Summer Olympics 2012 London

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The symbol of the Olympic Games is composed of five interlocking rings, coloured blue, yellow, black, green, and red on a white field. This was originally designed in 1912 by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games. Upon its initial introduction, de Coubertin stated the following in the August, 1912 edition of Olympique: "The emblem chosen to illustrate and represent the world Congress of 1914...: five intertwined rings in different colours - blue, yellow, black, green, and red - are placed on the white field of the paper. These five rings represent the five parts of the world which now are won over to Olympism and willing to accept healthy competition."

 

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Wenlock and Mandeville are the official mascots for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics being held in London, United Kingdom.

The mascots were unveiled on 19 May 2010; this marks the second time (after Vancouver's Miga, Quatchi, Sumi and Mukmuk) that both Olympic and Paralympic mascots were unveiled at the same time. The mascots were created and designed by iris, a London-based creative agency. Wenlock and Mandeville are animations depicting two drops of steel from a steelworks in Bolton. They are named after the Shropshire town of Much Wenlock, which held a forerunner of the current Olympic Games, and Stoke Mandeville Hospital, a facility in Buckinghamshire that initially organised the Stoke Mandeville Games, the precursor of the Paralympic Games.

According to the associated (fictional) storyline, they were formed from the last girder of the Olympic Stadium. Their skins are made of highly polished steel allowing them to reflect the personalities and appearances of the people they meet. They have cameras for eyes filming all of their adventures and London taxi headlights with the first letter of their name “W” for Wenlock and “M” for Mandeville.

Wenlock

Wenlock’s name is inspired by Much Wenlock in Shropshire, England, where the Wenlock Olympian Society held its first Olympian Games in 1850, regarded as an inspiration for the modern Olympic games. He has five friendship bracelets on his wrist. Each bracelet takes the colour of an Olympic ring. The three points on his head represent the three places on the podium. The pattern on his body with the logo of the games symbolises the whole world coming to London in 2012. The shape on the front of his head represents the shape of the Olympic stadium roof. In the run-up to the games Wenlock hopes to make as many friends as possible and always looks on the bright side of life.

Mandeville

Mandeville's name comes from the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England which organised the Stoke Mandeville Games in 1948, a competition for injured soldiers; they are regarded as the inspiration for the Paralympics.

 

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Venue profile for London 2012: Horse Guards Parade

Beach volleyball is one of the most photogenic sports in the Olympic Games so it is fitting that it has been given such an impressive backdrop in central London.

The iconic Horse Guards Parade, situated just yards from Downing Street and Buckingham Palace, is flanked by St James' Park and the historic architecture of Whitehall.


It will be transformed by a temporary 15,000 capacity arena offering spectacular views of Big Ben and the London Eye from its three-sided upper tier.

Similar in scale to Wimbledon's centre court, an arena this size would normally take 14 months to build.

In this instance it will be constructed in 36 days to avoid disrupting the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the annual Trooping the Colour.

Legacy

The beach volleyball venue has already produced legacy facilities. The sand used for last year's test event was recycled at sports venues around London, helping create seven new beach volleyball courts in Crystal Palace, Leyton and Westminster.

 

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Dark clouds on the horizon.

 

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olympic winners podium and ceremonial costume


the ceremonial costumes will be worn by games maker volunteers in athlete and presenter escort roles
and flower and medal bearer roles. the elegant and dynamic designs by students thomas crisp and
trine hav christensen represent london and its architecture with a modern twist. when designing the
costumes the students were inspired by greek mythology as well as british heritage. a hat will also
be worn by the presenter escorts. the inspiration for this design by former student zara gorman
included the architecture of the london 2012 olympic and paralympic games venues combined
with aspects of british tailoring and sportswear.

 

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tickets by futurebrand
designed by futurebrand, the tickets incorporate someone's pictogram designs
toegther with images of the venues each ticket features the relevant sport pictogram.
a specific colour scheme is used to denote each venue and use a hologram,
a barcode as security measures.

