In less than 2 years, London will be the host of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games and the athletes of 205 nations will compete in 300 events. The games will run from 27 July to 12 August 2012. Unlike Lillehammer, Norway, or Sochi, Russia, London is a familiar destination with famous historical attractions and it is easily accessible by most major airlines. During the 16 day world sporting event, the city is expected to see an influx of more than a million people. The Olympic games were previously hosted in this city in 1908 and 1948.

The Games Will Host 26 Sports.

Athletes from all over the world will be competing in these 26 sports:

Athletics, archery, aquatics, boxing, basketball, badminton, cycling, canoe, kayak, football, fencing, gymnastics, hockey, handball, judo, pentathlon, rowing, shooting, sailing, triathlon, taekwondo, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, wrestling, and weightlifting.

The Games Will Be In 28 Locations.

The olympic sports will be held in 28 different venues. Most of the games will be held in the Old Park, Stratford, East London, while other venues will be across locations in England, Scotland, and Wales.
Old Park will host the olympic stadium, the main centre for the opening and closing ceremonies and athletic events. This venue will also have the aquatics centre, basketball arena, handball arena, and hockey centre. The cycling track and cycling BMX will be in VeloPark.

Other Olympic Venues in London.

* Earls Court in West London will have volleyball.
* Excel London in East London will have numerous contact sports ranging from boxing to wrestling.
* Greenwich Park in south east London will have equestrian events.
* Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall will have beach volleyball.
* Hyde Park in the West End will have the triathlon and the 10k open water swim.
* Lord’s Cricket Ground will have archery.
* Millennium Dome in Greenwich peninsula will have two arenas. In Arena 1 will be artistic gymnastics, trampoline, and basketball. In Arena 2 will be badminton and rhythmic gymnastics.
* Regents Park will have road cycling.
* The Royal Artillery Barracks in south east London will have shooting.
* Wembley Stadium in north west London will have football.
* Wimbledon in south west London will have tennis.

Olympic Venues Outside London.

* The Broxbourne White Water Canoe Centre in Hertfordshire will have canoe slalom.
* Eton Dorney in Windsor will have rowing and the canoe sprint.
* Hadleigh Farm in Essex will have mountain bike.
* Hampden Park, the national stadium in Glasgow, Scotland, will have football.
* The Millennium Stadium, the national stadium in Wales will have football.
* Old Trafford in Manchester, the home of Manchester United Football Club, will have football.
* St James’ Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne will have football.
* Villa Park in the West Midlands will have football.
* Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour in Dorset will have sailing.

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games to be held in London from 27 July to 12 August 2012 will welcome 205 national athletes competing in 300 events. The games will be spread across 28 locations in London, Scotland, and Wales and is expected to bring in more than a million visitors. If you’re interested in going, it’s time to start considering signing up for tickets before they are officially released.

Author Bio: Find out more information about the London Olympics

Category: Sports
Keywords: olympics, 2012, london, sports, athletics