LONDON | 2012 Olympics Park Development News

[PortoNuts]

Thorpe impressed by London 2012 Aquatics Center

Five-time Olympic swim champion Ian Thorpe believes that the London 2012 Aquatics Center looks better in person than it did on the drawing board.

The Australian visited London's Olympic Park for the first time Thursday, and said the nearly completed Aquatics Center was arguably more impressive than the one where he won three gold medals at the 2000 Sydney Games.

"To come around and see how complete everything is, it's exciting," said Thorpe, who retired from competitive swimming in 2006. "It's very different seeing something in its presentation mode when it looks really shiny and everything, and when you actually go and see it, it doesn't really come up in the same way.

"But this is quite extraordinary, that it is replicated in the same way when it is built as when it was presented."

The 17,500-seat arena, with its distinctive sweeping roof, will be scaled down to a 3,000-capacity venue after the 2012 Games. It will contain two 50-meter pools with moveable floors, a diving pool and a dry-land training area.

"This may be the first project that has a true legacy. ..." Thorpe said of the London Olympics. "It is real. Not only will this give back to Greater London and the whole area, hopefully it will give back to the whole world."

Thorpe said the determination of London organizers to ensure use of all the facilities after the games and tie them to the city will lend a distinctive character to the event.

"London's good at this, being different. The mood of the world is different now," Thorpe said. "It's not going to be a big games like Beijing, and that's neither a good thing or a bad thing."

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olymp...44809626_x.htm

[PortoNuts]

Velodrome

Pictures from http://www.insidelondon2012.blogspot.com

image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr

[Eastern37]

the design of the velodrome is amazing....

[aliciavali17]

I've been looking around the official 2012 website and noticed it has a very interesting 'Ask a question' link located at the very top of the page (next to the sitemap). You have to look very closely to spot it.

[PortoNuts]

LONDON 2012: Olympic Park to be renamed after Queen Elizabeth II

The Olympic Park will be renamed the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park after the 2012 Games, Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, confirmed today.

The new name, which will come into effect when the Park reopens in 2013, follows permission from Her Majesty The Queen, the British Olympic Association and the International Olympic Committee. It builds on the Royal Family's long association with, and support for, the Olympic and Paralympic Movement.

Today's announcement coincides with the roll out of the long-term plans, by the Olympic Park Legacy Company, to make the Park one of Europe's premier destinations for residents and visitors.

Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, said: "It is a great honour that Her Majesty The Queen has given her consent to name the Park, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, after the Games.

"Her Majesty has been supportive of London 2012 from the start and with the event taking place in her Diamond Jubilee year, it is fitting that the Park bears her name."

Lord Colin Moynihan, Chairman of the British Olympic Association, said: "The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will deliver a lasting legacy from the 2012 Games and be a source of inspiration for generations of athletes to come.

"London is the only city to be honoured as host for the Olympic Games on three occasions and the name that has been selected for this iconic park is a wonderful tribute to the people of Britain and the importance of sport in our country.

"We appreciate the support of the International Olympic Committee and thank Her Majesty The Queen for creating a lasting connection between the Olympic Movement and the people of Great Britain."

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said: "I cannot think of a more fitting tribute than celebrating this significant anniversary and this historic moment for London by naming the site after Her Majesty.

"This will be the first time that an Olympic Park site or a Games will have both an Olympic and a royal long-term association, and brings with it fantastic benefits for local people, for East London and for the capital as a whole."

The decision by the Legacy Company's Board to recommend the name with the royal and Olympic association follows consultation with investors and developers, local boroughs and businesses and extensive market research conducted throughout the UK and across London.

Positive feedback for this combined name association was overwhelming and widely seen as an appropriate, appealing and attractive fit for the planned future of the Park.

Margaret Ford, Chair of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, said: "The strength of the values, heritage and power of the royal and Olympic associations fit with our ambition for the Park.