 

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the bridge features two permanent footbridges linked by a central blade-like walkway,
creating a ‘Z’ shape clad in mirror-finish stainless steel that spans the river lea.
for games-time, a multi-coloured temporary deck has been placed between the
permanent spans of the bridge to increase the width, allowing it to carry increased
spectator numbers. the temporary games-time bridge deck has been covered with
a multi- coloured rubber surface inspired by the london 2012 brand colours.

after the games, the temporary bridge surface will be removed to create new links
from the olympic park concourse level down to the river tow paths and carpenters lock,
a 1930’s historic structure on the river lea owned by british waterways.

the areas around the legacy bridge will be landscaped to create new meeting spaces
and the permanent structural elements of the bridge will be further revealed with its
mirror-finished stainless steel cladding designed to reflect the sunlight off the water
in the river lea. a total of 125 tonnes of steel was used in the construction of the
central park bridge which has a games-time width of 58 metres, with the two main
permanent sections spanning 30m in length.

the central park bridge, which was last week shortlisted in the prime ministers better
public building awards, is part of the wider structures, bridges and highways project
– the single biggest construction project the oda has delivered to create new connections
across the olympic park. construction work is now 90 per cent complete on more than
30 new bridges and underpasses that cross waterways, roads and rivers to create
a connected, open and accessible olympic park for games and legacy.

 

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wayfinding beacon by surface architects

 

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wayfinding signage by surface architects
surface architects were appointed to work with LOCOG and ISG in the design and delivery
of a family of high profile wayfinding structures for the 2012 olympic park. the proposals combine
historic vectors and iconic influences into a highly distinctive design that fits LOCOG’s original
‘look and feel’ brief. TFL's johnston typeface is used on the signage in addition to the 2012 typeface.

'each form incorporates LED backlighting, creating a field of glowing beacons
across the stratford park. six 7m high zone beacons, five 15m high major beacons and two 12m high
entrance gantries are currently being constructed. all are designed from sustainably sourced fabrics
and will be dismantled, recycled and reused post games.'

 

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Olympic stadium

 

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View of tower bridge, free from the view of shard of islam

 

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North Korea flag blunder mars Olympics day one

LONDON — London's Olympics got off to an embarrassing start when North Korea's women footballers refused to play after a mix-up over their national flag, in one of a series of blunders.

Hosts Great Britain had kicked off the sports festival, years in the making and costing billions of dollars, with a 1-0 win over New Zealand as women's soccer got under way two days before the opening the ceremony.

The United States beat France 4-2 and Japan overcame Canada 2-1. But North Korea's opener against Colombia was held up after their players were pictured next to South Korea's flag on the big screen at Glasgow's Hampden Park.

The North Koreans were finally persuaded to take the field and the match, scheduled for 7:45 pm (1845 GMT), began at 8:50 pm. Red-faced organisers were quick to apologise for the howler.

"Today ahead of the women's football match at Hampden Park, the South Korean flag was shown on a big screen video package instead of the North Korean flag," said a statement from London 2012 organisers.

"Clearly that is a mistake, we will apologise to the team and the National Olympic Committee and steps will be taken to ensure this does not happen again."

The incident -- involving two countries still officially at war -- ensured a nightmare debut for the 19-day Games, where the hosts' capabilities are on show as thousands of athletes compete for 302 gold medals until August 12.

"Yes, we were angry because our players were introduced as if they are from South Korea, something that may affect us very greatly as you might know," said North Korea coach Sin Ui-Gun.

"Winning the game cannot compensate this. It is a different matter. We hope there is no repeat in the next matches," he added.

But it was not the only problem on Wednesday. Elsewhere, Team GB sent out an email referring to the Great Britain women's football team as "England".

And organisers had to offer a refund to diving fans whose view will be partially obscured due to a defect in the purpose-built, wave-shaped Aquatics Centre.

Separately, Greek triple-jumper Voula Papachristou was kicked out of the Olympics for a racist tweet which poked fun at Africans living in her country.

