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2012 Summer Olympics

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"2012 Olympics" and "London 2012" redirect here. For the Summer Paralympics, see 2012 Summer Paralympics. For the Winter Youth Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, see 2012 Winter Youth Olympics. For the video game, see London 2012 (video game).

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Games of the XXX Olympiad
Four abstract shapes placed in a quadrant formation spelling out "2012". The word "London" is written in the shape representing the "2", while the Olympic rings are placed in the shape representing the "0".
Emblem of the 2012 Summer Olympics; other colour variants are shown below
Host cityLondon, England, United Kingdom
MottoInspire a Generation
Nations204 (including IOA team)
Athletes10,768 (5,992 men, 4,776 women)
Events302 in 26 sports (39 disciplines)
Opening27 July 2012
Closing12 August 2012
Opened by
Queen Elizabeth II[1]
Cauldron
  • Callum Airlie
  • Jordan Duckitt
  • Desirèe Henry
  • Katie Kirk
  • Cameron MacRitchie
  • Aidan Reynolds
  • Adelle Tracey[1]
  • Austin Playfoot (relight)[2]
StadiumOlympic Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Summer
← Beijing 2008
Rio 2016 →
Winter
← Vancouver 2010
Sochi 2014 →
2012 Summer Paralympics

Template:2012 Summer Olympics

The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad[lower-alpha 1] and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the group stage in women's football, began on 25 July at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, followed by the opening ceremony on 27 July.[3][4] There were 10,768 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) who participated in the 2012 Olympics.[5]

Following a bid headed by former Olympic champion Sebastian Coe and the then-London mayor Ken Livingstone, London was selected as the host city at the 117th IOC Session in Singapore on 6 July 2005, defeating bids from Moscow, New York City, Madrid, and Paris.[6] London became the first city to host the modern Olympics three times,[7][lower-alpha 2] having previously hosted the Summer Games in 1908 and 1948.[8][9] Construction for the Games involved considerable redevelopment, with an emphasis on sustainability.[10] The main focus was a new 200-hectare (490-acre) Olympic Park, constructed on a former industrial site in Stratford, East London.[11] The Games also made use of venues that already existed before the bid.[12]

The United States topped the medal table, winning the most gold medals (46) and the highest number of medals overall (104). China finished second with a total of 91 medals (38 gold) and Great Britain came third with 65 medals overall (29 gold). Michael Phelps of the United States became the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time, winning his 22nd medal.[13] Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei entered female athletes for the first time, meaning that every currently eligible country has now sent a female competitor to at least one Olympic Games.[14] Women's boxing was included for the first time, and the 2012 Games became the first at which every sport had female competitors.[15][16][17]

The Games received considerable praise for their organisation, with the volunteers, the British military and public enthusiasm commended particularly highly.[18][19][20] The opening ceremony, directed by Academy Award winner Danny Boyle, received widespread acclaim.[21][22] These were the final Olympic Games under the IOC presidency of Belgian Jacques Rogge, who was succeeded by German Thomas Bach the next year.

Bidding process[]

Main article: Bids for the 2012 Summer Olympics

London was chosen over Birmingham to represent Great Britain's bid by the British Olympic Association.

By 15 July 2003—the deadline for interested cities to submit bids to the International Olympic Committee (IOC)—nine cities had submitted bids to host the 2012 Summer Olympics: Havana, Istanbul, Leipzig, London, Madrid, Moscow, New York City, Paris, and Rio de Janeiro.[23] On 18 May 2004, as a result of a scored technical evaluation, the IOC reduced the number of cities to five: London, Madrid, Moscow, New York and Paris.[24] All five submitted their candidate files by 19 November 2004 and were visited by the IOC inspection team during February and March 2005. The Paris bid suffered two setbacks during the IOC inspection visit: a number of strikes and demonstrations coinciding with the visits, and a report that a key member of the bid team, Guy Drut, would face charges over alleged corrupt party political finances.[25]

File:Lord Coe - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012 cropped.jpg

Lord Coe, chairman of the LOCOG

Throughout the process, Paris was widely seen as the favourite, particularly as this was its third bid in recent years. London was initially seen as lagging behind Paris by a considerable margin.[26] Its position began to improve after the appointment of Lord Coe as the new chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) on 19 May 2004.[27] In late August 2004, reports predicted a tie between London and Paris.[28]

