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{{Short description|Multi-sport event in London, England}}
{{redirect|London 2012|information on London's Olympic bid|London 2012 Olympic bid}}
{{Redirect2|2012 Olympics|London 2012|the Summer Paralympics|2012 Summer Paralympics|the Winter Youth Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria|2012 Winter Youth Olympics|the video game|London 2012 (video game){{!}}''London 2012'' (video game)}}
{{future sport}}
{{pp-move}}
{{Olympics infobox|2012|Summer|
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
| Logo = London_Olympics_2012_logo.png
{{Use British English|date=August 2012}} <!-- without Oxford commas -->
| Size =
{{Infobox Olympic games|2012|Summer|Olympics|
| Name = Official Logo of the 2012 Olympic Games
|image = 2012 Summer Olympics logo.svg<!-- Please do not replace. This issue has been discussed. -->
<!--| Optional caption = This is a clear base version of the official logo.<br> There are four official base colours, and another version<br> for the ].<br> For more details, see section "]" below.-->
|image_size = 200
| Nations participating = 204 (initial estimates by LOCOG)
|caption = Emblem of the 2012 Summer Olympics; other colour variants are shown ]
| Athletes participating = 10,250 (approximate)
|alt = 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".
| Officially opened by =
|host_city = ], United Kingdom
| Athlete's Oath =
|motto = ''Inspire a Generation''
| Judge's Oath =
|nations = 204+2 (including 2 ] teams)
| Olympic Torch =
|athletes = 10,518 (5,863 men, 4,655 women)
}}
|events = 302 in 26 ] (39 disciplines)
The '''2012 Summer Olympic Games''', officially known as the '''Games of the ] Olympiad''', are due to be celebrated in ] from ] to ] ].<ref>{{citeweb |url=http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/london/index_uk.asp|title=International Olympic Committee - London 2012 |publisher=IOC |date= |accessdate=2008-08-03}}</ref>
|opening = 27 July 2012
|closing = 12 August 2012
|opened_by = ] ]<ref name="Opening and Cauldron">{{cite press release|title=Factsheet – Opening Ceremony of the Games of the Olympiad|url=https://stillmed.olympic.org/Documents/Reference_documents_Factsheets/Opening_ceremony_of_the_Games_of_the_Olympiad.pdf|url-status=live|publisher=International Olympic Committee|date=9 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160814215458/https://stillmed.olympic.org/Documents/Reference_documents_Factsheets/Opening_ceremony_of_the_Games_of_the_Olympiad.pdf|archive-date=14 August 2016|access-date=22 December 2018}}</ref>
|cauldron = {{Plainlist|
* Callum Airlie
* Jordan Duckitt
* ]
* Katie Kirk
* Cameron MacRitchie
* Aidan Reynolds
* ]<ref name="Opening and Cauldron"/>
* Austin Playfoot (relight)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.london2012.com/news/articles/cauldron-moved-into-position-olympic-stadium.html|title=Cauldron moved into position in Olympic Stadium|publisher=London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee|date=30 July 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731191336/http://www.london2012.com/news/articles/cauldron-moved-into-position-olympic-stadium.html|archive-date=31 July 2012}}</ref>}}
|stadium = ]
|summer_prev = ]
|summer_next = ]
|winter_prev = ]
|winter_next = ]
|closed_by=] ]}}
{{2012 Summer Olympics}}

The '''2012 Summer Olympics''', officially the '''Games of the XXX Olympiad'''{{efn|The IOC numbers the Olympiads using ].}} and also known as '''London 2012''', were an international ] held from 27&nbsp;July to 12&nbsp;August 2012 in ], England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ] in ], began on 25&nbsp;July at the ] in ], Wales, followed by the opening ceremony on 27&nbsp;July.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/london/index_uk.asp|publisher=International Olympic Committee|website=olympic.org|title=London 2012|access-date=3 August 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080801100305/http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/london/index_uk.asp|archive-date=1 August 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/2012/schedule-results/list/football/20120725|title=Olympics Schedule & Results – Wednesday 25 July, Football|work=BBC Sport|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111234444/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/2012/schedule-results/list/football/20120725|archive-date=11 January 2016}}</ref> There were 10,518 athletes from 206 ]s (NOCs) who participated in the 2012 Olympics.<ref name=athletecount/>

Following a bid headed by former Olympic champion ] and the then-] ], London was selected as the host city at the ] in ] on 6&nbsp;July 2005, defeating bids from ], ], ], and ].<ref name="Election">{{cite web|url=http://www.olympic.org/en/content/Olympic-Games/All-Future-Olympic-Games/Summer/London-2012|title=London 2012: Election|website=olympic.org|publisher=International Olympic Committee|access-date=2 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091005010107/http://www.olympic.org/en/content/Olympic-Games/All-Future-Olympic-Games/Summer/London-2012|archive-date=5 October 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> London became the first city to host the modern Olympics three times,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/4654821.stm|title=Coe promises Olympics to remember|work=BBC Sport|date=6 July 2005|access-date=3 August 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110609063729/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/4654821.stm|archive-date=9 June 2011}}</ref>{{efn|] has also hosted three ]-organised events, in ], ] and the ] in ]. 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.}} having previously hosted the Summer Games in ] and ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/7361921.stm|title=London's first Olympics|work=BBC Sport|date=26 April 2008|access-date=3 August 2008|first=Mark|last=Barden|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501025441/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/7361921.stm|archive-date=1 May 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/olympics_1948_gallery.shtml|title=The 1948 London Olympics Gallery|work=BBC History|last=Greenberg|first=Stan|date=3 March 2011|access-date=3 August 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080718202435/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/olympics_1948_gallery.shtml|archive-date=18 July 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> Construction for the Games involved considerable redevelopment, with an emphasis on ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.london2012.com/plans/sustainability/getting-ready/index.php|title=Building a sustainable Games|publisher=London 2012|access-date=2 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091018073244/http://www.london2012.com/plans/sustainability/getting-ready/index.php|archive-date=18 October 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> The main focus was a new {{convert|200|ha|acre|adj=on}} ], constructed on a former industrial site in ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newham.gov.uk/2012Games/AboutThe2012Games/TheOlympicPark.htm|title=Newham London: The Olympic Park|publisher=London Borough of Newham|access-date=1 April 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424194043/http://www.newham.gov.uk/2012Games/AboutThe2012Games/TheOlympicPark.htm|archive-date=24 April 2012}}</ref> The Games also used ] that already existed before the bid.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.london2012.com/mm%5CDocument%5CPublications%5CCandidateFile%5C01%5C24%5C07%5C59%5Cquestionnaire-response-english.pdf|title=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|publisher=London 2012|access-date=29 July 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722094808/http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Publications/CandidateFile/01/24/07/59/questionnaire-response-english.pdf|archive-date=22 July 2012}}</ref>


The ] topped the ], winning the most gold medals (48) and the highest number of medals overall (105). ] finished second with a total of 91 medals (38 gold) and ] came third with 65 medals overall (29 gold). ] of the United States became the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time, winning his 22nd medal.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/31/london-2012-michael-phelps-olympian|title=Michael Phelps becomes the greatest Olympian|access-date=11 August 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|last=McCrae|first=Donald|location=London|date=1 August 2012|page=1|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113193643/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/31/london-2012-michael-phelps-olympian|archive-date=13 November 2013}}</ref> ], ] and ] 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.<ref>{{cite news|last=Magnay|first=Jacquelin|author-link=Jacquelin Magnay|title=London 2012 Olympics diary: three countries have failed to send any female athletes|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9468113/London-2012-Olympics-diary-three-countries-have-failed-to-send-any-female-athletes.html|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|date=11 August 2012|access-date=14 August 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813231039/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9468113/London-2012-Olympics-diary-three-countries-have-failed-to-send-any-female-athletes.html|archive-date=13 August 2012}}</ref> Women's boxing was included for the first time, and the 2012 Games became the first at which every sport had female competitors.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19096530|title=London 2012 international digest&nbsp;– Day Six|date=2 August 2012|work=BBC Sport|access-date=11 August 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805011840/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19096530|archive-date=5 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Saudis to send two women to London, make history|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/07/12/saudi-arabia-women-london-olympics.ap/index.html|website=SI.com|agency=Associated Press|date=12 July 2012|access-date=13 July 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715100639/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/07/12/saudi-arabia-women-london-olympics.ap/index.html|archive-date=15 July 2012}}</ref><ref name="latimes1">{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-xpm-2012-jul-27-la-ed-olympics-women-20120727-story.html|title=An Olympic moment for women|website=L.A. Times Archives|date=27 July 2012|access-date=3 September 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917161757/https://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-xpm-2012-jul-27-la-ed-olympics-women-20120727-story.html|archive-date=17 September 2019}}</ref>
London will become the first ] to officially host the modern ] ],<ref>{{citeweb |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/4654821.stm|title=Coe promises Olympics to remember |publisher=BBC Sport |date=2005-07-06 |accessdate=2008-08-03}}</ref><ref>] has also hosted three ]-organised events, in ], ] and the ] in ]. 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.</ref> having previously done so in ]<ref>{{citeweb |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/7361921.stm|title=London's first Olympics |publisher=BBC Sport |date=] |accessdate=2008-08-03}}</ref> and in ].<ref>{{citeweb |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/olympics_1948_gallery.shtml|title=The 1948 London Olympics Gallery |publisher=BBC History |date= |accessdate=2008-08-03}}</ref>


The Games received considerable praise for their organisation, with the volunteers, the British military and public enthusiasm commended particularly highly.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19233495|work=BBC News|title=London 2012: IOC chief Jacques Rogge 'very happy' with Games|date=12 August 2012|access-date=14 August 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813101505/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19233495|archive-date=13 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/london-2012-olympics-blog/2012/aug/12/has-olympics-changed-london-2012|title=Has the Olympics changed London?|work=The Guardian (London 2012 Olympics blog)|date=12 August 2012|access-date=14 August 2012|first=Hannah|last=Waldram|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113193544/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/london-2012-olympics-blog/2012/aug/12/has-olympics-changed-london-2012|archive-date=13 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Scanlan|first=Wayne|date=10 August 2012|url=https://calgaryherald.com/sports/2012-summer-games/Buoyed+record+medal+haul+suprisingly+sunny/7072134/story.html|title=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|newspaper=Calgary Herald|location=London|access-date=14 August 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120816063024/https://calgaryherald.com/sports/2012-summer-games/Buoyed+record+medal+haul+suprisingly+sunny/7072134/story.html|archive-date=16 August 2012}}</ref> The Games were described as "]".<ref name=":1" /> The ], directed by Academy Award winner ], received widespread acclaim.<ref name="Goldsmith"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/27/olympics-opening-ceremony-view-from-abroad|title=Olympics opening ceremony: the view from abroad|newspaper=The Guardian|last=Topping|first=Alexandra|date=28 July 2012|page=2|location=London|access-date=14 August 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105042926/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/27/olympics-opening-ceremony-view-from-abroad|archive-date=5 November 2013}}</ref> These were the final Olympic Games under the IOC presidency of Belgian ], who was succeeded by German ] the next year.
==The bidding process==
]
{{main|2012 Summer Olympics bids}}
By the bid submission deadline of ] ], nine cities had submitted bids to host the 2012 Olympics. These cities were ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].<ref>{{citeweb |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/3068323.stm|title=Olympic bids: The rivals |publisher=BBC Sport |date=2003-07-15 |accessdate=2008-08-03}}</ref>


==Bidding process==
On ] ], the ] (IOC), as a result of a scored technical evaluation, reduced the number of cities to five: London, Madrid, Moscow, New York, and Paris.<ref>{{citeweb |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/3725157.stm|title=London bid team delighted |publisher=BBC Sport |date=2004-05-18 |accessdate=2008-08-03}}</ref>
{{Main|Bids for the 2012 Summer Olympics}}
] was chosen over ] to represent ]'s bid by the ].


By ] ] all five candidate cities had submitted their candidate file to the ]. The IOC inspection team visited the five candidate cities during February and March 2005. The Paris bid suffered two set-backs during the IOC inspection visit: a number of strikes and demonstrations coinciding with the visits and a report coming out that ], one of the key members of the Paris bid team and IOC member, would face charges over alleged corrupt party political finances.<ref name="wrongb">{{cite news |publisher = GamesBids|accessdate = 2005-03-09 |url = http://www.gamesbids.com/cgi-bin/news/viewnews.cgi?category=1&id=1110389129|title = Day One Of Paris 2012 Inspection By IOC}}</ref> By 15 July 2003—the deadline for interested cities to submit bids to the ] (IOC)—nine cities had submitted bids to host the 2012 Summer Olympics: ], ], ], London, ], ], ], ], and ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/3068323.stm|title=Olympic bids: The rivals|work=BBC Sport|date=15 July 2003|access-date=3 August 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210040857/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/3068323.stm|archive-date=10 February 2009}}</ref> On 18&nbsp;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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/3725157.stm|title=London bid team delighted|work=BBC Sport|date=18 May 2004|access-date=3 August 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060313040837/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/3725157.stm|archive-date=13 March 2006}}</ref> All five submitted their candidate files by 19&nbsp;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, ], would face charges over alleged corrupt party political finances.<ref name="wrongb">{{Cite news|website=GamesBids.com|access-date=9 March 2005|url=http://www.gamesbids.com/cgi-bin/news/viewnews.cgi?category=1&id=1110389129|title=Day One Of Paris 2012 Inspection By IOC|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061020064434/http://www.gamesbids.com/cgi-bin/news/viewnews.cgi?category=1&id=1110389129|archive-date=20 October 2006}}</ref>


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.<ref name="London wins 2012 Olympics, The Guardian, 5 July 2005">{{cite web|title=London wins 2012 Olympics|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/jul/06/olympics2012.olympicgames1|last=Oliver|first=Mark|date=6 July 2005|work=The Guardian|quote=The IOC president, Jacques Rogge, announced the result at 1248BST – around an hour after it had been decided in secret.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102192648/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/jul/06/olympics2012.olympicgames1|archive-date=2 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Its position began to improve after the appointment of ] as the new chair of the ] (LOCOG) on 19&nbsp;May 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bsr.london.edu/lbs-article/673/index.html|title=How London really won the games|access-date=24 June 2012|last=Payne|first=Michael|work=London Business School|archive-date=12 December 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121212085630/http://bsr.london.edu/lbs-article/673/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In late August 2004, reports predicted a tie between London and Paris.<ref name="wrongd">{{Cite news|website=GamesBids.com|access-date=31 August 2004|url=http://www.gamesbids.com/cgi-bin/news/viewnews.cgi?category=1&id=1093970849|title=London And Paris Tie In 2012 Bid|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041107021325/http://www.gamesbids.com/cgi-bin/news/viewnews.cgi?category=1&id=1093970849|archive-date=7 November 2004}}</ref>
On ] ] the ] released its evaluation reports for the five candidate cities. Although these reports did not contain any scores or rankings, the evaluation report for Paris was considered the most positive, now followed closely by London which had narrowed down most of the gap observed by the initial evaluation in 2004 regarding Paris. Also New York and Madrid obtained very positive evaluation reports.<ref name="wrongc">{{cite news |publisher = GamesBids|accessdate = 2005-06-06 |url = http://www.gamesbids.com/cgi-bin/news/viewnews.cgi?category=1&id=1118060827|title = Paris, London and New York Get Glowing IOC Reports}}</ref>


Throughout the process and up to the vote at the ], Paris was widely seen as the favourite to win the nomination, particularly as this was its third bid in recent history. Originally London was seen lagging Paris by considerable margin, however this started to improve with the appointment of ] as new head of London 2012 on ] ]. In late August 2004 some reports started emerging predicting a ] and ] tie in the 2012 bid.<ref name="wrongd">{{cite news |publisher = GamesBids|accessdate = 2004-08-31 |url = http://www.gamesbids.com/cgi-bin/news/viewnews.cgi?category=1&id=1093970849|title = London And Paris Tie In 2012 Bid}}</ref> In the final run-up to the ], London and Paris appeared to be increasingly in a neck-and-neck race. On ] ] ], when asked who the winner would be, told the assembled press: "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". 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.<ref name="wrongc">{{Cite news|website=GamesBids.com|access-date=6 June 2005|url=http://www.gamesbids.com/cgi-bin/news/viewnews.cgi?category=1&id=1118060827|title=Paris, London and New York Get Glowing IOC Reports|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060418052415/http://www.gamesbids.com/cgi-bin/news/viewnews.cgi?category=1&id=1118060827|archive-date=18 April 2006}}</ref> On 1&nbsp;July 2005, when asked who would win, ] 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."<ref name="Rogge quote">{{cite web|publisher=]|website=sailing.org|access-date=6 March 2007|url=http://www.sailing.org/news/12257.php|title=Rogge Arrives in Singapore|date=1 July 2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118194440/http://www.sailing.org/news/12257.php|archive-date=18 January 2012}}</ref>


On 6 July 2005, the final selection was announced at the 117th IOC Session in ]. 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/front_page/4655555.stm|work=BBC Sport|title=London beats Paris to 2012 Games|date=6 July 2005|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170725072233/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/front_page/4655555.stm|archive-date=25 July 2017}}</ref>
On ] ], the final selection was announced at the ] in ], where the ] was held. Here ] ] was the only leader of the five candidate cities' countries to make a personal lobby (he had also been the only one to attend the 2004 Olympics).<ref>
{{cite news
|publisher = BBC
|accessdate = 2007-06-05
|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/4618507.stm
|title = Why London won the Olympics
|author = Francis Keogh and Andrew Fraser
}}
</ref>
Moscow was the first city to be eliminated, followed by New York and Madrid. The final two cities left in contention 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, defeating Paris's 50. Various French publications blamed the Paris loss on French President ]'s statements before the vote that "We can't trust people who have such bad food. After Finland, it's the country with the worst food."<ref>, National Business Review, retrieved ] ]</ref> Two current members of the ] are from Finland. Several other news sources cited Bertrand Delanoë's complaint regarding Tony Blair's secret late night meetings with numerous (African) IOC representatives as having a more significant impact on final vote.<ref>, BBC News</ref> When reporting London's win, many British news programmes showed the footage of London's win being announced in Paris, where a large crowd had gathered expecting a French win. However, the celebrations in London were overshadowed when ] less than 24 hours after the announcement.