And athletics' world governing body said 10 athletes had been barred for doping, including Morocco's women's 1500m runner Mariem Alaoui Selsouli who failed a test earlier this month.

Anti-drugs officials said the London Olympics would be most stringently patrolled Games yet, boosted by a sophisticated new test for human growth hormone.

"It's a very significant step and it's a very helpful one," said World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Director General David Howman.

"Every step is significant if it ends up catching someone who has been cheating with impunity."

At the Games, Usain Bolt is hoping for a second successive sprint treble, Michael Phelps needs just three more swimming medals to become history's most decorated Olympian, and Roger Federer leads a galaxy of tennis stars.

China, who topped the medals table at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, arrived at the athletes village as thousands of competitors, coaches, officials and media poured through London's Heathrow Airport and headed to Olympic Park.

"All athletes and teams are in good spirits and are performing their training every day as scheduled," said China's deputy chef de mission Xiao Tian.

Meanwhile, "Slumdog Millionaire" director Danny Boyle led a team of 10,000 participants in the full dress rehearsal for Friday's hotly anticipated opening ceremony.

While details of the show -- which has much to live up to after Beijing 2008's lavish opener -- are a closely guarded secret, it is expected to feature cows and sheep along with Sir Paul McCartney and David Beckham.

Making a point: North Korea official Son Kwang-ho gestures during the delay at Hampden

Out they come: The North Korea team refused to come out until the broadcast was done with the correct flag

As North Korea’s women footballers warmed up for their match against Colombia last night, the flag of bitter rival South Korea was proudly shown on the big screens around the stadium. That prompted a walk-off by the North Koreans, who refused to play the match at the scheduled 7.45pm start time at the Hampden Park stadium in Scotland.

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can they put PRC flag for singaporean ping pong team, i am sure it will be correct as well, no official complaint will be issued

 

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Olympics opening ceremony: Tough to keep spectacle's secrets

LONDON -- The London Olympics opening ceremony (7:30 p.m. Friday, NBC) will be a grand spectacle -- but will it be a surprise?

No.

Director Danny Boyle wants the details to stay secret and games chief Sebastian Coe has pleaded for insiders to stop leaking details of the extravaganza. But in the age of camera phones and social media, with 10,000 performers in the ceremony, thousands of Olympic security and staff and more than 10,000 journalists already at the Olympic Park, not much can be kept out of the public domain.

"Part of the modern world means you can't really do that," Boyle acknowledged about keeping secrets as he showed journalists a mock-up of the set for the opening scene of the ceremony.

But if you are as irresistibly curious as the rest of us, well, prepare for everything from James Bond to Lord Voldemort to a spoonful of sugar.

Boyle has revealed only selected details about the show, But since the performers started rehearsals in June at the Olympic Stadium -- and an army of journalists started arriving to cover the July 27-Aug. 12 games -- a trickle of details about the $42 million opening ceremony has become a torrent.

The leaks became too much for Coe, who tweeted: "Share the frustration of volunteer performers and the public at Opening Ceremony being unofficially trailed. Let's #savethesurprise."

His imploring hashtag fell on deaf ears. Still more information emerged.

So what do we know?

The ceremony's theme is "Isles of Wonder," inspired by William Shakespeare's play about shipwrecked castaways, "The Tempest." An actor is due to recite Caliban's speech, the one that runs "Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises."

Mark Rylance, who had been due to perform the lines, pulled out after the death of his stepdaughter. Kenneth Branagh is rumored to be his replacement.

Despite Boyle's enchanted-island inspiration, few expect the man who depicted Scottish heroin addicts in "Trainspotting" and Indian slum dwellers in "Slumdog Millionaire" to deliver a sanitized image of Britain.

It sounds more like Isles of Wonder and Woe -- with a big dash of British whimsy thrown in.

Boyle has said the show is "trying to show the best of us, but we're also trying to show many, many different things about our country."

