The London Olympics in 2012 - A Quick Guide to the Main Venues

New Venues

The Olympic Park is the main area of development in London. Located in the north-east of London in an area that was previously underused: The Lea Valley, it will be host to the new-build venues. It contains the following 'Big Five ' structures:

London 2012

The Olympic Stadium - where the main athletic events will be held.The Aquatics Centre - where the swimming events will take placeThe Olympic settlement - where competitors will be staying during the eventThe Velodrome - where the cycling events are scheduledThe Ibc/Mpc - a media centre to house the international Tv crews, journalists and photographers.

All 'Big Five' venues are currently 'on track', though there is wide acknowledgement among development engineers that 2010 will be the 'toughest' year for development contractors, as the build cycle is now at its busiest phase.

Existing Venues

The following is a list of existing sites which will be modified to host a range of sporting events:

Earls Court in West London - normally stages exhibitions and A-list Pop/Rock star gigs, it will be hosting the Olympic Volleyball events.
ExCeL - is someone else large exhibition space, Located east of the Docklands and will home to a range of sports including: Boxing, Fencing, Judo, Table Tennis, Weightlifting, Powerlifting and other less familiar events (such as Taekwondo) for both able-bodied athletes and Paralympians.
Greenwich Park - south of the Docklands is hosting the Equestrian and contemporary Pentathlon events, with the cross country policy running over the parkland.
Horseguards Parade - it sounds unlikely, but true: the Beach Volleyball will be held on the space normally reserved for 'Trooping the Colour'. The ball could bounce over into the Prime Minister's organery from there.
The Dome - in North Greenwich, will host the Basketball and artistic gymnastics. The ill-fated Millennium Dome has been successfully hosting gigs and basketball events for years now and has turned its 'White Elephant' status colse to completely, normally selling out in minutes.
The Royal Artillery Barracks - a spectacular setting for the shooting events in Woolwich, South-east London. Built in 1776, the structure are steeped in military history. Arsenal football club began nearby, using their former name: 'The Woolwich Arsenal'.
Wembley Stadium - will host the football. Recently rebuilt at eye-watering expense, this venue is the former home of English football.
Wimbledon - unsurprisingly, will host the tennis competition.

In expanding Hyde Park and Regent's Park will host the Triathlon and Cycling events, respectively.

The main stadium roof was successfully raised on the 15th December 2009, prompting Lord Coe (London 2012 Committee Chair) and Olympics Minister, Tessa Jowell to confirm their confidence in building contractors hitting their key targets. It appears that the 2012 Olympic preparations are on agenda and confidence is high, despite the global recession, that the Games will accomplish the high standards promised, when London won the bid in July 2005.

The London Olympics in 2012 - A Quick Guide to the Main Venues