The celebrations in London were short-lived, being overshadowed by ] less than 24&nbsp;hours after the announcement.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/sep/02/london.Olympics2012|title=The party that never was: capital marks the games at last|work=The Guardian|location=London|date=6 July 2005|access-date=22 August 2008|first=Andrew|last=Culf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002091306/http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/sep/02/london.Olympics2012|archive-date=2 October 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> 12 years later, Paris would later be chosen as the host of the ] in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 September 2017 |title=IOC makes historic decision by simultaneously awarding Olympic Games 2024 to Paris and 2028 to Los Angeles |url=https://olympics.com/ioc/news/ioc-makes-historic-decision-by-simultaneously-awarding-olympic-games-2024-to-paris-and-2028-to-los-angeles |access-date=26 August 2024 |website=Olympics}}</ref>
In December 2005 it was alleged by ], a senior IOC official, that London had only won the right to host the Olympics because of a voting error. A London 2012 spokesman dismissed this, saying "At the end of the day, it was a secret ballot. This is the opinion of one individual. The result is what matters and we are not going to be drawn into speculation."<ref>, BBC News, retrieved ] ]</ref>


{| class="wikitable" {|class=wikitable
|+ '''2012 host city election – ballot results'''
|- |-
! rowspan=2 | City
! colspan="7" | 2012 Summer Olympics bidding results
! rowspan=2 | Country
! colspan=4 style="background:silver;"| Round
|- |-
! style="background:silver;"| 1
! City
! style="background:silver;"| 2
! NOC
| bgcolor="silver" |'''Round 1''' ! style="background:silver;"| 3
| bgcolor="silver" |'''Round 2''' ! style="background:silver;"| 4
| bgcolor="silver" |'''Round 3'''
| bgcolor="silver" |'''Round 4'''
|- |-
||]||{{flagicon|GBR}} ]||'''22'''||27||'''39'''||'''54''' |''']'''||'''{{flag|Great Britain}}'''||'''22'''||27||'''39'''||'''54'''
|- |-
||]||{{FRA}} |]||{{flag|France}}||21||25||33||50
||21||25||33||50
|- |-
||]||{{ESP}} |]||{{flag|Spain}}||20||'''32'''||31||—
||20||'''32'''||31||-
|- |-
||]||{{USA}} |]||{{flag|United States}}||19||17||—||—
||19||16||-||-
|- |-
||]||{{RUS}} |]||{{flag|Russia}}||15||—||—||—
|-
||15||-||-||-
|
|'''Total ballots'''
|97
|101
|103
|104
|} |}


==Olympic development and preparation== ==Development and preparations==
{{2012 Summer Olympics}} {{Main|2012 Summer Olympic development}}
The ] (LOCOG) was created to oversee the staging of the Games, and held its first board meeting on 3&nbsp;October 2005.<ref name="temp board">{{cite press release|url=http://www.lda.gov.uk/news-and-events/media-centre/press-releases/2005/locog-formally-established-at-first-meeting-of-london-2012-transition-board.aspx|title=LOCOG formally established at first meeting of London 2012 Transition Board|work=London Development Agency|date=3 October 2005|access-date=15 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119122828/http://www.lda.gov.uk/news-and-events/media-centre/press-releases/2005/locog-formally-established-at-first-meeting-of-london-2012-transition-board.aspx|archive-date=19 January 2012}}</ref> The committee, chaired by ], was in charge of implementing and staging the Games, while the ] (ODA), established in April 2006, was in charge of construction of the venues and infrastructure.<ref name="temp board"/><ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.london2012.com/news/2006/07/lemley-chairs-first-oda-board-meeting.php|title=Lemley chairs first ODA board meeting|publisher=London 2012|access-date=15 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227155513/https://www.london2012.com/news/2006/07/lemley-chairs-first-oda-board-meeting.php|archive-date=27 February 2012}}</ref>


The ] (GOE), a unit within the ] (DCMS), was the lead government body for coordinating the London 2012 Olympics. It focused on oversight of the Games, cross-programme management, and the ] 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&nbsp;billion of public sector funding.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/2012_olympic_games_and_paralympic_games/default.aspx|title=2012 Olympic Games & Paralympic Games|publisher=Department for Culture, Media and Sport|access-date=15 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026041400/http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/2012_olympic_games_and_paralympic_games/default.aspx|archive-date=26 October 2011}}</ref>
===Developments since the 2005 bid===
{{main|2012 Summer Olympic development}}


In August 2011, security concerns arose surrounding the hosting of the Olympic Games in London, following the ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/10/sports/london-rioting-prompts-fears-over-soccer-matches-and-the-olympics.html|title=London Rioting Prompts Fears Over Soccer and Olympics|date=9 August 2011|access-date=11 August 2011|work=The New York Times|first1=Juliet|last1=Macur|first2=Eric|last2=Pfanner|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306212647/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/10/sports/london-rioting-prompts-fears-over-soccer-matches-and-the-olympics.html|archive-date=6 March 2012}}</ref> Some countries expressed safety concerns,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8690809/London-riots-China-raises-questions-over-safety-of-2012-Olympic-Games.html|title=London riots: China raises questions over safety of 2012 Olympic Games|date=9 August 2011|access-date=11 August 2011|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|first=Peter|last=Foster|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811044036/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8690809/London-riots-China-raises-questions-over-safety-of-2012-Olympic-Games.html|archive-date=11 August 2011}}</ref> despite the IOC's assurance that the riots would not affect the Games.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/aug/09/london-riots-2012-olympics|title=London riots will not affect 2012 Olympic security, says IOC|date=9 August 2011|access-date=11 August 2011|work=The Guardian|location=London|first=Jamie|last=Jackson|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113193520/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/aug/09/london-riots-2012-olympics|archive-date=13 November 2013}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.olympic.org/news?articlenewsgroup=-1&articleid=159094|title=London is ready to host the Olympic Games as excitement builds|publisher=Olympic.org|access-date=13 April 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815025657/http://www.olympic.org/news?articlenewsgroup=-1&articleid=159094|archive-date=15 August 2012}}</ref>
The ] was created to oversee the staging of the Games after the success of the bid, and held their first board meeting on ] ]. The committee, ] by ], is in charge of implementing and staging the games, while the ] (ODA) is in charge of the construction of the venues and infrastructure.


===Venues===
The Government Olympic Executive (GOE), a unit within the ], is the lead Government body for coordinating the London 2012 Olympics. The GOE reports through the DCMS Permanent Secretary to the Minister for the Olympics, Paralympics and London, ]. It focuses on oversight of the Games and the ] before and after the Games that will benefit London and the UK.
{{Main|Venues of the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics}}
]]]
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 ] and ]. After the Games, some of the new facilities would be reused in their Olympic form, while others will be resized or relocated.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.excel-london.co.uk/mediacentre/pressoffice/london2012|title=London 2012|website=ExCel-London.co.uk|date=6 July 2005|access-date=15 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007091359/http://excel-london.co.uk/mediacentre/pressoffice/london2012|archive-date=7 October 2011}}</ref>


The majority of venues were divided into three zones within ]: 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 ] some {{convert|125|mi|0|abbr=on}} southwest of London, which hosted the ] events. The football tournament was staged at several grounds around the UK.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/7758646.stm|title=Olympics 2012 venue guide|work=BBC Sport|access-date=15 October 2011|date=3 December 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304063707/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/7758646.stm|archive-date=4 March 2012}}</ref> Work began on the Park in December 2006, when a sports hall in ] was pulled down.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/6179069.stm|title=Work begins on 2012 Olympic Park|work=BBC Sport|date=14 December 2006|access-date=15 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070112232122/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/6179069.stm|archive-date=12 January 2007}}</ref> The athletes' village in Portland was completed in September 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-14896476|title=Osprey Quay Olympic village topping out ceremony|work=BBC News|date=13 September 2011|access-date=15 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919010332/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-14896476|archive-date=19 September 2011}}</ref>
Various aspects of the Games have developed since the time of the initial bid.
] ]]
In November 2004, the 200-hectare (500-acre) ] plans were revealed.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/3990319.stm|title=London reveals Olympic Park plans|work=BBC Sport|date=8 November 2004|access-date=15 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051029094314/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/3990319.stm|archive-date=29 October 2005}}</ref> The plans for the site were approved in September 2004 by Tower Hamlets, Newham, Hackney and Waltham Forest.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3639130.stm|title=2012 Olympic Park gets go ahead|work=BBC News|date=9 September 2004|access-date=15 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060618141714/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3639130.stm|archive-date=18 June 2006}}</ref> The redevelopment of the area to build the Olympic Park required ] orders of property. The London Development Agency was in dispute with ] about the orders in November 2005. By May 2006, 86% of the land had been bought as businesses fought eviction.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4753045.stm|title=Probe into Olympic land evictions|work=BBC News|date=9 May 2006|access-date=15 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061215074617/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4753045.stm|archive-date=15 December 2006}}</ref> 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&nbsp;billion regeneration project started.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hartley |first=Debbie|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/7937133.stm|title=Stratford's last stand|work=BBC Sport|date=11 March 2009|access-date=15 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090316082113/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/7937133.stm|archive-date=16 March 2009}}</ref>


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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.london2012.com/games/olympic-sports/cycling-road.php|title=Cycling – Road|website=London2012.com|access-date=15 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110907052443/http://www.london2012.com/games/olympic-sports/cycling-road.php|archive-date=7 September 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/london_2012/7554020.stm|title=Essex venue to host 2012 biking|work=BBC Sport|date=11 August 2008|access-date=15 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113051820/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics/london_2012/7554020.stm|archive-date=13 January 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> The ], which was set to finish in the Olympic stadium, was moved to The Mall, since closing ] was deemed to cause traffic problems in central London.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gibson|first=Owen|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/oct/04/london-2012-marathon-mall|title=London 2012 marathon to finish at The Mall despite East End protests|work=The Guardian|location=London|access-date=15 October 2011|date=4 October 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113193533/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/oct/04/london-2012-marathon-mall|archive-date=13 November 2013}}</ref> ] was scrapped in a cost-cutting exercise, ] being used for badminton and rhythmic gymnastics events instead.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2008/10/17/greenwich_o2_wembley_feature.shtml|title=Greenwich or Wembley?|work=BBC London|date=17 October 2008|access-date=15 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203123600/http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2008/10/17/greenwich_o2_wembley_feature.shtml|archive-date=3 February 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Henson|first=Mike|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/8101822.stm|title=Boxing chiefs voice 2012 concerns|work=BBC Sport|date=15 June 2009|access-date=15 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090616012530/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympic_games/8101822.stm|archive-date=16 June 2009|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/8015377.stm|title=Wembley may stage Olympic boxing|work=BBC Sport|date=23 April 2009|access-date=15 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426065958/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/8015377.stm|archive-date=26 April 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.morethanthegames.co.uk/summer-sports/2610926-badminton-and-rhythmic-gymnastics-agree-london-2012-wembley-move|title=Badminton and rhythmic gymnastics agree to London 2012 Wembley move|website=MoreThanTheGames.co.uk|date=26 May 2010|access-date=15 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120610234954/http://www.morethanthegames.co.uk/summer-sports/2610926-badminton-and-rhythmic-gymnastics-agree-london-2012-wembley-move|archive-date=10 June 2012}}</ref>
===Venues and infrastructure===


Test events were held throughout 2011 and 2012, either through an existing championship such as ] or as a specially created event held under the banner of '']''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/london_2012/9397066.stm|work=BBC Sport|title=London 2012 Olympic test event schedule unveiled|date=24 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110227194749/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympic_games/london_2012/9397066.stm|archive-date=27 February 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.
{{main|2012 Summer Olympic venues}}
The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will use a mixture of new venues, existing and historic facilities, and temporary facilities, some of them in well-known locations such as ] and ]. In the wake of the problems that plagued the ], the organisers' intention is that there will be no ]s after the Games and instead that a "]" will be delivered. Some of the new facilities will be reused in their Olympic form, while others, including the 80,000 seater main stadium<ref> {{cite news|date=2007-11-08|url=http://www.coolapproach.com/gossip_story.asp?id=11|title =London unveils 2012 stadium plan}}</ref>, will be reduced in size and several will be relocated elsewhere in the UK. The plans are part of the regeneration of ] in east London which will be the site of the ], and of the neighbouring ].


===Public transport===
This has required the ] of some business properties, which are being demolished to make way for Olympic venues and infrastructure improvements. This has caused some controversy, with some of the affected proprietors claiming that the compensation offered is inadequate. In addition, concerns about the development's potential impact on the future of the century-old ] have inspired a community campaign, and the demolition of the ] was opposed by tenants.
] high-speed service ran between ] and ], via ].]]
IOC's initial evaluation felt that, if transport improvements were delivered in time for the Games, London would cope.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Host_city_elections/2012_OG-Report_of_the_Evaluation_Commission.pdf|title=Report of the IOC Evaluation Commission for the Games of the XXX Olympiad in 2012|publisher=Olympic.org|access-date=23 June 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120803071036/http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Host_city_elections/2012_OG-Report_of_the_Evaluation_Commission.pdf|archive-date=3 August 2012}}</ref> ] (TfL) carried out numerous improvements in preparation for 2012, including the expansion of the ]'s ], upgrades to the ] and the ], and the introduction of a new "]" high-speed rail service.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/3957867.stm|work=BBC News|title=High-speed rail links confirmed|date=27 October 2004|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215114217/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/3957867.stm|archive-date=15 February 2009}}</ref> According to Network Rail, an additional 4,000 train services operated during the Games, and train operators ran longer trains during the day.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13534021|work=BBC News|title=Extra trains planned for visitors to London 2012 venues|date=25 May 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319063640/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13534021|archive-date=19 March 2012}}</ref> During the Games, ] was not served by any international services (just as it had not been before the Games),<ref name=bbc-stratford-int>{{cite news|title=Eurostar 'will not stop' at Stratford International|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10154343|access-date=24 July 2012|work=BBC News|date=25 May 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130303051015/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10154343|archive-date=3 March 2013}}</ref> westbound trains did not stop at ],<ref name=tfl-hackney>{{cite web|title=Hackney Wick|url=http://www.getaheadofthegames.com/travelinaffectedareas/city/transport/publictransportoverlay/hackneywick.html|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120719155804/http://www.getaheadofthegames.com/travelinaffectedareas/city/transport/publictransportoverlay/hackneywick.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 July 2012|work=Get Ahead of the Games|publisher=Transport for London|access-date=24 July 2012}}</ref> and ] closed entirely during the Games.<ref name=tfl-pudding>{{cite web|title=Pudding Mill Lane|url=http://www.getaheadofthegames.com/travelinaffectedareas/city/transport/publictransportoverlay/439.html|work=Get Ahead of the Games|publisher=Transport for London|access-date=24 July 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723070306/http://www.getaheadofthegames.com/travelinaffectedareas/city/transport/publictransportoverlay/439.html|archive-date=23 July 2012}}</ref>
] crosses the ] between ] and the ].]]
TfL also built a £25&nbsp;million ] across the ], called the ], to link 2012 Olympics venues.<ref name="CableBBC">{{Cite news|title=Thames cable car to link 2012 Olympic Games venues|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/10501313.stm|work=BBC News|access-date=4 July 2010|date=4 July 2010|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20120424194220/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10501313|archive-date=24 April 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> It was inaugurated in June 2012 and crosses the Thames between ] and the ], carrying up to 2,500 passengers an hour, cutting journey times between ] and the ] and providing a crossing every 30 seconds.<ref name="tfl-announcement">{{Cite press release|title=Plans unveiled for a new Thames crossing with London's first cable car system.|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/16125.aspx|access-date=5 July 2010|publisher=Transport for London|date=4 July 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100912182337/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/16125.aspx|archive-date=12 September 2010}}</ref>