The ceremony will open with the sound of a 27-ton bell -- the largest harmonically tuned bell in the world -- forged at London's 442-year-old Whitechapel Bell Foundry, which made London's Big Ben and Philadelphia's Liberty Bell.

A prerecorded segment has been filmed inside Buckingham Palace, reportedly involving Queen Elizabeth II and Daniel Craig as secret agent James Bond. If rumor is to be believed, a stuntman dressed as 007 will parachute into the stadium to start the show.

The opening sequence will evoke a pastoral idyll, the "green and pleasant land" described in William Blake's poem "Jerusalem," which has been set to music and is regarded as England's unofficial national anthem. There's a meadow, livestock, a farmer plowing his field, a cricket match -- and, in a nod to Britain's plethora of rural summer music festivals, a mosh pit.

Boyle hasn't disclosed what comes next, but has said the ceremony will depict Britain's past, present and future for a global TV audience estimated at 1 billion. In addition to the athletes and performers, some 60,000 spectators will be in the stadium, including political leaders from around the world. U.S. first lady Michelle Obama and her daughters and a sprinkling of European and celebrity royalty will be among those attending.

Aerial photographs of the set for the second section of the show depict dark buildings and smokestacks with the River Thames running through it. This is the other side of the country described in "Jerusalem" -- a land of "dark satanic mills."

A third act will tackle the regeneration of east London, where the Olympics are taking place, as parkland and a creative heartland, home to many artists, designers and Internet startups.

There will be vignettes drawing on British history -- Boyle's people-power version of it -- including Depression-era jobless protesters and nurses performing a tribute to the National Health Service, founded in 1948 to provide free health care for all Britons and now a much fought-over national institution.

Performers dressed as miners and factory workers have been seen going into the stadium, and one set piece is a model of the Empire Windrush, a ship that brought hundreds of Caribbean migrants to Britain in 1948.

According to the Sunday Times, one section will feature characters from children's fiction classics, including "Alice in Wonderland" and "Peter Pan" -- and a showdown between Voldemort, the villain of J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" books, and a horde of flying magical nannies based on Mary Poppins.

Boyle has stressed that the ceremony is not a concert -- "the real stars are the athletes" -- but music will play a key role, with musical direction by electronic duo Underworld, who have worked with Boyle since his 1996 movie "Trainspotting."

Music heard coming from the stadium in recent days ranges from "Jerusalem" -- of course -- to songs by The Beatles, The Who, the Sex Pistols, and Vangelis' theme from "Chariots of Fire."

There are also songs by newer acts, including Dizzee Rascal and Tinie Tempah, two homegrown stars forged in the gritty London environment that Boyle is celebrating.

The final act will be former Beatle Paul McCartney -- due to lead the audience in a singalong of "Hey Jude," with thousands of voices urging "take a sad song and make it better."

Final touches are still being worked out and Boyle has already cut a stunt bike sequence to try to keep the show to its allotted three-hour running time so everyone can use public transport to get home.

Boyle's spectacle is only part of the Summer Games opening ceremony, much of which is dictated by Olympic protocol.

There also will be a parade of athletes from the more than 200 participating nations, speeches by dignitaries -- including the queen, who will officially declare the games open -- and, of course, the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.

The identity of the torchbearer who will ignite the cauldron is the most closely guarded secret of all -- and so far, that has not leaked.

 

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It's one of the most hotly-anticipated events of the Games, as much for the action as the skimpy outfits on display, and it appears Olympic organisers have gone to great lengths to make sure nobody goes home disappointed.

The spectacular beach volleyball stadium on Horse Guards Parade was being prepared for the opening matches today and there was a tantalising taste of what will be on show.

With a capacity of 15,000, it is the largest ever Olympic beach volleyball venue. Some of London's most historic buildings including Buckingham Palace will form a unique backdrop as it hosts its first games on Saturday.