On 6 June 2005, the IOC released its evaluation reports for the five candidate cities. They did not contain any scores or rankings, but the report for Paris was considered the most positive. London was close behind, having closed most of the gap observed by the initial evaluation in 2004. New York and Madrid also received very positive evaluations.[29] On 1 July 2005, when asked who would win, Jacques Rogge said, "I cannot predict it since I don't know how the IOC members will vote. But my gut feeling tells me that it will be very close. Perhaps it will come down to a difference of say ten votes, or maybe less."[30]

On 6 July 2005, the final selection was announced at the 117th IOC Session in Singapore. Moscow was the first city to be eliminated, followed by New York and Madrid. The final two contenders were London and Paris. At the end of the fourth round of voting, London won the right to host the 2012 Games with 54 votes to 50.[31]

The celebrations in London were short-lived, being overshadowed by bombings on London's transport system less than 24 hours after the announcement.[32]

2012 host city election – ballot results
City NOC Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4
London Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Great Britain 22 27 39 54
Paris Flag of France.svg France 21 25 33 50
Madrid Flag of Spain.svg Spain 20 32 31 —
New York City Flag of the United States.svg United States 19 17 — —
Moscow Flag of Russia.svg Russia 15 — — —
Total ballots 97 101 103 104

Development and preparation[]

Main article: 2012 Summer Olympic development

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) was created to oversee the staging of the Games, and held its first board meeting on 3 October 2005.[33] The committee, chaired by Lord Coe, was in charge of implementing and staging the Games, while the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), established in April 2006, was in charge of construction of the venues and infrastructure.[33][34]

The Government Olympic Executive (GOE), a unit within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), was the lead government body for coordinating the London 2012 Olympics. It focused on oversight of the Games, cross-programme management, and the London 2012 Olympic Legacy before and after the Games that would benefit London and the wider United Kingdom. The organisation was also responsible for the supervision of the £9.3 billion of public sector funding.[35]

In August 2011, security concerns arose surrounding the hosting of the Olympic Games in London, following the 2011 England riots.[36] Some countries expressed safety concerns,[37] despite the IOC's assurance that the riots would not affect the Games.[38]

The IOC's Coordination Commission for the 2012 Games completed its tenth and final visit to London in March 2012. Its members concluded that "London is ready to host the world this summer".[39]

Venues[]

Main article: Venues of the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics
File:Uk dor portharbour.JPG

The Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy on the Isle of Portland hosted the sailing events.

The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games used a mixture of new venues, existing and historic facilities, and temporary facilities, some of them in well-known locations such as Hyde Park and Horse Guards Parade. After the Games, some of the new facilities would be reused in their Olympic form, while others will be resized or relocated.[40]

The majority of venues were divided into three zones within Greater London: the Olympic Zone, the River Zone and the Central Zone. In addition there were a few venues that, by necessity, were outside the boundaries of Greater London, such as the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy some 125 mi (201 km) southwest of London, which hosted the sailing events. The football tournament was staged at several grounds around the UK.[41] Work began on the Park in December 2006, when a sports hall in Eton Manor was pulled down.[42] The athletes' village in Portland was completed in September 2011.[43]

In November 2004, the 200-hectare (500-acre) Olympic Park plans were revealed.[44] The plans for the site were approved in September 2004 by Tower Hamlets, Newham, Hackney and Waltham Forest.[45] The redevelopment of the area to build the Olympic Park required compulsory purchase orders of property. The London Development Agency was in dispute with London and Continental Railways about the orders in November 2005. By May 2006, 86% of the land had been bought as businesses fought eviction.[46] Residents who opposed the eviction tried to find ways to stop it by setting up campaigns, but they had to leave as 94% of land was bought and the other 6% bought as a £9 billion regeneration project started.[47]

Aerial view of the Olympic Park in April 2012
Aerial view of the Olympic Park in April 2012