The plan was to have 80% of athletes travel less than 20 minutes to their event<ref>{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmtran/588/588i.pdf|title=Going for Gold: Transport for London's 2012 Olympic Games|publisher=House of Commons Transport Committee|date=8 March 2006|access-date=15 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125061150/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmtran/588/588i.pdf|archive-date=25 November 2011}}</ref> and 93% of them within 30 minutes of their event.<ref name="transport">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/london_2012/4025027.stm|work=BBC Sport|title=London plan at-a-glance|date=6 July 2005|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081209004335/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/london_2012/4025027.stm|archive-date=9 December 2008}}</ref> The Olympic Park would be served by ten separate railway lines with a combined capacity of 240,000 passengers per hour.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3866209.stm|work=BBC News|title=Free travel plan for Olympic bid|date=5 July 2004|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302113322/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3866209.stm|archive-date=2 March 2009}}</ref> In addition, LOCOG planned for 90% of the venues to be served by three or more types of public transport.<ref name="transport"/> Two park-and-ride sites off the ] with a combined capacity of 12,000 cars were 25 minutes away from the Olympic Park. Another park-and-ride site was planned in ] with a capacity for 9,000 cars where spectators could board a 10-minute shuttle train service.<ref name="transport"/> To get spectators to ], four park-and-ride schemes were set up.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-14911974|title=Olympics 2012: Park and ride schemes for Dorney Lake events|work=BBC News|date=14 September 2011|access-date=15 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026054930/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-14911974|archive-date=26 October 2011}}</ref> These Park and Ride services were operated by ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/8516359.stm|title=FirstGroup wins Olympics bus contract|date=15 February 2010|work=BBC News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100218202247/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/8516359.stm|archive-date=18 February 2010|url-status=live}}</ref>
The majority of venues have been divided into three zones within ]: the Olympic Zone, the River Zone and the Central Zone. In addition to these are those venues that, by necessity, are outside the boundaries of Greater London, such as the ] on the ] in ] (which will host the sailing events) and other stadia across the ].


TfL defined a network of roads leading between venues as the ]; roads connecting all of the Olympic venues located within London. Many of these roads also contained special "Olympic lanes" marked with the Olympic rings{{emdash}}reserved for the use of Olympic athletes, officials, and other VIPs during the Games. Members of the public driving in an Olympic lane were subject to a fine of £130. Additionally, London buses would not include roads with Olympic lanes on their routes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/18196.aspx|title=Olympic and Paralympic route network|website=TfL.gov.uk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305060001/http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/18196.aspx|archive-date=5 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/olympics/olympic-news/revealed-the-road-signs-that-will-ban-drivers-from-olympic-lanes-6368234.html|last=Beard|first=Matthew|title=Revealed: the road signs that will ban drivers from Olympic lanes|newspaper=London Evening Standard|date=15 November 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704130857/http://www.standard.co.uk/olympics/olympic-news/revealed-the-road-signs-that-will-ban-drivers-from-olympic-lanes-6368234.html|archive-date=4 July 2017}}</ref><ref name="guardian-cycling">{{cite news |last=Tuffrey |first=Laurie |date=10 July 2012 |title=Olympics regulations force cyclists to dismount |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2012/jul/10/olympics-regulations-cyclists |url-status=live |access-date=24 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113192008/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2012/jul/10/olympics-regulations-cyclists |archive-date=13 November 2013}}</ref> Concerns were expressed at the logistics of spectators travelling to the events outside London. In particular, the ] at ] had no direct motorway connections, and local roads are heavily congested by tourist traffic in the summer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.panamericanchauffeurs.com/london_olympics_2012_airport_transfers.html|title=2012 London Olympic Games &#124; London Chauffeur Limo Service|publisher=Panamerican Chauffeurs|date=6 July 2005|access-date=15 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103172317/http://www.panamericanchauffeurs.com/london_olympics_2012_airport_transfers.html|archive-date=3 November 2011}}</ref> However, a £77&nbsp;million relief road connecting Weymouth to Dorchester was built and opened in 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/6529709.stm|work=BBC News|title=Go-ahead won for £77m relief road|date=5 April 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006044624/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/6529709.stm|archive-date=6 October 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-12769307|work=BBC News|title=Weymouth Olympic relief road is opened|date=17 March 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919012001/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-12769307|archive-date=19 September 2011}}</ref> Some £16&nbsp;million was put aside for the rest of the improvements.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/8323724.stm|work=BBC News|title=Olympics road plans put on show|date=24 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027053339/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/dorset/8323724.stm|archive-date=27 October 2009|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Public transport ===
], an aspect of the bid which scored poorly in the IOC's initial evaluation, needs to see numerous improvements, including the expansion of the ]'s ], upgrades to the ] and the ], and the new "]" high-speed rail service, using Hitachi 'bullet' trains.


TfL created a promotional campaign and website, ''Get Ahead of the Games'', to help provide information related to transport during the Olympics and Paralympics. Through the campaign, TfL also encouraged the use of cycling as a mode of transport.<ref name=les-cycling>{{cite news|title=The Olympic commute... Get ahead of the Games by bike|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/the-olympic-commute-get-ahead-of-the-games-by-bike-7978591.html|newspaper=London Evening Standard|date=26 July 2012|last=Gardner|first=Jasmine|access-date=14 August 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120803001316/http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/the-olympic-commute-get-ahead-of-the-games-by-bike-7978591.html|archive-date=3 August 2012}}</ref> A temporary terminal was created at ] to be used by 10,100 departing athletes after the Games. Up to 35% more bags than normal were expected on 13 August, which was predicted to be the busiest day in the airport's history, according to Nick Cole, head of Olympic and Paralympic planning at Heathrow.
They also plan to have 80% of athletes travel less than 20 minutes to their event. The Park would be served by 10 separate railway lines with a combined capacity of 240,000 passengers per hour. Park and ride schemes also feature amongst the many plans aimed at reducing traffic levels during the games.


===Cost and financing===
Concerns have been expressed at the logistics of spectators travelling to the venues outside London. In particular, the ] are in an area with no direct motorway connection, and with local roads that are heavily congested by existing tourist traffic in the summer. There is also only limited scope for extra services on the ] beyond Southampton, without new infrastructure. Games organisers say that having analysed past Games sailing events, they would expect fewer spectators than have attended recent events such as the Carnival and Tall Ships Race.
A study from Oxford University found that the sports-related costs of London 2012 amounted to US$15&nbsp;billion, compared with $4.6&nbsp;billion for Rio 2016, $40–44&nbsp;billion for Beijing 2008, and $51&nbsp;billion for Sochi 2014 (the most expensive Olympics in history). London 2012 went over budget by 76% in real terms, measured from bid to completion. The cost per athlete was $1.4&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite book|ssrn=2804554|title=The Oxford Olympics Study 2016: Cost and Cost Overrun at the Games|last1=Flyvbjerg|first1=Bent|last2=Stewart|first2=Allison|last3=Budzier|first3=Alexander|publisher=Saïd Business School, University of Oxford|year=2016|doi=10.2139/ssrn.2804554 |arxiv=1607.04484 |s2cid=156794182 |issn = 1556-5068 }}</ref> This does not include wider costs for urban and transport infrastructure, which often equal or exceed the sports-related costs.


The costs of staging the Games were separate from those for building the venues and infrastructure and redeveloping the land for the Olympic Park. While the Games were privately funded, the venues and infrastructure were largely financed using public money.
===Financing===
The costs of mounting the Games are separate to those for building the venues and infrastructure, and redeveloping the land for the Olympic Park. While the Games are privately funded, the venues and Park costs are met largely by public money.


According to ''The Wall Street Journal'', the original budget for the Games was increased to about £9.3&nbsp;billion (US$15.28&nbsp;billion) in 2007.<ref>{{cite news|last=Pearman|first=Hugh|title=These Knock-Down, Shrinkable Games|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303754904577532921054250902|access-date=25 July 2012|newspaper=]|date=24 July 2012|page=D6|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112014235/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303754904577532921054250902|archive-date=12 November 2020|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The revised figures were announced to the ] on 15&nbsp;March 2007 by ]. Along with East End regeneration costs, the breakdown was:
On ] ] ] announced to the ] a budget of £5.3 billion to cover building the venues and infrastructure for the Games, at the same time announcing the wider regeneration budget for the Lower Lea Valley budget at £1.7 billion.
* Building the venues and infrastructure&nbsp;– £5.3&nbsp;billion
* Elite sport and Paralympic funding&nbsp;– £400&nbsp;million
* Security and policing&nbsp;– £600&nbsp;million
* Regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley&nbsp;– £1.7&nbsp;billion
* Contingency fund&nbsp;– £2.7&nbsp;billion


===Volunteers===
On top of this, she announced various other costs including an overall additional contingency fund of £2.7 billion, security and policing costs of £600 million, VAT of £800 million and elite sport and Paralympic funding of nearly £400 million. According to these figures, the total for the Games and the regeneration of the East London area, is £9.345 billion. Mayor ] pledged the Games Organising Committee would make a profit.<ref>{{cite news|publisher = BBC|accessdate = 2007-04-22|date=2007-03-15|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6453575.stm|title =Olympics budget rises to £9.3bn}}</ref>
Unpaid volunteers known as Games Makers performed a variety of tasks before and during the Games.<ref>{{cite web|title=Volunteering – Making the Games happen|url=http://www.london2012.com/volunteer|publisher=London 2012|access-date=15 April 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424201321/http://www.london2012.com/volunteer|archive-date=24 April 2012}}</ref> A target of 70,000 volunteers was set as early as 2004.<ref>{{cite news|last=Shifrin|first=Tash|title=Olympic appeal as volunteer target hit|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2004/feb/10/volunteering|access-date=15 April 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London|date=10 February 2004|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113193705/http://www.theguardian.com/society/2004/feb/10/volunteering|archive-date=13 November 2013}}</ref> When recruitment took place in 2010, more than 240,000 applications were received.<ref>{{cite web|title=10 Games Maker facts|url=http://www.london2012.com/get-involved/volunteer/london-2012-games-makers/10-games-maker-facts.php|publisher=London 2012|access-date=15 April 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424204030/http://www.london2012.com/get-involved/volunteer/london-2012-games-makers/10-games-maker-facts.php|archive-date=24 April 2012}}</ref> Sebastian Coe said in February 2012, "Our Games Makers will contribute a total of around eight million volunteer hours during the Games and the Games simply wouldn't happen without them".<ref>{{cite news|title=Volunteers training day at Wembley Stadium as they prepare for Games|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9061305/London-2012-Olympics-volunteers-training-day-at-Wembley-Stadium-as-they-prepare-for-Games.html|access-date=15 April 2012|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|date=4 February 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206234020/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9061305/London-2012-Olympics-volunteers-training-day-at-Wembley-Stadium-as-they-prepare-for-Games.html|archive-date=6 February 2012}}</ref> The volunteers wore clothing that included purple and red polo shirts and jackets, beige trousers, grey socks and grey-and-white ], which they collected from the ]. Volunteers also wore photo accreditation badges that were also worn by officials, athletes, family members and media, which gained them access to specific venues and buildings around the site.


===Ticketing===
The costs for staging the Games (£2 billion) are funded from the private sector by a combination of sponsorship, merchandising, ticketing and broadcast rights. This budget is raised and managed by the London 2012 Organising Committee. According to Games organisers, the funding for this budget broadly breaks down as:
Organisers estimated that some 8&nbsp;million tickets would be available for the Olympic Games,<ref name=Justtheticket>{{cite web|title=Just the ticket|url=http://www.london2012.org/en/ourvision/Ticketing.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202155136/http://www.london2012.org/en/ourvision/Ticketing.htm|archive-date=2 February 2007|work=London 2012|access-date=20 July 2012}}</ref> and 1.5&nbsp;million tickets for the Paralympic Games.<ref name="Justtheticket"/> LOCOG aimed to raise £375–£400&nbsp;million in ticket sales. There were also free events such as marathon, triathlon and road cycling,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Travel/wireStory?id=10171244|title=London Opens Ticket Process for 2012 Olympics|work=ABC News|access-date=20 May 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325093452/https://abcnews.go.com/Travel/wireStory?id=10171244|archive-date=25 March 2010}}</ref> although, for the first time in Olympic history, the sailing events were ticketed.<ref>{{cite web|author=ISAF|url=http://www.sailing.org/london2012/news/36364.php|title=ISAF: London 2012 Olympic Games Sailing Competition: What Is The Weymouth And Portland International Regatta?|publisher=Sailing.org|date=28 July 2011|access-date=15 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020014531/http://www.sailing.org/london2012/news/36364.php|archive-date=20 October 2011}}</ref> Eventually, more than 7,000,000 tickets were sold.<ref name="washingtonpost1">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/at-london-olympics-empty-seats-have-organizers-scrambling-giving-away-tickets-to-children-and-soldiers/2012/07/29/gJQA6YVBJX_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|first=Karla|last=Adam|title=At London Olympics, empty seats have organizers scrambling, giving away tickets to children and soldiers|date=30 July 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719170354/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/at-london-olympics-empty-seats-have-organizers-scrambling-giving-away-tickets-to-children-and-soldiers/2012/07/29/gJQA6YVBJX_story.html|archive-date=19 July 2017}}</ref> Following IOC rules, people applied for tickets from the NOC of their country of residence. European Union residents were able to apply for tickets in any EU country.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lynn|first=Guy|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-18161743|work=BBC News|title=Ukrainian Olympic official 'willing to sell tickets to black market'|date=22 May 2012|access-date=8 June 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120607222537/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-18161743|archive-date=7 June 2012}}</ref>
*63% from Central Government;
*23% from ]
*13% from the ] and the ]


In Great Britain, ticket prices ranged from £20 for many events to £2,012 for the most expensive seats at the opening ceremony. Some free tickets were given to military personnel as part of the Tickets For Troops scheme,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13758141|work=BBC News|title=Olympic tickets offered to UK Armed Forces members|date=14 June 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824064608/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13758141|archive-date=24 August 2011}}</ref> as well as to survivors and families of those who died during the ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13302220|work=BBC News|title=2012 Olympic tickets for 7/7 bomb attack victims|date=6 May 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719233157/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13302220|archive-date=19 July 2011}}</ref> Initially, people were able to apply for tickets via a website from 15 March until 26 April 2011. There was a huge demand for tickets, with a demand of more than three times the number of tickets available.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/13209306|work=BBC News|title=London 2012 Olympic ticket demand passes 20m|last=Bond|first=David|date=27 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806103645/http://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/13209306 |archive-date=6 August 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14008482|work=BBC News|title=750,000 Olympics tickets sold in 'second chance' round|date=3 July 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825091749/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14008482|archive-date=25 August 2011}}</ref> On 11 May 2012 a round of nearly one million "second chance" tickets went on sale over a 10-day period between 23 June and 3 July 2011.<ref>{{cite news|title=Olympic tickets on sale in 'second chance' phase|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14066068|work=BBC News|access-date=17 August 2011|date=11 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718201248/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14066068|archive-date=18 July 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> About 1.7&nbsp;million tickets were available for football and 600,000 for other sports, including archery, field hockey, football, judo, boxing and volleyball. Ten sports had sold out by 8&nbsp;am of the first day.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13918958|work=BBC News|title=2012 Hopefuls miss out on tickets|date=26 June 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110830050722/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13918958|archive-date=30 August 2011}}</ref>
On ] ] '']'' reported that the right to stage the Olympic Games becoming more muted as realisation dawns on the public of the enormous costs involved in creating facilities for the athletes.<ref>{{cite news|publisher = The Belfast Telegraph|accessdate = 2007-08-18|date=2007-08-18|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/opinion/article2874458.ece|title =Viewpoint: Olympic gold snatched from Ulster }}</ref> Grassroot sport cuts will fund Olympics, government figures suggested on ] ].<ref>{{cite news|publisher = The Times|accessdate = 2007-08-19|date=2007-08-19|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/london_2012/article2284338.ece|title =Sport cuts will fund Olympics }}</ref>