"We are creating a new piece of London with family neighbourhoods, open space and events, inspired by the 2012 venues that surround them. It will bring together the best of London in one place and will be one of the United Kingdom's premier visitor attractions."

http://www.morethanthegames.co.uk/lo...n-elizabeth-ii

[jerseyboi]

New ideas and changes

Some person from Locog ( London 2012 organising committee ) on a tv interview, said that London would follow the traditions of opening ceremony of Olympic flame etc however London would do its own thing, and come up with new ideas.

He said dont expect London 2012 to follow the past and expect changes.
Opening Ceremony could be very different to the past games......

[PortoNuts]

London 2012 Olympics: Games chiefs reveal ticket prices


Showpiece event: tickets for men's 100m final will be highly-sought after

The organisers have pledged to keep prices as affordable as possible and said 90 per cent of all tickets for the Olympic Games would be priced at £100 or under, including 30 per cent at £20 or under.

The opening ceremony prices are both the lowest and the highest witnessed in recent Games, and reflect the commitment of the organisers to keep the games affordable, but also to help raise £500m in ticketing revenue, to help underpin the cost of staging sport's biggest show.

The flagship event, the men's 100m final, has tickets priced from £50 to £725. That particular session, in the middle of the Games schedule, is the highest priced sporting event.

"The higher priced tickets have provided us with the balance for us to provide millions available at lower prices," Locog chief executive Paul Deighton said.

Locog chairman Seb Coe said one of the core principles of the ticketing prices was to have "full venues packed to the gunnells".

"The more passion, the more enthusiasm, the closer the spectators to the field of play, the more the athletes' performance raises. It could be the difference between a semi-final or a final, a medal or a gold medal, a world record maybe," Coe said.

"The Olympic tickets is the must have I-was-there-item, that why we need to get them into the hands of sports fans."

The organisers also announced two special schemes to enable local schoolchildren to attend the Games. At a third of the available sessions, mostly preliminary events, children can buy tickets according to their age under a pay your age deal.

Deighton said the pay your age scheme would enable a family of four with a seven and a nine year old to go to watch the Olympics for £56.

"And that includes the cost of the travel card to get to the Olympics as well, so it is a low cost day out," he said.

That same scheme also extends to seniors, who will pay £16 for the same special sessions.

The second scheme is called Ticketshare, which comprises free tickets for schoolchildren. Every secondary school across the country will be able to access up to six tickets. Schools within London will be able to access just over ten per cent of their pupil population for free tickets.

A total of 6.6m tickets will be made available to the public out of a total allocation of 8.8m. The balance is taken up by overseas ticket allocations and a percentage to rights holders, sponsors and international sporting organisations.

Key facts on 2012 tickets

»8.8 million tickets will be available for the Olympic Games.

»75% of these, 6.6million tickets, will go on sale to the public from March.

» The most expensive tickets will be £2012 for the opening ceremony and £725 for the 100m final. The cheapest will be £20 and less for concessions.

»90% of tickets will be priced at £100 or under.

»Two thirds of these tickets will be £50 or less.

»2.5 million tickets will be priced at £20 or under

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/oth...et-prices.html

[dreneyka]

Olympic has never been a modest affair in the past, nor that it will ever be in the future. No matter how u sugar-coat it, there is nothing "sustainable" about spending billions of dollar for an essentially, a 10-day circus (not when millions in Africa and Asia still live in abject poverty). So my point is, since London is already bounded by contractual obligation to host the games, might as well make a great statement out of it. Show the world that London too can be at the forefront of design and architecture. After all, this is the home of architectural luminaries such as Zaha Hadid, Norman Fosters and Richard Rogers.

At this moment, it seems that the British authority and Londoners are so eager to downgrade, downsize and downplay the importance of this great event. Cities like Beijing and Barcelona already sets the precedent and expectation of how olympic should looks and feels like. If London give anything less than that, then the London games will be remembered for all the wrong reason.
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Debit cards in Singapore

[jerseyboi]

Originally Posted by dreneyka

Olympic has never been a modest affair in the past, nor that it will ever be in the future. No matter how u sugar-coat it, there is nothing "sustainable" about spending billions of dollar for an essentially, a 10-day circus (not when millions in Africa and Asia still live in abject poverty). So my point is, since London is already bounded by contractual obligation to host the games, might as well make a great statement out of it. Show the world that London too can be at the forefront of design and architecture. After all, this is the home of architectural luminaries such as Zaha Hadid, Norman Fosters and Richard Rogers.