There were some issues with the original venues not being challenging enough or being financially unviable. Both the Olympic road races and the mountain bike event were initially considered to be too easy, so they were eventually scheduled on new locations.[48][49] The Olympic marathon course, which was set to finish in the Olympic stadium, was moved to The Mall, since closing Tower Bridge was deemed to cause traffic problems in central London.[50] North Greenwich Arena 2 was scrapped in a cost-cutting exercise, Wembley Arena being used for badminton and rhythmic gymnastics events instead.[51][52][53][54]

Test events were held throughout 2011 and 2012, either through an existing championship such as 2012 Wimbledon Championships or as a specially created event held under the banner of London Prepares.[55]

Team GB House was the British Olympic Association's operational HQ up to and during the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Designed by architects Gebler Tooth on the top floor of an office building in Westfield Stratford City, it combined the team HQ, athletes' "Friends and Family" lounge, Press Centre, and VIP lounge.

See also[]

Template:IOC seealso

  • 2012 Olympic hunger summit
  • Twenty Twelve, a comedy mockumentary featuring a fictional London Olympics committee

Notes[]

  1. ↑ The IOC numbers the Olympiads using Roman numerals.
  2. ↑ Athens has also hosted three IOC-organised events, in 1896, 2004 and the Intercalated Games in 1906. However, the 1906 Games are no longer officially recognised by the IOC, as they do not fit with the quadrennial pattern of the modern Olympics.