===Countdown===
In November 2007, ] MP, criticised the organisers for significantly under-estimating the cost of staging the games, suggesting they had either "acted in bad faith or were incompetent". <ref></ref>
]]]
During the ], the ] was formally handed over from the ] to the ]. This was followed by a section highlighting London,<ref>{{cite web|author=<!--lead container name-->Eight minute wonder|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2008/06/17/adrian_eight_minutes_feature.shtml|title=The BBC|publisher=BBC|date=17 June 2008|access-date=20 May 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090110133956/http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2008/06/17/adrian_eight_minutes_feature.shtml|archive-date=10 January 2009}}</ref> One month later, the Olympic and ]s were raised outside the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://legacy.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=18998|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113113104/http://legacy.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=18998|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 January 2012|title=1948 Olympians and 2012 hopefuls join Beijing heroes as Olympic and Paralympic flags raised at City Hall|publisher=Legacy.london.gov.uk|date=26 September 2008|access-date=15 October 2011}}</ref>


A countdown clock in ] was unveiled, 500 days before the Games.<ref>{{Cite news|title=London 2012 countdown clock stops in Trafalgar Square|work=BBC News|access-date=15 March 2011|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12749912|date=15 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110318075539/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12749912|archive-date=18 March 2011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/london-2012-olympics-blog/2011/jul/27/london-2012-year-to-go|location=London|work=The Guardian|first1=Scott|last1=Murray|first2=Katy|last2=Murrells|title=London 2012: The 'One Year To Go' Celebrations&nbsp;– as they happened|date=27 July 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104081343/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/london-2012-olympics-blog/2011/jul/27/london-2012-year-to-go|archive-date=4 January 2017}}</ref> It was a two-sided clock with the Paralympic countdown on the other side. The countdown to the start of the Olympics began with a ceremony for the lighting of the Olympic flame in ].<ref>{{cite news|title=Olympic flame lit for London Games|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tournaments/london-olympics/Olympic-flame-lit-for-London-Games/articleshow/13079554.cms|access-date=10 May 2012|work=The Times Of India|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510144844/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tournaments/london-olympics/Olympic-flame-lit-for-London-Games/articleshow/13079554.cms|archive-date=10 May 2012}}</ref>
On ] ] Tessa Jowell announced confirmation of the budget announced earlier in 2007. In June 2007, the Ministerial Funders’ Group - established to manage the allocation of contingency to the ODA within the overall budget - met and agreed a first allocation of contingency to the ODA, being £360m out of the £500m of initial contingency announced in March, to enable the ODA to manage early cost pressures.


===Security===
Following its second meeting on 26 November 2007, the Funders’ Group has now agreed a baseline budget and scope proposed by the ODA. The total budgeted base cost to be met by the public sector funding package remains at £6.090bn including tax and excluding general programme contingency as announced in March. This includes the allocation to the ODA of the remaining £140m from the initial £500m contingency announced in March. <ref>{{cite news|publisher = DCMS|accessdate = 2007-12-10|date=2007-12-10|title= Olympic Delivery Authority budget|url=http://www.culture.gov.uk/Reference_library/Press_notices/archive_2007/dcms_TJ-odabaselinebudget_10dec07.htm}}</ref>
{{main|Security for the 2012 Summer Olympics}}
{{see also|Controversies surrounding G4S}}
The police led the security operation (named '''Operation Olympics''' by the Ministry of Defence), with 10,000 officers available, supported by 13,500 members of the ]. ] and ] assets were deployed as part of the security operation, including ships situated in the ], ] fighter jets and surface-to-air missiles;<ref>{{cite web|title=Manpower or mindset: Defence's contribution to the UK's pandemic response|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5801/cmselect/cmdfence/357/full-report.html|website=publications.parliament.uk|date=25 March 2020|access-date=12 August 2021|quote='''Operation Olympics''' {{!}} 2012 {{!}} Wide-ranging support to delivery of the London Olympic |url-status=live|archive-date=5 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205222331/https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5801/cmselect/cmdfence/357/full-report.html}}</ref> it was the biggest security operation Britain had faced in decades. The cost of security increased from £282&nbsp;million to £553&nbsp;million, and the figure of 13,500 armed forces personnel was greater than the number deployed at the time in Afghanistan.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16195861|title=London 2012: 13,500 troops to provide Olympic security|date=15 December 2011|work=BBC News|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111216022738/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16195861|archive-date=16 December 2011}}</ref> The ] and the ] carried out security exercises in preparation for the Olympics on 19&nbsp;January 2012, with 50 marine police officers in rigid inflatables and fast response boats, joined by up to 100 military personnel and a Royal Navy ].<ref>{{cite web|last=Seida |first=Jim |date=19 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315020234/http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/19/10192015-metropolitan-police-and-the-royal-marines-perform-security-exercises-in-preparation-for-london-olympics |title=Metropolitan Police and the Royal Marines perform security exercises in preparation for London Olympics |website=]| url=http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/19/10192015-metropolitan-police-and-the-royal-marines-perform-security-exercises-in-preparation-for-london-olympics |archive-date=15 March 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>


The ] distributed leaflets to residents of the Lexington building in ], announcing that a missile system was to be stationed on top of the water tower.<ref name=guardian-olympic-missiles>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/apr/29/london-rooftops-missiles-olympic-games|title=London rooftops to carry missiles during Olympic Games|last=Booth|first=Robert|newspaper=The Guardian|date=29 April 2012|location=London|access-date=29 April 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113192000/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/apr/29/london-rooftops-missiles-olympic-games|archive-date=13 November 2013}}</ref><ref name=telegraph-olympic-missiles>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/9234544/London-Olympics-2012-MoD-rooftop-missile-base-plan-alarms-local-residents.html|title=London Olympics 2012: MoD rooftop missile base plan alarms local residents|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|date=29 April 2012|access-date=29 April 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120429213246/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/9234544/London-Olympics-2012-MoD-rooftop-missile-base-plan-alarms-local-residents.html|archive-date=29 April 2012}}</ref> This caused concern to some residents.<ref name=guardian-olympic-missiles/><ref name=telegraph-olympic-missiles/> The Ministry said it probably would use ] missiles and that site evaluations had taken place, but that no final decision had taken place.<ref name=guardian-olympic-missiles/><ref name=telegraph-olympic-missiles/>
There have, however, been concerns over how the Olympics are to be funded. In February 2008, a London Assembly culture and sport committee report expressed concerns over the funding of the games taking away money from London's sports and arts groups. <ref></ref> There have also been complaints that funding towards the Olympics has been to the detriment of funding other areas of the UK. In ], there has been criticism from ] about the games depriving Wales of money, by using UK-wide funding rather than English funding.<ref></ref> The ] newspaper claimed former ] ] broke his promise not to use ] funding for the Olympic games.<ref></ref> <ref></ref>


===Partners=== ===Medals===
]
To help fund the cost of the games the London Olympic organisers have agreed partnership deals with major companies. "Tier One" partners already announced include ], ], ], ], ], ] and ] — who announced the deal on the popular website ].<ref></ref>
Approximately 4,700<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royalmint.com/Corporate/media/London-2012-Olympic-games-victory-medals.aspx|title=London 2012 Olympic Games victory medals to be made by the Royal Mint|publisher=Royalmint.com|access-date=15 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025002237/http://www.royalmint.com/Corporate/media/London-2012-Olympic-games-victory-medals.aspx|archive-date=25 October 2011}}</ref> ] were produced by the ] at ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-11989437|work=BBC News|title=London 2012 medals deal struck for Royal Mint in Llantrisant|date=14 December 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223050218/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-11989437|archive-date=23 February 2012}}</ref> They were designed by ] (Olympics) and Lin Cheung (Paralympics).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-15475942|work=BBC News|title=London 2012: Olympic medals go into production in Wales|date=27 October 2011|access-date=4 July 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111228155844/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-15475942|archive-date=28 December 2011}}</ref> 99% of the gold, silver and copper was donated by Rio Tinto from a mine in ] in the U.S.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=20827055 |first1= John |last1=Hollenhorst | date=June 13, 2012 |title=Kennecott donating $7.3 million in gold, silver, bronze for Olympics|publisher=KSL.com|access-date=25 July 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120624071037/http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=20827055|archive-date=24 June 2012}}</ref> The remaining 1% came from a ]n mine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sg.news.yahoo.com/mongolia-goes-gold-london-medals-192955303--finance.html|title=Mongolia goes for gold with London medals – Yahoo! News Singapore|publisher=Sg.news.yahoo.com|date=18 July 2012|access-date=28 October 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024195417/http://sg.news.yahoo.com/mongolia-goes-gold-london-medals-192955303--finance.html|archive-date=24 October 2012}}</ref> Each medal weighs {{convert|375|–|400|g|oz|abbr=on}}, has a diameter of {{convert|85|mm|in|abbr=on}} and is {{convert|7|mm|in|abbr=on}} thick, with the sport and discipline engraved on the rim.<ref name=storage>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18677289|work=BBC News|title=London 2012: Olympic medals locked in Tower|date=2 July 2012|access-date=4 July 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120704142244/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18677289|archive-date=4 July 2012}}</ref> The obverse, as is traditional, features ], the Greek goddess of victory, stepping from the ] that hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, with Parthenon in the background; the reverse features the Games logo, the ] and a series of lines representing "the energy of athletes and a sense of pulling together".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14291544|work=BBC News|title=London 2012: Olympic medals timeline|date=26 July 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727171350/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14291544|archive-date=27 July 2011}}</ref> The medals were transferred to the Tower of London vaults on 2 July 2012 for storage.<ref name=storage/>


Each gold medal is 92.5 percent silver and 1.34 percent gold, with the remainder copper. The silver medal is 92.5 percent silver, with the remainder copper. The bronze medal is made up of 97 percent copper, 2.5 percent zinc, and 0.5 per cent tin.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonydemarco/2012/07/26/a-closer-look-at-the-olympic-gold-medal/|work=Forbes|title=London's Olympic Gold Medal Worth The Most In The History Of The Games|date=26 July 2012|access-date=30 July 2012|first=Anthony|last=DeMarco|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729232146/http://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonydemarco/2012/07/26/a-closer-look-at-the-olympic-gold-medal/|archive-date=29 July 2012}}</ref> The value of the materials in the gold medal was about £410 (US$644), the silver about £210 (US$330), and the bronze about £3 (US$4.71) as of 30 July 2012.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://olympics.yardbarker.com/blog/olympics/article/how_much_is_a_medal_actually_worth_not_as_much_as_youd_think/11334214|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731232433/http://olympics.yardbarker.com/blog/olympics/article/how_much_is_a_medal_actually_worth_not_as_much_as_youd_think/11334214|url-status=dead|archive-date=31 July 2012|work=Yardbarker.com|title=How much is a medal actually worth? Not as much as you'd think|date=30 July 2012}}</ref>
===Ticketing===
Organisers estimate that some eight million tickets would be available for the Olympic Games, and 1.6 million tickets for the Paralympic Games. They will be going on sale in 2011, with at least 50% of these priced under £20. To reduce traffic, ticketholders would be entitled to free use of London's public transportation network on the day of the event.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ticketing at London 2012 |url=http://www.london2012.com/en/ourvision/Ticketing.htm|publisher=London 2012 website |accessdate=2007-01-04}}</ref> It is estimated that 82% of available Olympic tickets and 63% of Paralympic tickets will be sold. There will also be free events: for example, the marathon and road cycling.


===Scheduling issues=== ===Torch relay===
{{main|2012 Summer Olympics torch relay}}
Some representatives of ] countries have complained that the month of ], which occurs from ] to ] in 2012, will run concurrently with the 2012 Olympic games. During Ramadan, Muslims are to fast from sunrise to sunset, which may put Muslim athletes at a disadvantage during the Games. Some Muslims have called for the Olympics to be rescheduled outside this period.<ref>{{cite news|title=London 2012 Games To Be Held During Ramadan|url=http://www.gamesbids.com/cgi-bin/news/viewnews.cgi?category=1&id=1160922510|publisher=GamesBids.com |accessdate=2007-04-22|date=2006-10-15}}</ref>
The Olympics torch relay ran from 19 May to 27 July 2012, before the Games. Plans for the relay were developed in 2010–11, with the torch-bearer selection process announced on 18 May 2011.<ref name="Torch relay">{{cite news|date=17 May 2011|title=London 2012 torch relay should focus on youth|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/8518637/London-2012-Olympics-torch-relay-should-focus-on-youth-says-Locog.html|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|access-date=17 May 2011|first=Jacquelin|last=Magnay|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521045410/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/8518637/London-2012-Olympics-torch-relay-should-focus-on-youth-says-Locog.html|archive-date=21 May 2011}}</ref> The torch was designed by ].


On 18 May 2012 the ] arrived at ] in ] from Greece<ref name="Olympic Torch Dates">{{cite web|date=18 May 2011|title=The Olympic Torch Relay|url=http://www.london2012.com/olympic-torch-relay|publisher=]|access-date=18 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608061845/http://www.london2012.com/olympic-torch-relay|archive-date=8 June 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> on flight BA2012, operated by a ] ] named "Firefly". The relay lasted 70 days, with 66 evening celebrations and six island visits, and involved some 8,000 people carrying the torch about {{convert|8000|mi|0|abbr=on}}, starting from ] in Cornwall.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13426353|work=BBC News|title=London 2012 Olympic torch relay route revealed|date=18 May 2011|access-date=18 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518081518/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13426353|archive-date=18 May 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> The torch had three days outside the United Kingdom when it visited the ] on 2 June, ] in Ireland, on 6 June,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/1208/breaking40.html|newspaper=The Irish Times|agency=Reuters|location=Dublin|title=Dublin to host Olympic Torch|date=8 December 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111211165912/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/1208/breaking40.html|archive-date=11 December 2011}}</ref> and both ] and ] on 15 July.
===Logo===
] logo (far left) and the different official colour combinations for the ] main logo design.]]
There have been two London 2012 logos: one for the bidding process created by and a second as the brand for the Games themselves. The latter, designed by ], was unveiled on ] ] and cost £400,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/6718243.stm|title=London unveils logo of 2012 Games|publisher=]|date=] ]|accessdate=2007-07-05}}</ref> This new logo is a representation of the number 2012, with the ] embedded within the zero.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.london2012.com/about-newlook-video.html|title=The new London 2012 brand|publisher=London 2012|date=] ]|accessdate=2007-06-04}}</ref> The logo is available in a number of colours.


The relay focused on National Heritage Sites, locations with sporting significance, key sporting events, schools registered with the Get Set School Network, green spaces and biodiversity, Live Sites (city locations with large screens), and festivals and other events.<ref>{{cite web|title=London Culture and 2012 Open Meeting|url=http://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/lcsg/docs/openmeetings/20091102/presentation3.pdf|publisher=Greater London Authority|access-date=19 May 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030062212/http://london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/lcsg/docs/openmeetings/20091102/presentation3.pdf|archive-date=30 October 2012}}</ref> ] was the only Region in the whole of the United Kingdom that had the Olympic Torch pass through it twice. A group of young athletes, nominated by retired Olympic athletes, ran the torch around the stadium. These torchbearers were ], ], ], ], ], Aidan Reynolds, and ]. Together the torchbearers each lit a petal that spread the fire to the 204 petals of the ], representing the countries that participated in the Games.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Urquhart|first1=Conal|title=Olympic Torchbearers who lit cauldron kept it secret from parents.|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk|access-date=8 December 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|date=28 July 2012|first2=Lizzy|last2=Davies|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214064224/http://www.guardian.co.uk/|archive-date=14 February 2012}}</ref> The cauldron was designed by ].
This would be the first time that the same essential logo is to be used for both the Olympic ''and'' Paralympic games.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/6718243.stm|title=London 2012 logo to be unveiled|publisher=]|date=] ]|accessdate=2007-06-04}}</ref> The only significant visible difference is the Olympic and Paralympic logos.


