www.fco.gov.uk January 23rd marked exactly 2012 days to go to the start of
the London 2012 Olympic Games. At that time London and the whole of the UK
will be the centre of the world's attention as the opening ceremony gets
underway in the Olympic Stadium, in Stratford, London.
Hosting both the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games will be a huge boost
to London and the whole of the UK. Sebastian Coe, Chairman of London 2012,
said: "In 2012 days time, on 27th July 2012, we will welcome the world to
London and the UK as we host the world's largest event. This is a good time
to reflect on why we were so passionate about winning the Games. For me the
Games are about the power of sport to inspire young people and drive social,
economic and environmental agendas that will leave tangible legacies for the
UK and the Olympic movement. There is huge support for the Games right
around the country and I would like to thank everyone doing their bit to
make our Games the very best they can be."
The Games will be a boost for tourism, more opportunities to host sporting
events and training camps for visiting teams, and more jobs and
opportunities for UK businesses to win contracts for providing goods and
services to the Games. The four-year Cultural Olympiad will launch in August
2008 and will celebrate the cultural aspect of the Games. This programme
will consist of concerts, festivals and celebrations throughout the whole of
the UK celebrating the unique history and diversity of Britain.
On 27th July 2012 excitement will have been mounting in the run-up to the
Games, with the Torch Relay passing through main towns and cities in the
weeks before. There will be live sites broadcasting footage of the Games,
enabling everyone to enjoy the spectacle.
The London Olympic Games start on 27th July 2012 and finish on 12th August
2012. They are followed by the Paralympic Games which start on 29th August and
finish on 9th September.
The London 2012 Olympic Games will host 26 sports, have 31 competition
venues, 10,500 athletes, 6,000 coaches and officials, 20,000 media, 500,000
visitors a day to competition venues. The London 2012 Paralympic Games will
host 20 sports, have 21 competition venues, 4,000 athletes, 2,300 officials.
80,000 people will attend the opening and closing ceremonies for the Olympic
Games and Paralympic Games. There will be ten million tickets on sale, and
over 70,000 volunteers will be recruited to help make the Games happen. The
recruitment programme will start in 2010 for jobs such as stewarding,
driving, translating etc.
There will be over 17,320 beds in the Olympic village, over 350,000 seats
to be installed in venues, 12 million meals to prepare, 5,000 official cars.
The catering requirements for the athletes' village will involve over 25,000
loaves of bread, 82 tonnes of seafood, 31 tonnes of poultry, over 100 tonnes
of meat, 75,000 litres of milk, 19 tonnes of eggs, 21 tonnes of cheese, over
330 tonnes of fruit and vegetables.
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