million people lined the streets to watch the triathlon in Sydney. In 2012, a temporary stand overlooking the start-finish line by Hyde Park's Serpentine lake will hold 3,000 spectators, but thousands more will be able to watch along the course.

London 2012 sports director Debbie Jevans described it as "ultimately a free-ticket event."

"It's right in the middle of London, you look around you and it's just a wonderful venue," said British marathon swimmer Cassie Patten, a bronze medallist at the 2008 Beijing Games. "I got goosebumps when I arrived this morning, butterflies in my stomach.

"I've swum at Albert Dock in Liverpool in front of maybe 50 people, so to swim in London in front of a home crowd is going to be unreal. Every day when I wake up, it's in the back of my mind, but you've just to keep training as if it wasn't there because you could become overwhelmed by it."

Patten had to contend with being stung by jellyfish as she captured silver at the 2007 swimming world championships in Melbourne.

Nothing so dangerous lurks in the Serpentine, and the lake's size is likely to provide the main challenge.

"The water here is a really nice quality, a good temperature," she said. "Normally, we do four laps of 2.5 kilometers, here we'll be doing six laps, which obviously means there are more turns.

"But with open water swimming, you have to embrace the fact that no event will be the same as the one before, and we've got two years to get used to it."

Link

---

London 2012 Olympics: The Mall set to be marathon centrepiece [possibly]

The route for the marathon at the London 2012 Olympic Games is likely to start and finish at The Mall in a departure from tradition, though a final decision has yet to be made.

Several different courses are under consideration and it is hoped the consultation process will be completed by the end of the month.

However, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) are understood to have a strong preference for the proposal that uses The Mall as its centrepiece.

Running from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square and featuring Admiralty Arch, LOCOG believe the ceremonial route will provide the marathon with an iconic backdrop.

Traditionally the event has finished at the Games' main stadium and the original plan plotted a path from Tower Bridge to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, east London.

But LOCOG are eager to incorporate as many London landmarks as possible and favour The Mall, which is also the finish line for the annual London Marathon.

LOCOG director of venues and infrastructure James Bulley, however, today stressed discussions over the course are still ongoing.

"No final decision over the marathon has been made at this point," said Bulley.

"We're still working with the international federation and various technical bodies to understand exactly what will be best for London 2012.

"A number of different routes and scenarios are being examined at the moment.

"We have some preferred scenarios and we're working those through with the international federations.

"We have to strike a balance between factors such as the implications for traffic and road closures on the day and getting people around to other events.

"We also want to use as many iconic locations in the route as possible and, of course, it has to work well for all the athletes.

"The fact it traditionally finishes at the stadium is a consideration. The stadium has been designed to accommodate it and finishing there remains one of the options."

Link

This all sounds very promising ,

As I hoped the marathon could include more landmarks like the Albert memorial

And Natural history museum , Victoria and Albert museum. Piccadilly circus why not.

[Mr Tickle]

All the 2012 marathons will start and end in the Mall, the rumour is true. Bit contravertial.

http://www.london2012.com/news/2010/10/london-2012-olympic-and-paralympic-marathons-to-start-an.php