===Environmental policy===
The logo is the first in Olympic history to be able to use a variety of colours. The standard colours included green, magenta and blue, however the logo has incorporated a variety of colours, including the ] to promote the handover ceremony.<ref></ref> Sponsors have also incorporated their company colours in the logo, notable examples include ] <ref>www.mediacentre.lloydstsb.com/.../olympics4.asp</ref> and ].<ref></ref>
The Olympic Park was planned to incorporate 45 hectares of wildlife habitat, with a total of 525 bird boxes and 150 bat boxes. Local waterways and riverbanks were enhanced as part of the process.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.london2012.com/news/archive/2009-02/new-biodiversity-plan-sets-out-future-for-olympic-park-wildlife.php|title=New biodiversity plan sets out future for Olympic Park wildlife|work=London 2012|access-date=5 March 2009|date=27 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309051828/http://www.london2012.com/news/archive/2009-02/new-biodiversity-plan-sets-out-future-for-olympic-park-wildlife.php|archive-date=9 March 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> Renewable energy also featured at the Olympics. It was originally planned to provide 20% of the energy for the Olympic Park and Village from renewable technologies; however, only 9% of it was achieved.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13034546|title=London 2012 Olympics 'to miss renewable energy target'|work=BBC News|access-date=7 June 2011|date=11 April 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110528023613/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13034546|archive-date=28 May 2011}}</ref> Proposals to meet the original target included large-scale on-site wind turbines and ] in the River Thames, but these plans were scrapped for safety reasons.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10234665|title=Olympic Games site wind turbine scrapped|work=BBC News|access-date=7 June 2011|date=4 June 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519213657/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10234665|archive-date=19 May 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> The focus subsequently moved to installing solar panels on some buildings, and providing the opportunity to recover energy from waste. Where it could not be reused or recycled, food packaging for use at the Olympics—including fast-food wrappers, sandwich boxes and drink cartons—was made from compostable materials like starch and cellulose-based ]. After use, many of these materials were suitable for ] (AD), allowing them to be made into renewable energy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nnfcc.co.uk/news/compostable-bioplastics-set-for-big-win-at-london-olympics|title=Compostable bioplastics set for big win at London Olympics|work=]|access-date=31 May 2011|date=31 May 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606000417/http://www.nnfcc.co.uk/news/compostable-bioplastics-set-for-big-win-at-london-olympics|archive-date=6 June 2011}}</ref>


Post-Games, buildings like the ] were relocated elsewhere. Building parts like roofing covers and membranes of different temporary venues were recycled via ]. This allowed organisers to meet the standards of the ] concerning environmental protection.
London 2012 has stated that the new logo is aimed at reaching young people. Sebastian Coe stated that it builds upon everything that the organising committee has said "about reaching out and engaging young people, which is where our challenge is over the next five years". One observer, a managing director of an advertising agency, noted that the logo bore a strong resemblance to the logo for children's television programme '']'', commenting that appealing to young people is difficult, and that they will see right through attempts to patronise them.<ref>{{cite news|title='Oh no' logo|author=Tom Geoghegan|date=]|url=http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6719805.stm|work=]|publisher=BBC}}</ref>


London 2012 inaugurated Olympic Games guidelines that included the recycling of PVC, which was used for temporary buildings such as the Basketball Arena and for the temporary parts of permanent venues such as the Olympic Stadium.<ref>{{cite web|title=London 2012 seeks sustainable solutions for temporary venues|url=http://www.london2012.com/news/articles/2009/5/london-2012-seeks-sustainable-solutions-for-temporary-ve-1243087.html|website=London2012|date=5 May 2009|access-date=20 August 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120827113019/http://www.london2012.com/news/articles/2009/5/london-2012-seeks-sustainable-solutions-for-temporary-ve-1243087.html|archive-date=27 August 2012}}</ref> In the Water Polo Arena, PVC roofing was made from recycled cushions to provide insulation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eurosport.com/olympics/water-polo-arena_sto3329059/story.shtml|title=Water Polo Arena|date=2 July 2012|work=Eurosport}}</ref> Through this recycling process, the Olympic Games PVC Policy was fulfilled; the policy states:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://library.olympics.com/Default/doc/SYRACUSE/25798/policy-on-the-use-of-pvc-for-the-london-2012-olympic-and-paralympic-games-olympic-delivery-authority|title=Policy On The Use Of PVC For The London 2012 Olympic And Paralympic Games |date=2009 |page=4 |website=library.olympics.com |publisher=] |access-date=30 June 2023}}</ref>
Early public reaction to the logo, as measured by a poll on the ] website, was largely negative: more than 80% of votes gave the logo the lowest possible rating.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/6718243.stm?dynamic_vote=ON|title=BBC poll measuring public reaction to the new London Olympics logo}}</ref> Several newspapers have run their own logo competitions, displaying alternative submissions from their readers. ] displayed a design by a ].<ref> International Herald Tribune, retrieved on ], ]</ref> It was noted that the logo resembles an image of the cartoon character ] performing ]<ref></ref> and others have complained that it looks like a distorted ].<ref>[http://www.thevalve.org/go/valve/article/no_go_logo/Uh-Oh Logo</ref>


:Where London 2012 procures PVC for temporary usage or where permanent usage is not assured, London 2012 is required to ensure that there is a take-back scheme that offers a closed-loop reuse system or mechanical recycling system for ].
A segment of animated footage released at the same time as the logo was reported to trigger seizures in a small number of people with ]. The charity ] received telephone calls from people who had had ]s after watching the sequence on TV. In response, a short segment was removed from the London 2012 website.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6724245.stm|title=Epilepsy fears over 2012 footage|publisher=]|accessdate=2007-06-05|date=] ]}}</ref> ], then London Mayor, said that the company who designed the film should not be paid for what he called a "catastrophic mistake".<ref>, ], ] ]</ref>


According to Kirsten Henson, Materials Manager for the London 2012 Olympic Park: "The majority of temporary facilities created for the Olympic Games including the ] temporary stands, basketball arena, Water Polo Arena, and the shooting facilities at the ], are essentially big tents. Basically, PVC stretched over lightweight steel frame. This design solution makes them efficient to install, reduces the need for any significant foundations and are, of course, reusable. We were challenged by the public around the use of PVC; but we considered it to be the right material for certain functions. We therefore challenged the PVC supply chain to have certain environmental performance criteria in place, including a take back and recycle scheme."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.plasticseurope.org/information-centre/televised-newslinks.aspx|title=Televised Newslinks: Discussing the Sustainability Legacy of the London Olympic Park |website=PlasticsEurope.org|date=22 June 2012|access-date=25 March 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308122835/http://www.plasticseurope.org/information-centre/televised-newslinks.aspx|archive-date=8 March 2013}}</ref>
A blogger at the BBC admitted that "London 2012’s new logo has got the country talking not in the manner the organisers would have hoped".<ref></ref> One employee at a design firm described it as "well thought out" and anticipated it would "become a source of pride for London and the Games."<ref></ref>


===Handover Ceremony=== ===Cultural Olympiad===
{{Main|2012 Cultural Olympiad}}
The handover ceremony marks the moment when the previous games in ] hands over the Olympic Flag to the new host city of London.<ref></ref> The precise details of the event have yet to be released, but it will feature "the urban dance group ], the ] and ], a disabled dance group."<ref></ref>


]
For the London Games, the handover is also being celebrated in a UK-wide series of events. BBC will be broadcasting "The VISA London 2012 Party" on BBC One and Radio 2 which is a free concert on ] in central London with 40,000 available tickets.<ref></ref> In nations and regions around the UK will be live screens that will show the activities from Beijing, the Closing Ceremony and then the concert itself. Local communities around the UK will also be hosting their own events.
The ], the set of rules and guidelines for the organization of the Olympic Games and for governing the Olympic Movement, states that
<blockquote>LOCOG shall organise a programme of cultural events which must cover at least the entire period during which the ] is open.<ref>{{cite web|title=Olympic Charter|url=http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Olympic%20Charter/Charter_en_2010.pdf|publisher=International Olympic Committee|access-date=6 May 2011|page=80|date=11 February 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110505101457/http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Olympic%20Charter/Charter_en_2010.pdf|archive-date=5 May 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref></blockquote>


The Cultural Olympiad comprised many programmes, with more than 500 events spread over four years across the whole of the United Kingdom, and culminating in the ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Cultural Olympiad|url=http://www.london2012.com/cultural-olympiad|publisher=London 2012|access-date=27 March 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321172831/http://www.london2012.com/cultural-olympiad|archive-date=21 March 2012}}</ref><ref name="boat project">{{cite news|title=Cultural Olympiad 2012 reaches the critical masses|last=Brown|first=Mark|date=12 March 2012|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/mar/12/cultural-olympiad-2012-critical-masses|access-date=27 March 2012|location=London|work=The Guardian|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829180955/http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/mar/12/cultural-olympiad-2012-critical-masses|archive-date=29 August 2013}}</ref>
==Sports==
The 2012 Summer Olympic programme features 26 sports and a total of 39 disciplines. The 2012 Paralympic Games programme has 20 sports and 21 disciplines. London's bid featured 28 sports, in line with other recent Summer Olympics, but the IOC voted to drop ] and ] from the 2012 Games two days after it selected London as the host city. The IOC reinforced its decision to drop both sports during the Turin Games after they lost votes for reconsideration. They will remain Olympic sports, despite being scheduled for the last time at ].<ref></ref> The IOC may bring ] and ] back in to the Olympics after a final vote in 2010 during the ]. {{Fact|Aug 08|date=August 2008}}


===Opening ceremony===
The IOC confirmed that women's boxing would not be included in Beijing because it "did not feel it merited inclusion in 2008";<ref>{{cite news|publisher = BBC News|accessdate = 2005-10-27|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/4382646.stm|title = Women's boxing ruled out for 2008}}</ref> women's boxing has since been approved and will be included in the 2012 Olympic roster.
{{main|2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony|2012 Summer Olympics Parade of Nations}}
]
Titled "The Isles of Wonder", the opening ceremony began at 21:00 ] (]+1) on 27&nbsp;July in the Olympic Stadium.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.oup.com/2012/08/isles-of-wonder-bermuda-avalon-london-2012/|title=London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony called 'The Isles of Wonder'|date=27 January 2012|publisher=Olympics Medal Tally|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20120813181608/http://blog.oup.com/2012/08/isles-of-wonder-bermuda-avalon-london-2012/|archive-date=13 August 2012}}</ref> Oscar-winning director ] was artistic director and ] of ] was musical director.<ref>{{cite web|title=Underworld announced as Music Directors for the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games|url=http://www.underworldlive.com/news/underworld-announced-as-music-directors-for-the-opening-ceremony-of-the-2012-london-olympic-games|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121216134401/http://www.underworldlive.com/news/underworld-announced-as-music-directors-for-the-opening-ceremony-of-the-2012-london-olympic-games|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 December 2012|date=n.d.|publisher=Underworld}}</ref> The opening ceremony was immediately seen as a tremendous success, widely praised as a "masterpiece" and "a love letter to Britain".<ref name="Dawson">{{cite web |last=Dawson |first=Andy |date=28 July 2012 |title=Boyle Command Performance is hampered by not-so-clever Trevor |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-reviews/bbcs-trevor-nelson-stumbles-but-danny-1177361 |access-date=31 July 2012 |work=Daily Mirror}}</ref><ref name="Goldsmith">{{cite news |last1=Goldsmith |first1=Harvey |last2=Phillips |first2=Arlene |last3=Quantick |first3=David |last4=Brown |first4=Mick |last5=Beard |first5=Mary |date=29 July 2012 |title=London 2012: the experts' view of the Olympic opening ceremony |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9434563/London-2012-the-experts-view-of-the-Olympic-opening-ceremony.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=5 August 2012 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9434563/London-2012-the-experts-view-of-the-Olympic-opening-ceremony.html |archive-date=12 January 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The principal sections of the artistic display represented Britain's ], ], literary heritage, popular music and ], and were noted for their vibrant ] and use of music.


The Games were officially opened by ], accompanied by ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19008471|title=Young athletes light London 2012 Olympic flame|work=BBC News|date=28 July 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728013818/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19008471|archive-date=28 July 2012}}</ref> This was the second Olympic Games opened personally by the Queen, the first being in ] in ], Canada. The ceremony featured a short comic film starring ] as secret agent ] and the Queen as herself.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/apr/02/london-2012-daniel-craig-olympics-bond|date=2 April 2012|title=London 2012: Daniel Craig to open Olympics as James Bond|work=The Guardian|location=London|access-date=2 April 2012|last=Child|first=Ben|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113193629/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/apr/02/london-2012-daniel-craig-olympics-bond|archive-date=13 November 2013}}</ref> There was also a musical comedy item starring ] as ] playing along with the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.classicfm.com/artists/london-symphony-orchestra/rowan-atkinson-chariots-of-fire-sketch-2012-olympics/ |title=The iconic time Mr Bean played 'Chariots of Fire' with London Symphony Orchestra at the 2012 Olympics |last=Shaw Roberts |first=Maddy |work=] |date=4 August 2021 |access-date=27 June 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919234352/https://www.classicfm.com/artists/london-symphony-orchestra/rowan-atkinson-chariots-of-fire-sketch-2012-olympics/ |archive-date=19 September 2021}}</ref> These were widely ascribed to ].<ref>{{cite web |date=28 July 2012 |title=A "noisy, busy, witty, dizzying production": What the world thought of London 2012's opening ceremony |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/london-2012-what-the-world-thought-1178468 |access-date=22 August 2012 |work=Daily Mirror}}</ref>

Live musical performers included ], ], ], ], ], and ] who performed "]" as the closing act.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/jun/06/paul-mccartney-london-olympics-ceremony|date=6 June 2012|title=Paul McCartney to close London Olympics opening ceremony|access-date=12 June 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London|last=Martin|first=Dan|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113193635/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/jun/06/paul-mccartney-london-olympics-ceremony|archive-date=13 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first1=Michael|last1=Hirst|first2=Jenny|last2=Minard|first3=Christine|last3=Jeavans|title=London Olympic Games opening ceremony|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18906710|work=BBC Sport|date=27 July 2012|access-date=27 July 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120727203543/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18906710|archive-date=27 July 2012}}</ref> Broadcast live on ], the ceremony attracted a peak viewing audience of over 27&nbsp;million in the UK.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.barb.co.uk/whats-new/weekly-top-30|title=Weekly Top 3 Programmes w/e 29 Jul 2012|work=BARB|date=10 August 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140919035351/http://www.barb.co.uk/whats-new/weekly-top-30|archive-date=19 September 2014}}</ref>

===Closing ceremony===
{{main|2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony|2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony flag bearers}}
The closing ceremony was held on 12 August. It featured a flashback fiesta to ] with ] closing the performance. The ceremony also included a handover of the ] by ], ], to ], ], the host city of the ].<ref name=Closing>{{cite web|title=Closing Ceremony|url=http://www.london2012.com/spectators/ceremonies/closing-ceremony/|publisher=London 2012|access-date=20 July 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718061942/http://www.london2012.com/spectators/ceremonies/closing-ceremony/|archive-date=18 July 2012}}</ref> In his closing address, ] described the Games as "happy and glorious".<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |title="Happy and Glorious": London bids farewell to the Games |url=https://olympics.com/en/news/happy-and-glorious-london-bids-farewell-to-the-games |date=12 August 2012 |website=Olympic News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816021510/https://olympics.com/en/news/happy-and-glorious-london-bids-farewell-to-the-games |archive-date= 2024-08-16}}</ref>

==The Games==

===Participating National Olympic Committees===
<!-- PLEASE READ: If you change any of the athlete numbers below without citing a source or without an explanatory edit summary, your changes will be reverted. Please take care, as the current information is all well-cited to the London 2012 website. -->

[[File:2012 Summer olympics team numbers.svg|thumb|center|upright=2.8|Number of participating athletes by country
{| {|
|{{legend|#540000|{{nowrap|300+}}}}
* ] (disciplines: ], ], ], ]): Aquatic Centre in the Olympic Park.
|{{legend|#F90000|{{nowrap|100–299}}}}
* ]: Lord's Cricket Ground
|{{legend|#F7931D|{{nowrap|30–99}}}}
* ]: Olympic Stadium; the ]s will use the ] which starts at ] and finishes at the Stadium.
|{{legend|#FFE600|{{nowrap|10–29}}}}
* ]: Greenwich Arena
|{{legend|#00BB05|{{nowrap|4–9}}}}
* ]: Basketball Arena (north from Olympic Stadium) in the Olympic Park and North Greenwich Arena.
|{{legend|#0093F7|{{nowrap|1–3}}}}
* ]: ExCeL London near London City Airport in east London’s Royal Victoria Dock.
|}]]
* ] (disciplines: ] and ]): The Showground. This will be located {{convert|30|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of the Olympic Village within the ] in ], ], ]. This site was selected after it was found that decontamination costs at the original proposed site at Spitalbrook (near the town of ] itself) were too high.<ref>{{cite news|publisher = Cheshunt & Waltham Mercury|accessdate = 2008-06-30|url = http://new2.harlowstar.co.uk/hertfordshiremercury-news-hoddesdon/displayarticle.asp?id=140845|title = Olympic site set to be moved}}</ref>
])]]
* ] (disciplines: ], ], ] and ]): Regent's Park. VeloPark in the north of the Olympic Park and Hadleigh Farm (Mountain Biking replacing the original Venue Weald Country Park).