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Factsheet - Opening Ceremony of the Games of the Olympiad" (PDF) (Press release). International Olympic Committee. 9 October 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  2. ↑ "Cauldron moved into position in Olympic Stadium". London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee. 30 July 2012. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012.
  3. ↑ "London 2012". olympic.org. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 1 August 2008. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
  4. ↑ "Olympics Schedule & Results – Wednesday 25 July, Football". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 11 January 2016.
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named athletecount
  6. ↑ "London 2012: Election". olympic.org. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 5 October 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  7. ↑ "Coe promises Olympics to remember". BBC Sport. 6 July 2005. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
  8. ↑ Barden, Mark (26 April 2008). "London's first Olympics". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 1 May 2008. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
  9. ↑ Greenberg, Stan (3 March 2011). "The 1948 London Olympics Gallery". BBC History. Archived from the original on 18 July 2008. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
  10. ↑ "Building a sustainable Games". London 2012. Archived from the original on 18 October 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  11. ↑ "Newham London: The Olympic Park". London Borough of Newham. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  12. ↑ "Response to the questionnaire for cities applying to become Candidate cities to host the Games of the XXX Olympiad and the Paralympic Games in 2012" (PDF). London 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  13. ↑ McCrae, Donald (1 August 2012). "Michael Phelps becomes the greatest Olympian". The Guardian. London. p. 1. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  14. ↑ Magnay, Jacquelin (11 August 2012). "London 2012 Olympics diary: three countries have failed to send any female athletes". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  15. ↑ "London 2012 international digest – Day Six". BBC Sport. 2 August 2012. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  16. ↑ "Saudis to send two women to London, make history". SI.com. Associated Press. 12 July 2012. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  17. ↑ "An Olympic moment for women". L.A. Times Archives. 27 July 2012. Archived from the original on 17 September 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  18. ↑ "London 2012: IOC chief Jacques Rogge 'very happy' with Games". BBC News. 12 August 2012. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  19. ↑ Waldram, Hannah (12 August 2012). "Has the Olympics changed London?". The Guardian (London 2012 Olympics blog). Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  20. ↑ Scanlan, Wayne (10 August 2012). "Buoyed by a record medal haul – and surprisingly sunny skies – the British have embraced the Olympics, turning out to live sites in droves to cheer on Team GB". Calgary Herald. London. Archived from the original on 16 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  21. ↑ Goldsmith, Harvey; Phillips, Arlene; Quantick, David; Brown, Mick; Beard, Mary (29 July 2012). "London 2012: the experts' view of the Olympic opening ceremony". The Sunday Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  22. ↑ Topping, Alexandra (28 July 2012). "Olympics opening ceremony: the view from abroad". The Guardian. London. p. 2. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  23. ↑ "Olympic bids: The rivals". BBC Sport. 15 July 2003. Archived from the original on 10 February 2009. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
  24. ↑ "London bid team delighted". BBC Sport. 18 May 2004. Archived from the original on 13 March 2006. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
  25. ↑ "Day One Of Paris 2012 Inspection By IOC". GamesBids.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2006. Retrieved 9 March 2005.
  26. ↑ Oliver, Mark (6 July 2005). "London wins 2012 Olympics". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. The IOC president, Jacques Rogge, announced the result at 1248BST - around an hour after it had been decided in secret.
  27. ↑ Payne, Michael. "How London really won the games". London Business School. Archived from the original on 12 December 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  28. ↑ "London And Paris Tie In 2012 Bid". GamesBids.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2004. Retrieved 31 August 2004.
  29. ↑ "Paris, London and New York Get Glowing IOC Reports". GamesBids.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2006. Retrieved 6 June 2005.
  30. ↑ "Rogge Arrives in Singapore". sailing.org. International Sailing Federation. 1 July 2005. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2007.
  31. ↑ "London beats Paris to 2012 Games". BBC Sport. 6 July 2005. Archived from the original on 25 July 2017.
  32. ↑ Culf, Andrew (6 July 2005). "The party that never was: capital marks the games at last". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 2 October 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 "LOCOG formally established at first meeting of London 2012 Transition Board". London Development Agency (Press release). 3 October 2005. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  34. ↑ "Lemley chairs first ODA board meeting" (Press release). London 2012. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  35. ↑ "2012 Olympic Games & Paralympic Games". Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Archived from the original on 26 October 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  36. ↑ Macur, Juliet; Pfanner, Eric (9 August 2011). "London Rioting Prompts Fears Over Soccer and Olympics". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
  37. ↑ Foster, Peter (9 August 2011). "London riots: China raises questions over safety of 2012 Olympic Games". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
  38. ↑ Jackson, Jamie (9 August 2011). "London riots will not affect 2012 Olympic security, says IOC". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
  39. ↑ "London is ready to host the Olympic Games as excitement builds". Olympic.org. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  40. ↑ "London 2012". ExCel-London.co.uk. 6 July 2005. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  41. ↑ "Olympics 2012 venue guide". BBC Sport. 3 December 2008. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  42. ↑ "Work begins on 2012 Olympic Park". BBC Sport. 14 December 2006. Archived from the original on 12 January 2007. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  43. ↑ "Osprey Quay Olympic village topping out ceremony". BBC News. 13 September 2011. Archived from the original on 19 September 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  44. ↑ "London reveals Olympic Park plans". BBC Sport. 8 November 2004. Archived from the original on 29 October 2005. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  45. ↑ "2012 Olympic Park gets go ahead". BBC News. 9 September 2004. Archived from the original on 18 June 2006. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  46. ↑ "Probe into Olympic land evictions". BBC News. 9 May 2006. Archived from the original on 15 December 2006. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  47. ↑ Hartley, Debbie (11 March 2009). "Stratford's last stand". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 16 March 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  48. ↑ "Cycling – Road". London2012.com. Archived from the original on 7 September 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  49. ↑ "Essex venue to host 2012 biking". BBC Sport. 11 August 2008. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  50. ↑ Gibson, Owen (4 October 2010). "London 2012 marathon to finish at The Mall despite East End protests". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  51. ↑ "Greenwich or Wembley?". BBC London. 17 October 2008. Archived from the original on 3 February 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  52. ↑ Henson, Mike (15 June 2009). "Boxing chiefs voice 2012 concerns". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 16 June 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  53. ↑ "Wembley may stage Olympic boxing". BBC Sport. 23 April 2009. Archived from the original on 26 April 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  54. ↑ "Badminton and rhythmic gymnastics agree to London 2012 Wembley move". MoreThanTheGames.co.uk. 26 May 2010. Archived from the original on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  55. ↑ "London 2012 Olympic test event schedule unveiled". BBC Sport. 24 February 2011. Archived from the original on 27 February 2011.

Further reading[]

Official reports


Book references[]

External links[]

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Template:Nations at the 2012 Summer Olympics Template:EventsAt2012SummerOlympics Template:2012 Summer Olympics venues Template:London history Lua error: bad argument #2 to 'title.new' (unrecognized namespace name 'Portal').

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