The British women's team - Shauna Mullin and Zara Dampney - will play their opening match against Canada at 5.30 pm on Sunday while the men's team of John Garcia-Thompson and Steve Grotowski will play Canada on Saturday at 4.30.

And between the games spectators will be entertained by a US-style cheerleader troupe, who were going through their final rehearsals for the event today.

But it seemed the major topic of discussion among the female competitors was the news that Buckingham Palace has confirmed eligible bachelor Prince Harry will watch the final of their sport on August 8.

The 27-year-old royal is one of the sport's most well-known fans - he famously took part in an impromptu game on Rio de Janeiro's sands while on a Government visit to Brazil - and he is now set to be at Horse Guards Parade for all the medal events.

The Prince's planned appearance was greeted with excitement by April Ross this afternoon, with American team-mates Jennifer Kessy and Misty May-Treanor equally expectant.

'We've been tweeting Harry,' joked Ross, a 30-year-old Californian. 'I'd just like a photo opportunity with him.'

Kessy added: 'We've not had any contact from him, but it would be great to see him at a game.'

May-Treanor, 34, is equally thrilled at the prospect of a royal appointment on the sand.

'To see any of the Royal Family would be fun,' she said.

'It's neat when you get delegates of other countries interested, travelling around to see the different venues. It's important.'
The stadium which seats 15,000, is the largest ever at an Olympic beach volleyball venue. The unique venue will host its first games on Saturday against a backdrop of some of London's most historic buildings including Buckingham Palace

The stadium is the largest ever at an Olympic beach volleyball venue. The unique venue will host its first games on Saturday against a backdrop of some of London's most historic buildings including Buckingham Palace

Of greater importance to May-Treanor is ending her decorated career on a high.

A gold medal winner with long-standing partner Kerri Walsh at each of the last two Olympic Games, she is retiring at the end of the London tournament.

Her task has been made harder owing to the fact she and Walsh took a two-year break from playing together following the Beijing Olympics, but May-Treanor is confident they have still got what it takes.

'Kerri and I didn't play for a while and it's been fun to get back together,' she said.

'We started our journey together in 2001 and for me it's coming to an end after this, my last event. For us, that journey has been about the hard work and the extra hours.

'We are excited to be here again together. I'm 34 now, and the players I'm playing against are 21 and 22. That's been a real change, but that's how I started out.'

Beach volleyball is one of the most talked-about sports on the Olympic scene owing to its daring dress code.

Women often play in bikinis - something that has won the game a new army of fans - and Rose is delighted that the wow factor is working.

'We go to places and it is a little bit shocking for people, but it draws them in and once they see the sport, they're hooked,' she said.

'People are going to want to see it and hopefully we gain lifetime fans. We feel so blessed to be playing here.'

Brazilian pair Juliana Felisberta and Larissa Franca are favourites to win the women's event at the London Olympics and Felisberta has admitted she too wouldn't turn down a date with a prince.

Celebrating her 29th birthday on Sunday with a ride on the London Eye, a Ferris wheel that dominates the heart of the city, Felisberta was delighted to spot the beach volleyball venue and its close neighbour, Buckingham Palace.

'It's very nice because it's near the house of your Queen, and I hope the princes will come, especially to my games,' Felisberta told Reuters on Monday at the Brazilian team's training centre in Crystal Palace, southeast London.

Prince Harry, 27, the youngest son of heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, played a well-publicised game of beach volleyball on the Copacabana during a recent trip to Brazil.

The episode fuelled speculation the prince would make an appearance at the Olympic beach volleyball event, which is taking place at Horse Guards Parade, a site normally used to celebrate the birthday of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.

The Palace said on Monday he would be attending, although Felisberta did not know that at the time she made her remarks.

Beach volleyball has been an Olympic sport since Atlanta in 1996 but it is often not taken seriously due to endless close-up snapshots of women players in their skimpy bikinis.

Far from dismissing the hype over the outfits, the exuberant Felisberta has clearly embraced her sport's sexy image.

She told reporters it offered great opportunities to enjoy the sight of fabulous bodies, male and female.