* ] (Eventing, Dressage, Jumping): Greenwich Park
Around 10,500 athletes from 206 ]s (NOCs) took part,<ref name=athletecount>{{Cite news|title=Olympics&nbsp;– Countries|quote=From the 27th of July 2012&nbsp;– 204 countries will send more than 10,000 athletes to compete in 300 events|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/2012/countries|work=BBC Sport|access-date=19 July 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718221053/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/2012/countries|archive-date=18 July 2012}}</ref> (85 countries acquired at least one medal: gold, silver or bronze)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.london2012.com/medals/medal-count/|title=London 2012 Medal count|website=London2012.com|access-date=17 July 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120918203441/http://www.london2012.com/medals/medal-count/|archive-date=18 September 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> surpassing the ] in London and the ] in ] as the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the ].<ref>{{Cite news|title=City of Manchester Stadium: The Wembley rescuers|last=Hubbard|first=Alan|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/city-of-manchester-stadium-the-wembley-rescuers-1132001.html|newspaper=The Independent|date=12 December 1999|access-date=13 July 2012|location=London|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109231106/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/city-of-manchester-stadium-the-wembley-rescuers-1132001.html|archive-date=9 November 2012}}</ref>
* ]: Fencing Hall at the Olympic Park.

* ]: Hockey Centre in north west of the Olympic Park
Three athletes from the ], which whose ] and lost its recognition during ], and one athlete from ], which ], ] under the Olympic flag.<ref name="AHO">{{cite web|title=Curtain comes down on 123rd IOC Session|url=http://www.olympic.org/ioc?articlenewsgroup=-1&articleid=133159|publisher=IOC|access-date=11 July 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606195922/http://www.olympic.org/ioc?articlenewsgroup=-1&articleid=133159|archive-date=6 June 2014}}</ref>
* ]: A number of stadia across the United Kingdom, with the final being played at ]
{{2012 Summer Olympics Participating National Olympic Committees}}
* ] (disciplines: ], ] and ]): Greenwich and North Greenwich Arenas

* ]: Handball Arena in the west of the Olympic Park.
====National houses====
* ]: ExCeL London.
During the Games, some countries and continents had a "national house". These temporary meeting places for supporters, athletes and other followers were located throughout London.<ref name="nationalhouses">{{cite web|title=2012 Olympic Country Houses |url=http://www.londonprepares.com/olympic-national-pavilions |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403164124/http://www.londonprepares.com/olympic-national-pavilions |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 April 2015 |website=LondonPrepares.com |access-date=10 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Olympic National Hospitality Houses |url=http://www.londontown.com/London/Olympic-National-Hospitality-Houses |website=LondonTown.com |access-date=13 November 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=30 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120630012140/http://www.londontown.com/London/Olympic-National-Hospitality-Houses}}</ref>
* ]: Olympic Stadium, Greenwich Park
{|class="wikitable collapsible collapsed sortable"
* ]: Eton Dorney, near Windsor Castle, around 25 miles west of London.
|-
* ]: The Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, England’s south coast.
!Nation !! Location !! Name
* ]: Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich Common in south east London.
|-
* ]: ExCeL London.
|African nations||]
* ]: ExCeL London.
|-
* ]: Wimbledon
|Austria||]
* ]: Hyde Park.
|-
* ]: Indoor – Earls Court. Beach – ].
|Belgium||]
* ]: ExCeL London.
|-
* ] (Greco-Roman and Freestyle): ExCeL London.
|Brazil||]||Casa Brasil
|-
|Canada||]
|-
|China||]
|-
|Croatia||], ]
|-
|Czech Republic||], ]
|-
|Denmark||]
|-
|France||]||Club France
|-
|Georgia||] (45 Millbank)
|-
|Germany||]||Deutsches Haus
|-
|Great Britain||]
|-
|Ireland||], ]
|-
|Italy||]||Casa Italia
|-
|Japan||]
|-
|Jamaica||]
|-
|Kenya||], ]
|-
|Korea||]
|-
|Monaco||]
|-
|Netherlands||]||]
|-
|New Zealand||], ]||Kiwi House
|-
|Nigeria||]
|-
|Poland||]
|-
|Qatar||], ]
|-
|Romania||30 ], ]
|-
|Russia||], ]
|-
|Slovakia||]
|-
|South Africa||]
|-
|South Pacific||]
|-
|Switzerland||]
|-
|Trinidad & Tobago||]
|-
|United States||]
|} |}


===Sports===
There have been calls for a ] tournament to be included in London.<ref> from '']''</ref> <ref>http://www.jonworth.eu/twenty20-for-2012-cricket-as-an-olympic-sport/</ref> This would neither be an official or demonstration sport, and so medals would not be counted by the IOC; however, the ] for the ] in ] were permitted to organise a ] tournament in parallel to the Games. Any potential cricket tournament would likely be organised along similar lines.
The 2012 Summer Olympics featured 26 different sports encompassing 39 disciplines and 302 events. In the list below, the number of events in each discipline is noted in parentheses.

{|class="wikitable"
|-
!2012 Summer Olympics Sports Programme
|-
|
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-1-of-4}}
*Aquatics
**{{GamesSport|Diving|Events=8|Format=d}}
**{{GamesSport|Swimming|Events=34|Format=d}}
**{{GamesSport|Synchronized swimming|Events=2|Format=d}}
**{{GamesSport|Water polo|Events=2|Format=d}}
*{{GamesSport|Archery|Events=4|Format=d}}
*{{GamesSport|Athletics|Events=47|Format=d}}
*{{GamesSport|Badminton|Events=5|Format=d}}
*{{GamesSport|Basketball|Events=2|Format=d}}
*{{GamesSport|Boxing|Events=13|Format=d}}
{{Col-2-of-4}}
*{{GamesSport|Canoeing|Format=d}}
**Sprint <small>(12)</small>
**Slalom <small>(4)</small>
*{{GamesSport|Cycling|Format=d|Competitors=List of cyclists}}
**BMX <small>(2)</small>
**Mountain biking <small>(2)</small>
**Road <small>(4)</small>
**Track <small>(10)</small>
*{{GamesSport|Equestrian|Format=d}}
**Dressage <small>(2)</small>
**Eventing <small>(2)</small>
**Jumping <small>(2)</small>
{{Col-2-of-4}}
*{{GamesSport|Fencing|Events=10|Format=d}}
*{{GamesSport|Field hockey|Events=2|Format=d}}
*{{GamesSport|Football|Events=2|Format=d}}
*{{GamesSport|Gymnastics|Format=d}}
**Artistic <small>(14)</small>
**Rhythmic <small>(2)</small>
**Trampoline <small>(2)</small>
*{{GamesSport|Handball|Events=2|Format=d}}
*{{GamesSport|Judo|Events=14|Format=d}}
*{{GamesSport|Modern pentathlon|Events=2|Format=d}}
*{{GamesSport|Rowing|Events=14|Format=d}}
*{{GamesSport|Sailing|Events=10|Format=d}}
{{Col-3-of-4}}
*{{GamesSport|Shooting|Events=15|Format=d}}
*{{GamesSport|Table tennis|Events=4|Format=d}}
*{{GamesSport|Taekwondo|Events=8|Format=d}}
*{{GamesSport|Tennis|Events=5|Format=d}}
*{{GamesSport|Triathlon|Events=2|Format=d}}
*{{GamesSport|Volleyball|Format=d}}
**Volleyball <small>(2)</small>
**Beach volleyball <small>(2)</small>
*{{GamesSport|Weightlifting|Events=15|Format=d}}
*{{GamesSport|Wrestling|Format=d}}
**Freestyle <small>(11)</small>
**Greco-Roman <small>(7)</small>
{{col-end}}
|}

Women's boxing was included in the programme for the first time, and 36 women competed in three weight classes. There was a ] for the shooting events, which would otherwise have been illegal under ].<ref>{{cite news|last=Fraser|first=Andrew|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/4162498.stm|title=Shooters seek handgun law change|date=19 August 2005|work=BBC Sport|access-date=30 July 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728033926/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/4162498.stm|archive-date=28 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/wire?section=oly&id=3478179|title=British government relaxes gun laws on sport ahead of 2012 Olympics|date=8 July 2008|publisher=]|access-date=30 July 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729225442/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=oly&id=3478179|archive-date=29 July 2013}}</ref> In tennis, mixed doubles returned to the Olympic programme for the first time since 1924.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcolympics.com/tennis/event/mixed-doubles/index.html|title=Tennis: Mixed Doubles preview|website=NBCOlympics.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718215159/http://www.nbcolympics.com/tennis/event/mixed-doubles/index.html|archive-date=18 July 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

London's bid featured the same 28 sports that had been included in other recent Summer Olympics, but the IOC voted to drop ] and ] from the 2012 Games just two days after London had been selected as the host city. There was an appeal, but the IOC voted to uphold the decision, and the two sports were scheduled to be discontinued after their last appearance at the ].<ref name=SportsDropped>{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2005-07-08-baseball-softball-dropped_x.htm|title=Baseball, softball bumped from Olympics|first=Vicki|last=Michaelis|access-date=17 August 2008|date=8 July 2005|work=USA Today|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080709024822/http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2005-07-08-baseball-softball-dropped_x.htm|archive-date=9 July 2008}}</ref> The IOC then voted on whether or not to replace them; ], ], ], ] and ] were considered. Karate and squash were the two final nominees, but neither received enough votes to reach the required two-thirds majority.<ref name=SportsDropped/>

Although formal ]s were eliminated after the 1992 Summer Olympics,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/innovations_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1996|title=International Olympic Committee – Olympic Games|publisher=Olympic.org|access-date=12 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912061938/http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/innovations_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1996|archive-date=12 September 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> special tournaments for non-Olympic sports can be run during the Games, such as the ] at the 2008 Summer Olympics.<ref name="islondon">{{cite web|url=http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/london-legislator-heads-for-beijing-wants-cricket-in-2012-olympics_10080420.html|title=London legislator heads for Beijing, wants cricket in 2012 Olympics|publisher=Thaindian News|first=Dipankar|last=De Sarkar|access-date=20 August 2008|date=6 August 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080815225429/http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/london-legislator-heads-for-beijing-wants-cricket-in-2012-olympics_10080420.html|archive-date=15 August 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> There were attempts to run ]<ref name="islondon"/> and ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/35597/Gordon-Brown-backs-Olympic-netball|title=Gordon Brown backs Olympic netball|work=Daily Express|location=UK|access-date=10 September 2008|date=20 February 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20080928201036/http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/35597/Gordon-Brown-backs-Olympic-netball|archive-date=28 September 2008}}</ref> tournaments alongside the 2012 Games, but neither campaign was successful.

===Calendar===
{{see also|Chronological summary of the 2012 Summer Olympics}}
The final official schedule was released on 15 February 2011.<ref>{{cite news|title=London 2012 Olympic Games schedule released|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/london_2012/9397378.stm|access-date=25 May 2011|date=15 February 2011|work=BBC Sport|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111012033641/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/london_2012/9397378.stm|archive-date=12 October 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{#section:Chronological summary of the 2012 Summer Olympics|Calendar}}

===Records===
] (left) with ] (right), demonstrating one another's famous gestures (the "Lightning Bolt" and "Mobot")]]
{{main|World and Olympic records set at the 2012 Summer Olympics}}
These Olympic Games resulted in 32 world records in eight sports. The largest number of records were set in swimming, at eight. China, Great Britain and the United States set the most records, with five each.

== Medal table ==
{{Main|2012 Summer Olympics medal table}}
{{Further|List of 2012 Summer Olympics medal winners}}
A total of 85 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) won medals, 54 of those countries winning at least one gold medal. Seven NOCs won their first ever Olympic medal: ] (gold),<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/london-2012/results/athletics/1500m-women |title=London 2012, Athletics, 1500m Women, Results |date=7 March 2019 |website=olympics.com |access-date=28 October 2017 |archive-date=18 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160518015822/http://www.olympic.org/olympic-results/london-2012/athletics/1500m-w |url-status=live}}</ref> ] (silver),<ref>{{Cite news|last=Beaumont|first=Mark|date=4 February 2014|title=Queen's Baton Relay: Nijel Amos, building on Olympic success|work=]|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-queens-baton-relay-26035470|access-date=13 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411000739/http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-queens-baton-relay-26035470|archive-date=11 April 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> ] (silver),<ref>{{cite web|title=Cyprus celebrates first Olympic medal as Kontides claims silver|url=https://olympics.com/en/news/cyprus-celebrates-first-olympic-medal-as-kontides-claims-silver|website=olympics.com|access-date=29 June 2023|date=31 March 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220103140820/https://olympics.com/en/news/cyprus-celebrates-first-olympic-medal-as-kontides-claims-silver|archive-date=3 January 2022}}</ref> ] (silver),<ref>{{cite news|title=Molfetta wins Olympic gold in men's plus-80K|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20120811/oly-tae-men-s-over-80k/|date=11 August 2012|work=Huffington Post|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610054353/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20120811/oly-tae-men-s-over-80k/|archive-date=10 June 2013}}</ref> ] (gold),<ref>{{cite news|title=Grenada's Kirani James wins Olympic 400m gold|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18909277|work=BBC Sport|last=Fordyce|first=Tom|date=6 August 2012|access-date=9 August 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120809003248/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18909277|archive-date=9 August 2012}}</ref> ] (silver),<ref>{{cite news|title=Chen wins Olympic 20km walk, history for Guatemala|agency=Reuters|url=http://asia.eurosport.com/athletics/olympic-games-london/2012/chen-wins-20km-walk_sto3375063/story-london.shtml|work=Eurosport Asia|date=5 August 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120806182827/http://asia.eurosport.com/athletics/olympic-games-london/2012/chen-wins-20km-walk_sto3375063/story-london.shtml|archive-date=6 August 2012 }}</ref> and ] (silver).<ref>{{cite news|title=Olympics handball: Norway beat Montenegro to women's gold|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18912978|work=BBC Sport|date=11 August 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812083720/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18912978|archive-date=12 August 2012}}</ref> The ] finished at the top of the table, winning 48 gold medals and a total of 104 medals. ] finished second with 38 gold medals and 91 medals overall, and hosts ] came in third place, winning 29 gold medals and 65 medals overall in their best performance since London hosted its first Summer Olympics in ], pushing ]—who won 18 gold medals and 64 medals in total, after doping redistributions (initially 24 gold and 82 total)—into fourth place.

;Key
{{Color box|#ffffff|&nbsp;<nowiki>‡</nowiki>&nbsp;|border=darkgray}} Changes in medal standings (see ])
{{:2012 Summer Olympics medal table}}

===Podium sweeps===
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Date
!Sport
!Event
!NOC
!Gold
!Silver
!Bronze
|-
|28 July
|]
|]
|{{flagIOC|ITA|2012 Summer}}
|]
|]
|]
|-
|9 August
|]
|]
|{{flagIOC|JAM|2012 Summer}}
|]
|]
|]
|-
|11 August
|]
|]<ref>{{cite web|title=20 Kilometres Race Walk women |url=https://www.worldathletics.org/results/olympic-games/2012/the-xxx-olympic-games-6999193/women/20-kilometres-race-walk/final/result#resultheader|work=World Athletics |access-date=31 May 2022|url-status=live|archive-date=22 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922072309/https://worldathletics.org/results/olympic-games/2012/the-xxx-olympic-games-6999193/women/20-kilometres-race-walk/final/result}}</ref>
|{{flagIOC|CHN|2012 Summer}}
|]
|]
|]
|}


==Broadcasting== ==Broadcasting==
{{Main|List of 2012 Summer Olympics broadcasters}}
Continuing the IOC's commitment to providing over-the-air television coverage to as broad a worldwide audience as possible, London 2012 is scheduled to be broadcast by a number of regional broadcasters. Though reduced dramatically since 1980, the United States television rights currently owned by ] still account for over half the rights revenue for the IOC. Many television broadcasters granted rights to the games have bureaux and studios in London, but since at least the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, rights-holder operations are hosted in the dedicated ] (IBC). London's IBC is planned to be inside the security cordon of the Olympic Park.
], the former London Olympics Media Centre. It now accommodates campuses for ], ] and ] and is a location for start-up businesses.<ref>{{cite web |date=26 February 2014 |title=iCITY approved and new name revealed |url=https://news.hackney.gov.uk/icity-approved-and-new-name-revealed/ |access-date=15 October 2019 |publisher=Hackney Council}}</ref>]]
The host broadcaster was ] (OBS), an agency of the IOC. The OBS used its own cameras and crews subcontracted from other Olympic broadcasters to cover the events. The base video and audio were sold to other broadcasters, who added their own ] and presentation.


