Over 15,000 athletes from 205 nations will converge on London to compete in the London summer Olympics. The torch relay begins on May 18 with many celebrations and festivals as a prelude to the games. The games take place from July 27 through August 12. The Summer Olympics features 26 sports including 38 disciplines for a total of 302 events.

Alongside the competition, millions will enjoy Festival 2012, the Cultural Olympiad featuring art, music and theater. Three million are expected to attend more than 1000 individual events spanning 12 weeks from June 21st through September 9th when the Paralympics ends. Edinburgh Scotland will also be hosting an art festival featuring 20,000 artists from all over the world. The Edinburgh Art Festival runs August 3rd through August 27th.

Beginning on May 18, the torch relay lasts 70 days with 66 evening celebrations planned. The ceremony starts at Land\’s End in Cornwall and reaches to every region in the UK with 6 island visits included along the route. The torch will be carried 8000 miles, or 12,800 kilometers. The ending ceremony will be the lighting of the cauldron during the opening ceremony of the games at Olympic Stadium on July 27.

The all new Olympic Park encompasses approximately 1 square mile in London\’s East End. The park showcases gardens, markets, events, cafes, and bars. The 80,000 seat Olympic Stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies and all the athletic events. Olympic Park also includes a Hockey Centre, Handball and Basketball Arena, the Aquatics Centre, and Velopark Stadium, a new cycling center.

Outside of the park but still in London, the North Greenwich Arena hosts gymnastics and the basketball finals. Excel Exhibition Centre hosts boxing, judo, wrestling, weightlifting, and table tennis. Greenwich Park is the site of Equestrian competitions, and the Royal Artillery Barracks hosts shooting events. Wembley Stadium will host the gold medal matches for soccer, and Lord\’s Cricket Ground is the site of archery events. The triathlon and 10 open swimming events will be at Hyde Park, volleyball at Earls Court. The well known Wimbledon will host the tennis competitions.

Venues outside of London include soccer competitions in Scotland and Wales. Hampden Park in Scotland hosts soccer and some track and field events. More soccer matches will be played out at the Old Trafford Soccer Stadium near Manchester. Near Hertfordshire England, the Broxbourne White Water Canoe Centre hosts the canoe slalom event. Dorney Lake hosts canoeing and rowing competitions. Hadleigh Country Park in Essex is the site for mountain biking events. Sailing events take place at Weymouth Bay, and Portland Harbour.

Sports included in the summer Olympics are archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, canoeing, cycling, equestrian, fencing, field hockey, football, gymnastics, handball, judo, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball, weight lifting, and wrestling. The sports program will be missing baseball and softball. Added features include women\’s boxing, a mixed doubles tennis competition, and additional cycling events.

Getting around is easy. Take the rails, light rails, buses, Tube, taxis, and river transport options. Stay at hotels, cottages, hostels, even homestays are available. For those watching the London summer Olympics from home, BBC plans to broadcast the games by several channels to cover all 5000 hours of Olympic games. YouTube will stream highlights. NBC in the US and Channel 9 in Australia will broadcast sporting events around the clock. Connect with the Olympics on Twitter, Facebook, Widgets, and more.

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