'For sure the people of London will enjoy the beach volleyball a lot. It's a really interesting sport and the players have beautiful bodies. The people of the UK will love beach volleyball after these Olympics,' she said.

Felisberta seemed genuinely enthralled at the prospect of a royal audience, returning to the subject multiple times during her news conference.

But sadly for Prince Harry, who is unmarried, the Brazilian said she had a preference for his older brother Prince William, 30, who married Kate Middleton last year in front of a global TV audience of millions.

'Prince William is very handsome... But I doubt he will leave his wife for me because she is gorgeous,' said the boisterous Felisberta.

But for all the jesting, she and her team mate are deadly serious about their medal prospects.

'We're ready for the kill,' said Franca, 30, summing up their ambition.

The pair have lifted almost every trophy there is to win in their sport together but their Olympic hopes were dashed in Beijing in 2008 when Felisberta pulled out with a knee injury.

At the time, Franca teamed up with Ana Paula Rodrigues and they reached the quarter-finals, where they lost to U.S. defending champions Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, who went on to win gold for a second time.

The U.S. pair, the only beach volleyball team to have won the Olympic title twice, are in contention again in London and the Brazilians, who defeated them in the final at last year's world championships, are aching for a showdown.

'Kerri and Misty are not just any team. This is the best team in beach volleyball history. My biggest dream is to be in the final against them,' said Felisberta.

About to compete in her fifth Olympics, Australia's beach volleyball player Natalie Cook loves the Games as much as ever and has only one regret - she is unlikely to make it to the golden beaches of Rio in 2016.

At 37, Sydney gold medallist Cook is the first woman to take part in five Olympics for Australia and the only beach volleyball player of either gender to compete in every Games since the sport made its Olympic debut in Atlanta in 1996.

'Coming to this event every four years is a huge motivation. I love the culture, I love the excellence, I love the lifestyle and what the Olympic Games represents,' Cook told Reuters on Sunday.

'It's about being the best you can be every single day of your life and I've been doing that for 20 years.'

At 21, Cook was the youngest woman beach volleyball player at the Atlanta Games, where she won bronze with her then team mate Kerri Pottharst.

Now playing with Tamsin Hinchley, 32, Cook is the oldest woman beach volleyball player at the London Games. The pair are not among the favourites but with their competitive spirit and immense experience they cannot be written off.

Every Games has a different feel, Cook said, reminiscing.
'In the U.S. everything was big. Sydney was home. Athens was where the Games began. In Beijing there were volunteers as far as you could see,' she said.

'The location is obviously iconic,' Cook said, referring to Horse Guards Parade, a vast site in the heart of London that is normally used for Trooping the Colour, an annual British military ceremony marking Queen Elizabeth's official birthday.


She relished the prospect of playing beach volleyball under the windows of Number 10 Downing Street, home of British prime ministers, and in front of an audience of 15,000, the largest ever at an Olympic beach volleyball venue.

'When I first started, in Atlanta, we were out by the car parks. In Sydney it was Bondi. In Athens we were by the ocean. Now we're next to Buckingham Palace,' Cook said.

'Bondi is obviously close to my heart but this will be number two, unless we win and then it might take on the number one mantle.'

Cook and Hinchley will have to be at the top of their game from the word go after they were drawn in the same pool as U.S. pair Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, the only pair to have won Olympic gold twice, in Athens and Beijing.

'They are tough, there's no doubt about it,' Cook said, adding though that May-Treanor and Walsh had been out of competition for a couple of weeks and could have lost some of their sharpness.

'We hope to catch them sleeping,' she said.

 

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Between the games spectators will be entertained by a US-style cheerleader troupe

Dancers rehearse their performances underneath the blazing sun on Horse Guards Parade

 

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Beach volleyball cheerleader

 

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Olympic village
where the world athletics meet to have sex, sorry rest after event

 

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Performer welcome athletics to the olympic village by day and Pompeii whorehouse at night