The official recording format of the 2012 Summer Olympics used ]'s digital technologies. The official video was produced and distributed from the ] in 1080/50i High-Definition (HD) format. Panasonic announced that DVCPRO HD would be the official recording format. OBS London used ] HD shoulder-mount camcorders.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Panasonic Announces 3D P2 HD Shoulder-Mount Camcorder ... for London 2012 Olympic Games|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110410005065/en/Panasonic-Announces-3D-P2-HD-Shoulder-Mount-Camcorder|publisher=Panasonic|access-date=25 May 2011|date=10 April 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110414131953/http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110410005065/en/Panasonic-Announces-3D-P2-HD-Shoulder-Mount-Camcorder|archive-date=14 April 2011}}</ref>
As rights for the 2012 games have been packaged with those for the ], broadcasters will be largely identical for both events. Confirmed broadcasters include:


The IOC wanted television coverage to reach as broad a worldwide audience as possible, and several national and regional broadcasters covered London 2012. In the UK, the ] carried the Olympics and ] the Paralympics. The BBC aimed to broadcast all 5,000 hours of the Games.<ref name="Roger Mosey Blog">{{cite web|date=29 September 2010|title=Roger Mosey's Blog|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/rogermosey/2010/06/highlighting_an_issue.html|publisher=BBC|access-date=29 September 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703005322/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/rogermosey/2010/06/highlighting_an_issue.html|archive-date=3 July 2010}}</ref> ]'s ] channel was suspended, ]'s on-air time was extended so that it could show Olympic events in the daytime, and 24 additional BBC Olympics channels were available via cable, satellite and the internet in the UK.
* In the ] the ] will be sole broadcaster of the games.<ref></ref>


The US television rights, owned by ], accounted for more than half the rights revenue for the IOC. Despite high viewership, many viewers were disappointed with NBC's coverage.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/sports/july-dec12/olympics2_07-31.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140121193734/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/sports/july-dec12/olympics2_07-31.html|url-status=dead|title=Social Media Users Express Disappointment with NBC's Olympics Coverage|website=]|archive-date=21 January 2014}}</ref> The operations of broadcasters granted rights to the Games were hosted in the dedicated International Broadcast Centre inside the security cordon of the Olympic Park. YouTube planned to stream the Games in 64 territories in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa where there were no official broadcasters.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://support.google.com/youtube/bin/static.py?hl=en&guide=2675200&page=guide.cs|title=2012 Olympics on YouTube – YouTube Help|access-date=25 March 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509114121/https://support.google.com/youtube/bin/static.py?hl=en&guide=2675200&page=guide.cs|archive-date=9 May 2013}}</ref>
*In ], members of the ] (excluding ] in ]).<ref></ref> In Italy, SKY has achieved rights, but it will have to sell them to other broadcasters or it will be lost.


In ] a dispute occurred between ] and ] as to who was the official broadcaster of the Games. This problem was caused as ] had offered the official broadcasting rights to both networks, as both of the networks were ABU members. So SLRC filed a case against MBC Networks for broadcasting rights at the Colombo Magistrate's Court. Considering the case, the court issued a special court order preventing MBC Networks' Olympic broadcast and stated that SLRC should be the sole broadcaster.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adaderana.lk/news.php?nid=18124|title=Olympic broadcasting rights only to Rupavahini|date=17 May 2012|website=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630031020/http://www.adaderana.lk/news.php?nid=18124|archive-date=30 June 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> However, when the Games started, both networks broadcast most of the events simultaneously. Another dispute had previously occurred between ] and SLRC, but the Sports Minister, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, had stated that SLRC had the exclusive rights.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/sinhala/news/story/2012/03/120319_csn_rupavahini_olympics.shtml|title=BBCSinhala.com – Sandeshaya – Olympic rights 'will not be transferred'|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111234445/http://www.bbc.com/sinhala/news/story/2012/03/120319_csn_rupavahini_olympics.shtml|archive-date=11 January 2016}}</ref>
*In the ], ]. Webcasts would probably also available as happened during the 2008 Games.


===Olympic Golden Rings Awards===
*In ], ] has the rights to broadcast the games.
In November 2012, the IOC announced the winners of the Golden Ring Awards for the best broadcast coverage of the Games. Best Olympic Sports Production was awarded to the sailing, produced by Christopher Lincoln, Gary Milkis, and Ursula Romero. The production for the canoe/kayak slalom and the rowing/canoe sprint came second and third respectively. The award for Best On Air Promotion went to ] with Foxtel and ZDF finishing second and third. NBC Olympics also won the Best Olympic Feature category, as ] came second and ZDF third. The Best Athlete Profile award went to ]'s profile of ], NBC came second with their profile of ], and ] took third place with a profile of ] and Ruben Rezola. The award for Best Olympic Programme went to NBC, host broadcasters the BBC took second place for Super Saturday (the middle Saturday of the Games), and third place was claimed by the ] for their live coverage of Day 16 of the Games.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympic.org/news/ioc-honours-broadcasters-for-london-2012-coverage|date=30 November 2012|work=IOC|title=IOC honours broadcasters for London 2012 coverage|access-date=12 January 2019|archive-date=15 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210315174921/https://www.olympic.org/news/ioc-honours-broadcasters-for-london-2012-coverage|url-status=live}}</ref>


==Marketing==
*In ], a consortium of ] and ] properties.
{{main|2012 Summer Olympics marketing}}
"]" by ] was announced as the official song of the Olympics,<ref>{{cite news|title=Muse unveil official Olympic song|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18607319|work=BBC News|date=28 June 2012|access-date=27 July 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120706133638/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18607319|archive-date=6 July 2012}}</ref> to be played by international broadcasters reporting on the Games.<ref>{{cite news|title=Muse song Survival unveiled as the official London 2012 Olympic theme tune|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/olympicsvideo/9361112/Muse-song-Survival-unveiled-as-the-official-London-2012-Olympic-theme-tune.html|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=28 June 2012|access-date=27 July 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723014552/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/olympicsvideo/9361112/Muse-song-Survival-unveiled-as-the-official-London-2012-Olympic-theme-tune.html|archive-date=23 July 2012}}</ref> The track was noted to express a sense of conviction and determination to win.<ref>{{cite news |date=28 June 2012 |title=Olympics 2012: Five things Survival by Muse tells us about sporting anthems |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18624954 |access-date=10 October 2023}}</ref> In August 2009, the ] commissioned artists and illustrators to design 30 stamps, which were released in batches of 10 between 2009 and 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.royalmailgroup.com/news/2009/royal-mail-launches-major-series-olympic-stamps-london-2012|title=Welcome to Royal Mail Group|publisher=royalmailgroup.com|date=24 August 2009|access-date=15 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118174139/http://www.royalmailgroup.com/news/2009/royal-mail-launches-major-series-olympic-stamps-london-2012|archive-date=18 January 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> The last ones were released on 22 July 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14244890|work=BBC News|title=Year-to-go Olympic stamps unveiled by Royal Mail|date=22 July 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920080303/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14244890|archive-date=20 September 2011}}</ref> Two £5 coins designed by ] have been made to commemorate the Olympics.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-15718464|title=London 2012 £5 coin design success for Midlands pair|work=BBC News|date=14 November 2011|access-date=31 May 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111229114002/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-15718464|archive-date=29 December 2011}}</ref> As with other Olympics since 1952, the Royal Mint will strike a set of commemorative one-kilogram gold and silver coins.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/nov/23/olympic-one-kilo-coins-unveiled|title=Olympic one kilo coins to mark London 2012 Games unveiled|first=Maev|last=Kennedy|newspaper=]|date=23 November 2011|access-date=21 July 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113193742/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/nov/23/olympic-one-kilo-coins-unveiled|archive-date=13 November 2013}}</ref>


===Motto===
*In ], ] have the rights of these games.
The official motto for the 2012 Summer Olympics is "Inspire a generation". It was chosen to highlight the organisers' commitment to inspire the world, including younger generations, to get involved in sporting events through the Games' legacy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9210790/London-2012-Olympics-Inspire-a-Generation-unveiled-as-official-slogan-for-Games.html|title=London 2012 Olympics: 'Inspire a Generation' unveiled as official slogan for Games|date=18 April 2012 |publisher=]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227124347/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9210790/London-2012-Olympics-Inspire-a-Generation-unveiled-as-official-slogan-for-Games.html|archive-date=27 December 2017}}</ref> A secondary motto of "Be part of it" was also used throughout marketing.<ref>{{cite web |title=London 2012 – Emblem |url=http://www.theolympicdesign.com/olympic-games/emblems/london-2012/ |access-date=11 April 2024 |website=theolympicdesign – Olympic Design Webseite! }}</ref>


===Logo and graphics===
There have been two London 2012 logos: one used for the bidding process, and the other used in the branding for the Games themselves. The bid logo, created by Kino Design, was a ribbon with blue, yellow, black, green, and red stripes winding through the text "LONDON 2012", making the shape of the River Thames in East London. The main logo, designed by ] and published on 4&nbsp;June 2007, is a representation of the number 2012, with the ] embedded within the zero.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.london2012.com/about-newlook-video.html|title=The new London 2012 brand|publisher=London 2012|date=4 June 2007|access-date=4 June 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070606204757/http://www.london2012.com/about-newlook-video.html|archive-date=6 June 2007}}</ref>


{{Wide image|2012 Summer Olympics logos.svg|640px|The ] logo (far left) and the different official colour combinations for the ] main logo design}}
*In ], ] had been awarded the broadcasting for only free to air television rights.<ref>, IOC press release, March 16, 2007</ref> Cable and Web Rights also sold later.


Public reaction to the main logo in a June 2007 BBC poll was negative; more than 80% of votes gave it the lowest possible rating.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/6718243.stm|title=London unveils logo of 2012 Games|website=BBC Sport|date=4 June 2007|archive-date=10 June 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610021432/http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/6718243.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Several newspapers ran their own logo competitions, displaying alternative submissions from their readers,<ref name="turnuptheirnoses">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/world/europe/06iht-brits.4.6026414.html?_r=1|title=British turn up their noses at London Olympics logo|newspaper=The New York Times|date=6 June 2007|last=Cowell|first=Alan|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314212803/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/world/europe/06iht-brits.4.6026414.html?_r=1|archive-date=14 March 2017}}</ref> and several writers from news agencies criticised the logo.<ref name="turnuptheirnoses"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Stocks|first=Claire|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sporteditors/2007/06/why_we_should_give_london_2012.html|title=Why we should give London 2012 logo a chance|work=BBC Sport Editors' Blog|date=5 June 2007|access-date=20 May 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429104334/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sporteditors/2007/06/why_we_should_give_london_2012.html|archive-date=29 April 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6724245.stm|title=Epilepsy fears over 2012 footage|work=BBC News|access-date=5 June 2007|date=5 June 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070711041435/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6724245.stm|archive-date=11 July 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> It was suggested that the logo resembled the American cartoon characters ] and ] performing ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/artblog/2007/jun/05/howlisasimpsontooktheolym|newspaper=]|location=London|title=How Lisa Simpson got ahead at the Olympics|first=Jonathan|last=Glancey|date=5 June 2007|access-date=16 November 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030064109/http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/artblog/2007/jun/05/howlisasimpsontooktheolym|archive-date=30 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Montgomery |first=Angus |date=23 July 2012 |title=London 2012 design icons – the Olympic logo |url=https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/may-2012/london-2012-design-icons-the-olympic-logo/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224003341/https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/may-2012/london-2012-design-icons-the-olympic-logo/ |archive-date=24 December 2023 |access-date=7 July 2024 |newspaper=]}}</ref> In February 2011, ] threatened to boycott the Olympics, complaining that the logo appeared to spell out the word "]". However, this boycott did not occur.<ref>{{cite news|title=London Olympics: Iran to compete despite logo complaint|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12724166|work=BBC News|date=12 March 2011|access-date=24 July 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120807133208/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12724166|archive-date=7 August 2012}}</ref>
] will broadcast toghther and make a complementary cover .


=== Colours ===
*In ], the two major national networks ] and ] will broadcast the games.
{{color box|#F10D90||}}{{color box|#00B9FF||}}{{color box|#0DD385||}}{{color box|#FF7C00||}} The four main colours used in the branding of the Games were pink, blue, green, and orange. These colours were chosen to showcase the spirit of the Games: energetic, spirited, youthful, and bright.


{{color box|#6A117C||}}{{color box|grey||}}{{color box|Gold||}} The auxiliary colours used in the branding were dark purple, grey, and gold. These were mostly used in symbols and graphics to offset the brightness of the main colours.
*In ], the ] in joint partnership with subscription television partner ] will broadcast the games. This would be the first time long-time broadcaster the ] has not aired a summer Games in over 20 years (when ] had the rights).


==See also== ===Mascots===
{{Main|Wenlock and Mandeville}}
*]
The ] for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games were unveiled on 19 May 2010.<ref name="BBCMascots">{{Cite news|title=London 2012 unveils Games mascots Wenlock & Mandeville|work=BBC Sport|date=19 May 2010|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/london_2012/8690467.stm|access-date=19 May 2010|first=Gordon|last=Farquhar|archive-url=https://archive.today/20100522124841/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/london_2012/8690467.stm|archive-date=22 May 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> ] are animations depicting two drops of steel from a steelworks in ].<ref name="BBCMascots"/>
*]

*], where some of the events will take place.
They are named after ], a town in Shropshire that holds ], and ], a village in Buckinghamshire where ] of the ] was first held.<ref name="BBCMascots" /> The writer ] wrote the story concept for the mascots, and an animation was produced.<ref>{{cite web|title=The London 2012 mascots|publisher=London 2012|date=19 May 2010|url=http://www.ourlondon2012.com/mascots/|access-date=20 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100521054503/http://www.ourlondon2012.com/mascots/|archive-date=21 May 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Four stories have been created about the mascots: ''Out Of A Rainbow'', ''Adventures On A Rainbow'', ''Rainbow Rescue'', and ''Rainbow to the Games''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mylondon2012.com/mascots/|title=Home – London 2012 Mascots|publisher=Mylondon2012.com|access-date=15 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008102110/http://www.mylondon2012.com/mascots/|archive-date=8 October 2011}}</ref>
*], where some of the events will take place.