At this moment, it seems that the British authority and Londoners are so eager to downgrade, downsize and downplay the importance of this great event. Cities like Beijing and Barcelona already sets the precedent and expectation of how olympic should looks and feels like. If London give anything less than that, then the London games will be remembered for all the wrong reason.
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Debit cards in Singapore

Zaha Hadid has designed the Aquatics centre and London intends
to do its own thing. For a start the stadium fits needs of London
(as we have wembly stadium) and new stadium is special because a large
part of stadium is recycled steel and it can be down sized - its definitely going do its purpose.

Sometimes minimalism can be refreshing.

London will make its statement by not following the rest, and it has its own brief.

[ajaaronjoe]

The London Olympic site in 2040

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2...cy-2012-london

An animated impression of what the London Olympic village could look like in 2040

[ferge]

I suppose you have to treat the Olympics like a kid treats Christmas. It doesn't matter how much money the parents spend one year, they'll forget all about it come the next one. I'd say people live for the moment.. whilst comparisons are bound to be made I think most people will base their judgements on London on its own merits than what has come before.

[Its AlL gUUd]

Originally Posted by dreneyka

Olympic has never been a modest affair in the past, nor that it will ever be in the future. No matter how u sugar-coat it, there is nothing "sustainable" about spending billions of dollar for an essentially, a 10-day circus (not when millions in Africa and Asia still live in abject poverty). So my point is, since London is already bounded by contractual obligation to host the games, might as well make a great statement out of it. Show the world that London too can be at the forefront of design and architecture. After all, this is the home of architectural luminaries such as Zaha Hadid, Norman Fosters and Richard Rogers.

At this moment, it seems that the British authority and Londoners are so eager to downgrade, downsize and downplay the importance of this great event. Cities like Beijing and Barcelona already sets the precedent and expectation of how olympic should looks and feels like. If London give anything less than that, then the London games will be remembered for all the wrong reason.
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Debit cards in Singapore

what are you talking about? Have you not been checking any of the London 2012 threads at all?? London is going to have some of the most recogniseable and historic venues of any Olympics and just checkout the Aquatics Centre and Velodrome, add to that the O2 Arena, Wimbledon,Wembley, Horse Guards PArade, Greenwhich park, Lords etc etc . Heck Zaha Hadid designed the Aquatic centre, have you been hiding under a rock or something?

[Licit Mortal]

I am absolutely sure, London 2012 is going to be a fantastic event. British normally don't speak a lot, but they deliver. My heart filled best wishes to London.

[Alphaville]

Originally Posted by PortoNuts

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olymp...44809626_x.htm

Kind of funny given Ian Thorpe's relentless support of the 2012 New York bid, even promising to keep competing until 2012 just to compete in a New York Olympics.

[paulthomas]

waiting for london olympics 2012, waiting for that.

[DarJoLe]

Originally Posted by dreneyka

Show the world that London too can be at the forefront of design and architecture. After all, this is the home of architectural luminaries such as Zaha Hadid, Norman Fosters and Richard Rogers.

All three have designed venues being used to host Olympic events.

[Mo Rush]

Originally Posted by dreneyka

Olympic has never been a modest affair in the past, nor that it will ever be in the future. No matter how u sugar-coat it, there is nothing "sustainable" about spending billions of dollar for an essentially, a 10-day circus (not when millions in Africa and Asia still live in abject poverty). So my point is, since London is already bounded by contractual obligation to host the games, might as well make a great statement out of it. Show the world that London too can be at the forefront of design and architecture. After all, this is the home of architectural luminaries such as Zaha Hadid, Norman Fosters and Richard Rogers.

At this moment, it seems that the British authority and Londoners are so eager to downgrade, downsize and downplay the importance of this great event. Cities like Beijing and Barcelona already sets the precedent and expectation of how olympic should looks and feels like. If London give anything less than that, then the London games will be remembered for all the wrong reason.
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hahaha

good sense of humour.

