The 2012 Summer Olympic Games officially
refers to the Games of the 30th Olympiad or the London 2012 Olympic
Games. The Games will be held in London, England in the United Kingdom from
July 27 to August 12, 2012, about two weeks before the start of the Paralympics
Games on August 29 to September 9 also in London. London holds the distinction
of being the first city in the world to officially host the Olympics three
times, including the forthcoming 30th Olympiad. The recent selection
of London as host city was made by the 117th Session of the
International Olympic Committee in Singapore in July 2005 over Moscow, New York
City, Madrid in Spain and Paris in France.
London
Olympic Committee.
The London Olympic Committee is tasked to manage the Games—including the
Paralympics, which are competitions for physically disabled athletes—at a
budget of 11.3 billion pounds sterling. The amount will be used principally for
preparing for the Games that include the redevelopment of London’s different
areas and venues and for the purchase of several properties, and construction
of the 80,000-capacity Olympic Stadium. As of July 2011, the redevelopment of
several venues where the Games
are to be held, and the construction of a number of facilities are 88%
complete. Preparations funding is shared by the UK Central government at 64%,
National Lottery, 23%, and the Mayor of London and the London Development
Agency at 13%. To help fund the entire preparations cost, the central
government has entered into partnership deals with major companies categorized
as worldwide, and Tiers one, two and three.
Public
transport.
Preparation efforts are focused on public transportation and security for more
than 17,000 athletes and some 500,000 visitors from around the world. Public
transport has undergone numerous improvements including, among others, the (a) Expansion
of the London over-ground East London Line, (b) Upgrades to the Docklands Light
Railway and the North London Line, (c) Introduction of a new “Javelin”
high-speed rail service in the concept of Japan’s “bullet” trains, and (d)
Construction of the 25 million pound sterling cable car across the River
Thames. These are in accordance with UK’s transport plans to allow athletes to
travel in less than 20 minutes to their event sites, and make the Olympic Park
served by 10 separate railway lines for a combined passenger capacity of
240,000 per hour.
Security
preparations.
With 26 sports and 39 disciplines to be featured in the Olympics, and 20 sports
and 21 disciplines in the Paralympics to be participated by thousands of world
athletes and visitors, heavy security is necessary for the duration of the
Games. As of December 2011, the British government announced the deployment of
some 13,500 members of the Armed Forces for the Games, a number that exceeds
the number sent to Afghanistan. This excludes 10,000 policemen, naval and air
asset, Euro-fighter jets, surface-to-air missiles, and ships at the River
Thames.
Medal prizes.
Medal prizes for the winning athletes are prepared by the British Royal Mint.
These consist of 4,700 medals each weighing 375-400 grams, and engraved with
the sport and discipline on the rim. The front of the medal, as with the last
few Olympic designs, has the engraving of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory.
The reverse side contains the Games logo and a ribbon that depicts the famous
Thames River of London.
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