Although I must say getting a bit tired of these 5 year old showing up here now and then demanding a Bird's Nest, with absolutely no clue of the amount of iconic venues already being used, and how major a giant urban park in a major city like London is.

As I've said before. Small minds.

[MoreOrLess]

It seems strange to mention the Barcalona games in which the main stadium barely held 60,000, infact is don't remember any massive iconic venues from the 92 games(which isnt to knock them at all).

We hear alot of talk about sustainability right now because thats what UK residents want to hear in a harsh economic situation. Unlike certain nations nationalistic chest thumping alone isnt enough to deflect any criticism of excessive spending.

Come the games themselves that will obviously give way to a party atmosphere and the fact the main stadium isnt some grand architectural statement is going to have little effect on that.

[RobH]

Originally Posted by dreneyka

Olympic has never been a modest affair in the past, nor that it will ever be in the future. No matter how u sugar-coat it, there is nothing "sustainable" about spending billions of dollar for an essentially, a 10-day circus (not when millions in Africa and Asia still live in abject poverty). So my point is, since London is already bounded by contractual obligation to host the games, might as well make a great statement out of it. Show the world that London too can be at the forefront of design and architecture. After all, this is the home of architectural luminaries such as Zaha Hadid, Norman Fosters and Richard Rogers.

At this moment, it seems that the British authority and Londoners are so eager to downgrade, downsize and downplay the importance of this great event. Cities like Beijing and Barcelona already sets the precedent and expectation of how olympic should looks and feels like. If London give anything less than that, then the London games will be remembered for all the wrong reason.

Laughable, quite frankly, London is not downsizing anything - it is smaller than Beijing, yes, but Paris, Madrid, Moscow and NYC's Olympic projects were smaller still. The IOC chose the biggest project on offer to them when they selected London as a host in 2005 and it's still a massive project despite some changes.

Apologies for reposting this post I made from a year or so ago, but I think it's entirely pertinent:

Originally Posted by RobH

If London had followed anyone but Beijing its Games projects would be viewed as a massive, monster unteraking.

It's a freak of timing that London's massive regeneration project, the biggest construction site in Europe, is seen as "austere" after Beijing. Below is an old photo - from a year and a half ago - but it's probably the best one I have for giving you an idea of the scale of the Olympic park London is building. Even with Beijing just gone, and even with our temporary venues, London 2012 will be one of the biggest Games ever.

image hosted on flickr


If you look in the top right hand corner of the park site you can see the embryonic stadium bowl, which is massive but is made to look tiny by the size of the park itself.

Here's a few figures to back up what I've just said:

• over one million cubic metres of soil excavated to shape the park
• 2 6km long powerline tunnels built, 200km of cabling installed
• 52 pylons have been removed
• More than 3,000 workers on site (it'll peak at about 10,000 next year)
• Nearly 200 buildings (since the start of demolition in 2007) demolished
• more than 30 new bridges will be constructed in total
• 20km of permanent roads in and around the Olympic Park will be built
• New lock and water control system along with half a kilometre of river widening to take place
• £100m upgrade to Stratford rail station as well as rerouting the High speed network to the area
• A brand new primary substation and wind turbine
• The creation of the largest Urban park in Europe, about the size of Hyde Park, for 150 years.

...and that's before we even get onto the new venues (one of which is designed by Zaha Hadid!), the Olympic village, and the media centre which are all under construction.


---------

The point of this post? To show that expectations of what an Olympics should be about are now way, way too high. If all of the above can be described by some people and some sections of the media as an "austerity games" - because of the distorting effect of Beijing's event - then we've really lost all sense of perspective! The phrase "austerity games" constantly being applied to London 2012 is about as good an argument as those who believe the Olympics need downsizing could ask for!

[PortoNuts]

Originally Posted by Alphaville

Kind of funny given Ian Thorpe's relentless support of the 2012 New York bid, even promising to keep competing until 2012 just to compete in a New York Olympics.

Well, some people just support anything that wins.