*]
'']'' magazine liked the mascots,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2010/may/olympics-mascots|title=Wenlock & Mandeville: London's Olympic mascots|publisher=Creative Review blog|access-date=16 May 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913081608/http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2010/may/olympics-mascots|archive-date=13 September 2012}}</ref> but elsewhere their design was greeted with some disdain. However, the mascots' creators claim that young people find the duo appealing.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/?newsId=3224807.html|title=Interview: London 2012 Olympic mascots' creator discusses their design|work=Digital Arts|access-date=16 May 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002091349/http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/illustration/interview-london-2012-olympic-mascots-creator-discusses-their-design/|archive-date=2 October 2012}}</ref>
*]

*]
===''Chariots of Fire''===
* ], the canoeing events venue.
The 1981 ]–winning film '']'', which tells the story of two British athletes in the ], was a recurring theme in promotions for the 2012 Olympics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1yLRK2M8YQ|title=London Fireworks 2012 – New Year Live – BBC One|publisher=YouTube|date=1 January 2012|access-date=23 June 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20120722233546/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1yLRK2M8YQ|archive-date=22 July 2012}}</ref> A digitally re-mastered version of ''Chariots of Fire'' was released on 13 July 2012 and screened in over 100 UK cinemas as part of the celebrations,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/173|title=Chariots of Fire returns to UK cinemas ahead of the Olympics|date=23 March 2012|work=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328130757/http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/173|archive-date=28 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> and a ] ran in London theatres from 9 May 2012 to 5 January 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-chariots-of-fire-olympics-20120418,0,7064980.story|title='Chariots of Fire' is West End-bound, coinciding with Olympics|last=Ng|first=David|date=18 April 2012|work=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502183351/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-chariots-of-fire-olympics-20120418,0,7064980.story|archive-date=2 May 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> The film's ] was performed during the ] by the ], conducted by ]. The performance was accompanied by a comedic skit by ], which included the opening beach-running footage from the film.<ref name=mrbean-oc>{{cite web|title=Mr. Bean's 'Chariots Of Fire' Skit At 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/367792/20120727/mr-bean-rowan-atkinson-olympic-opening-ceremony.htm|work=]|date=27 July 2012|access-date=29 July 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731030715/http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/367792/20120727/mr-bean-rowan-atkinson-olympic-opening-ceremony.htm|archive-date=31 July 2012}}</ref> A new orchestration of the film's theme tune was played during each ] of the Games.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newagemusicworld.com/olympic-song-chariots-of-fire-by-vangelis|title=Olympic Song – Chariots of Fire by Vangelis|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805045843/http://www.newagemusicworld.com/olympic-song-chariots-of-fire-by-vangelis/|archive-date=5 August 2012}}</ref>
*]

*]
==Controversies==
{{main|Controversies at the 2012 Summer Olympics}}
During the lead-up to the Games, there were controversies over sponsorship,<ref>{{cite news|last=Carman|first=Tim|date=18 July 2012|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/mcdonalds-olympian-achievement-in-london-a-french-fry-monopoly-and-largest-fast-food-restaurant/2012/07/18/gJQAZ6tQuW_story.html|title=McDonald's Olympian achievement in London: A French fry monopoly and largest fast-food restaurant|newspaper=The Washington Post|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719175857/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/mcdonalds-olympian-achievement-in-london-a-french-fry-monopoly-and-largest-fast-food-restaurant/2012/07/18/gJQAZ6tQuW_story.html|archive-date=19 July 2017}}</ref> the athletes' use of social media, and several political issues. After a complicated lottery process, thousands of people failed to secure seats for the events they wanted, but a large number of empty seats were observed early in the Games, even at some of the most popular events. There was speculation that this was due to a failure of corporate sponsors to make use of tickets they had received.<ref name="washingtonpost1"/>

During the Games, eight competitors in the ] were disqualified for "not using best efforts", when they tried to lose matches in the group stage to obtain more favourable fixtures in the knockout rounds.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-blogs/badminton/all-eight-women-disqualified-for-throwing-badminton-matches.html|title=All eight women disqualified for throwing badminton matches|date=1 August 2012|website=NBCOlympics.com|last=Harris|first=Rob|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801173250/http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-blogs/badminton/all-eight-women-disqualified-for-throwing-badminton-matches.html|archive-date=1 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19072677|title=Olympics badminton: Eight women disqualified from doubles|work=BBC Sport|date=1 August 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120903130250/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19072677|archive-date=3 September 2012}}</ref> A number of results in boxing, gymnastics and judo were overturned by officials after initial decisions were appealed against.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-blogs/boxing/olympic-boxing-officials-punished-for-controversial-rulings.html|title=Boxing referee expelled from Olympics after scandal|website=NBCOlympics.com|last=Maquinana|first=Ryan|date=13 August 2011|access-date=2 August 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120814203322/http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-blogs/boxing/olympic-boxing-officials-punished-for-controversial-rulings.html|archive-date=14 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=John|first=Emma|title=Olympics: Kristian Thomas keeps cool as Team GB grab gymnastics bronze|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/30/london-2012-great-britain-gymnastics|access-date=14 August 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London|date=30 July 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113193738/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jul/30/london-2012-great-britain-gymnastics|archive-date=13 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j3bNS7fgOzpv5yhYWWpsIawrm3HQ?docId=CNG.174be06ad8ee4755308494817ef96f0e.a21|title=Farcical scenes in Japan-Korea judo quarter final|agency=AFP|last=Chesterman|first=Barnaby|via=google.com|date=29 July 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226074712/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j3bNS7fgOzpv5yhYWWpsIawrm3HQ?docId=CNG.174be06ad8ee4755308494817ef96f0e.a21|archive-date=26 February 2014}}</ref>

==Drug testing and doping violations==
{{main|Use of performance-enhancing drugs in the Olympic Games#2012 London}}
It was announced before the Summer Games that half of all the competitors would be tested for drugs, with 150 scientists set to take 6,000 samples between the start of the Games and the end of the Paralympic Games.<ref name='BBCJul15'>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18849517|title=London 2012: All medallists to be drugs tested at Olympics|work=BBC Sport|access-date=28 July 2012|date=15 July 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729034932/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18849517|archive-date=29 July 2012}}</ref> Every competitor who won a medal was also tested. The Olympic laboratory tested up to 400 samples every day for more than 240 prohibited substances.<ref name='BBCJul15'/>

Although there were less than 10 doping violations detected during the games, in the years following many samples were retested with improved laboratory procedures. This resulted in a large number of disqualifications and rescinded medals. As of mid 2024, 44 medals have been ] due to doping violations with around 130 total disqualifications.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/21/sports/olympics/olympics-doping-medals-stripped.html |title=Olympics History Rewritten: New Doping Tests Topple the Podium |work=The New York Times |date=21 November 2016 |first=Rebecca |last=Ruiz |access-date=27 July 2024}}</ref> In particular, almost 50 were from ]. Testing for drugs was completed by GSK (GlaxoSmithKline).<ref>{{Cite web|date=16 July 2012|title=GlaxoSmithKline celebrates its role in supporting the biggest anti-doping operation in the history of the Olympic Games|url=https://www.gsk.com/en-gb/media/press-releases/glaxosmithkline-celebrates-its-role-in-supporting-the-biggest-anti-doping-operation-in-the-history-of-the-olympic-games/|website=GSK|access-date=31 July 2020|archive-date=13 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813094028/https://www.gsk.com/en-gb/media/press-releases/glaxosmithkline-celebrates-its-role-in-supporting-the-biggest-anti-doping-operation-in-the-history-of-the-olympic-games/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{IOC seealso|games=2012 Summer Olympics}}
* ]
* '']'', a comedy mockumentary featuring a fictional London Olympics committee

==Notes==
{{notelist}}


==References== ==References==
{{reflist|2}} {{Reflist|30em}}

*BBC (2005). . Retrieved ] ]
== Further reading ==
* {{cite journal|last1=Jaworska|first1=Sylvia|last2=Hunt|first2=Sally|title=Intersections and differentiations: a corpus-assisted discourse study of gender representations in the British press before, during and after the London Olympics 2012|journal=]|volume=11|issue=3|pages=336–364|doi=10.1558/genl.28858|year=2017|url=http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/56337/1/Intersections%20of%20Gender%20Nation%20and%20Race_resub_to%20GaL_revised%20220216.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427094422/http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/56337/1/Intersections%20of%20Gender%20Nation%20and%20Race_resub_to%20GaL_revised%20220216.pdf|archive-date=27 April 2019|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|last=Mallon|first=Bill|title=An Update On London 2012 Doping Positives|work=OlympStats|date=18 January 2019|url=https://olympstats.com/2019/01/18/an-update-on-london-2012-doping-positives/}}
* {{Cite web|last=Mallon|first=Bill|title=All Olympic Doping Positives – The Count By Games|work=OlympStats|date=18 January 2019|url=https://olympstats.com/2019/01/18/all-olympic-doping-positives-the-count-by-games/}}
* Pamment, James. "'Putting the GREAT Back into Britain': National Identity, Public-Private Collaboration & Transfers of Brand Equity in 2012's Global Promotional Campaign," ''British Journal of Politics & International Relations'' (2015) 17#2 pp 260–283.
* Surowiec, Pawel. and Philip Long. "Hybridity and Soft Power Statecraft: The 'GREAT' Campaign." ''Diplomacy & Statecraft'' 31:1 (2020): 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/09592296.2020.1721092

;Official reports
* {{cite book|editor=]|title=Volume 1: Summary of the bid preparation|date=2013|publisher=LOCOG|location=London|url=https://library.olympics.com/Default/digital-viewer/c-37734|series=London 2012 Olympic Games: The Official Report}}
* {{cite book|last1=Knight|first1=Tom|last2=Ruscoe|first2=Sybil|title=Volume 2: London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: the Official Commemorative Book|date=2012|publisher=Wiley|location=Chichester|isbn=978-1-119-97314-0|url=https://library.olympics.com/Default/digital-viewer/c-37734|ol=OL24283202W|series=London 2012 Olympic Games: The Official Report}}
* {{cite book|editor=]|title=Volume 3: Summary of Olympic Games preparations|date=2013|publisher=LOCOG|location=London|url=https://library.olympics.com/Default/digital-viewer/c-37734|series=London 2012 Olympic Games: The Official Report}}

===Book references===
{{Reflist|group=book}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{Wikinewspar2|London to host 2012 Olympic Games|Olympics organisers insist London win in 2012 ballot was fair}} {{sisterlinks|d=Q8577|c=Category:2012 Summer Olympics|q=no|n=Olympics organisers insist London win in 2012 ballot was fair|b=no|v=no|voy=London 2012|m=no|mw=no|s=no|wikt=no|species=no}}
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* {{IOC games|games=2012 Summer Olympics}}
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* {{webarchive|url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130228114959/http://www.london2012.com/|date=dmy|title=Official website (London2012.com)}}
*
;News media
*
* {{bbc.co.uk|2012|London 2012}}
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* {{Guardiantopic|sport/olympics-2012}}
* (] format)
* {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703111256/http://www.2012.nbcolympics.com/|date=dmy|title=2012 London Olympics at ''NBC''}}
*
* {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100914000517/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/london-olympics-business/|date=dmy|title=London Olympics Business at ''The Telegraph''}}
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Latest revision as of 18:01, 29 December 2024

Multi-sport event in London, England "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).

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
LocationLondon, United Kingdom
MottoInspire a Generation
Nations204+2 (including 2 IOA teams)
Athletes10,518 (5,863 men, 4,655 women)
Events302 in 26 sports (39 disciplines)
Opening27 July 2012
Closing12 August 2012
Opened byQueen Elizabeth II
Closed byIOC President Jacques Rogge
Cauldron
StadiumOlympic Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Summer← Beijing 2008Rio 2016 → Winter← Vancouver 2010Sochi 2014 → 2012 Summer Paralympics
Olympic rings
Part of a series on
2012 Summer Olympics

The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were 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. There were 10,518 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) who participated in the 2012 Olympics.

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. London became the first city to host the modern Olympics three times, having previously hosted the Summer Games in 1908 and 1948. Construction for the Games involved considerable redevelopment, with an emphasis on sustainability. The main focus was a new 200-hectare (490-acre) Olympic Park, constructed on a former industrial site in Stratford, East London. The Games also used venues that already existed before the bid.

The United States topped the medal table, winning the most gold medals (48) and the highest number of medals overall (105). 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. 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. Women's boxing was included for the first time, and the 2012 Games became the first at which every sport had female competitors.

The Games received considerable praise for their organisation, with the volunteers, the British military and public enthusiasm commended particularly highly. The Games were described as "happy and glorious". The opening ceremony, directed by Academy Award winner Danny Boyle, received widespread acclaim. 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. 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. 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.

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. 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. In late August 2004, reports predicted a tie between London and Paris.

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. 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."

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.

The celebrations in London were short-lived, being overshadowed by bombings on London's transport system less than 24 hours after the announcement. 12 years later, Paris would later be chosen as the host of the 2024 games in 2017.

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

Development and preparations

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. 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.

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.

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

Venues

Main article: Venues of the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics
The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

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.

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. Work began on the Park in December 2006, when a sports hall in Eton Manor was pulled down. The athletes' village in Portland was completed in September 2011.

London Olympic Stadium

In November 2004, the 200-hectare (500-acre) Olympic Park plans were revealed. The plans for the site were approved in September 2004 by Tower Hamlets, Newham, Hackney and Waltham Forest. 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. 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.

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. 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. North Greenwich Arena 2 was scrapped in a cost-cutting exercise, Wembley Arena being used for badminton and rhythmic gymnastics events instead.

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. 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.

Public transport

The Olympic Javelin high-speed service ran between St Pancras and Ebbsfleet, via Stratford.

IOC's initial evaluation felt that, if transport improvements were delivered in time for the Games, London would cope. Transport for London (TfL) carried out numerous improvements in preparation for 2012, including the expansion of the London Overground's East London Line, upgrades to the Docklands Light Railway and the North London Line, and the introduction of a new "Javelin" high-speed rail service. According to Network Rail, an additional 4,000 train services operated during the Games, and train operators ran longer trains during the day. During the Games, Stratford International station was not served by any international services (just as it had not been before the Games), westbound trains did not stop at Hackney Wick railway station, and Pudding Mill Lane DLR station closed entirely during the Games.

The Emirates Air Line crosses the River Thames between Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks.

TfL also built a £25 million cable car across the River Thames, called the Emirates Air Line, to link 2012 Olympics venues. It was inaugurated in June 2012 and crosses the Thames between Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks, carrying up to 2,500 passengers an hour, cutting journey times between The O2 and the ExCeL exhibition centre and providing a crossing every 30 seconds.

The plan was to have 80% of athletes travel less than 20 minutes to their event and 93% of them within 30 minutes of their event. The Olympic Park would be served by ten separate railway lines with a combined capacity of 240,000 passengers per hour. In addition, LOCOG planned for 90% of the venues to be served by three or more types of public transport. Two park-and-ride sites off the M25 with a combined capacity of 12,000 cars were 25 minutes away from the Olympic Park. Another park-and-ride site was planned in Ebbsfleet with a capacity for 9,000 cars where spectators could board a 10-minute shuttle train service. To get spectators to Eton Dorney, four park-and-ride schemes were set up. These Park and Ride services were operated by First Games Transport.

TfL defined a network of roads leading between venues as the Olympic Route Network; roads connecting all of the Olympic venues located within London. Many of these roads also contained special "Olympic lanes" marked with the Olympic rings—reserved for the use of Olympic athletes, officials, and other VIPs during the Games. Members of the public driving in an Olympic lane were subject to a fine of £130. Additionally, London buses would not include roads with Olympic lanes on their routes. Concerns were expressed at the logistics of spectators travelling to the events outside London. In particular, the sailing events at Portland had no direct motorway connections, and local roads are heavily congested by tourist traffic in the summer. However, a £77 million relief road connecting Weymouth to Dorchester was built and opened in 2011. Some £16 million was put aside for the rest of the improvements.

TfL created a promotional campaign and website, Get Ahead of the Games, to help provide information related to transport during the Olympics and Paralympics. Through the campaign, TfL also encouraged the use of cycling as a mode of transport. A temporary terminal was created at Heathrow Airport to be used by 10,100 departing athletes after the Games. Up to 35% more bags than normal were expected on 13 August, which was predicted to be the busiest day in the airport's history, according to Nick Cole, head of Olympic and Paralympic planning at Heathrow.

Cost and financing

A study from Oxford University found that the sports-related costs of London 2012 amounted to US$15 billion, compared with $4.6 billion for Rio 2016, $40–44 billion for Beijing 2008, and $51 billion for Sochi 2014 (the most expensive Olympics in history). London 2012 went over budget by 76% in real terms, measured from bid to completion. The cost per athlete was $1.4 million. This does not include wider costs for urban and transport infrastructure, which often equal or exceed the sports-related costs.

The costs of staging the Games were separate from those for building the venues and infrastructure and redeveloping the land for the Olympic Park. While the Games were privately funded, the venues and infrastructure were largely financed using public money.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the original budget for the Games was increased to about £9.3 billion (US$15.28 billion) in 2007. The revised figures were announced to the House of Commons on 15 March 2007 by Tessa Jowell. Along with East End regeneration costs, the breakdown was:

  • Building the venues and infrastructure – £5.3 billion
  • Elite sport and Paralympic funding – £400 million
  • Security and policing – £600 million
  • Regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley – £1.7 billion
  • Contingency fund – £2.7 billion

Volunteers

Unpaid volunteers known as Games Makers performed a variety of tasks before and during the Games. A target of 70,000 volunteers was set as early as 2004. When recruitment took place in 2010, more than 240,000 applications were received. Sebastian Coe said in February 2012, "Our Games Makers will contribute a total of around eight million volunteer hours during the Games and the Games simply wouldn't happen without them". The volunteers wore clothing that included purple and red polo shirts and jackets, beige trousers, grey socks and grey-and-white trainers, which they collected from the Uniform Distribution and Accreditation Centre. Volunteers also wore photo accreditation badges that were also worn by officials, athletes, family members and media, which gained them access to specific venues and buildings around the site.

Ticketing

Organisers estimated that some 8 million tickets would be available for the Olympic Games, and 1.5 million tickets for the Paralympic Games. LOCOG aimed to raise £375–£400 million in ticket sales. There were also free events such as marathon, triathlon and road cycling, although, for the first time in Olympic history, the sailing events were ticketed. Eventually, more than 7,000,000 tickets were sold. Following IOC rules, people applied for tickets from the NOC of their country of residence. European Union residents were able to apply for tickets in any EU country.

In Great Britain, ticket prices ranged from £20 for many events to £2,012 for the most expensive seats at the opening ceremony. Some free tickets were given to military personnel as part of the Tickets For Troops scheme, as well as to survivors and families of those who died during the 7 July 2005 London bombings. Initially, people were able to apply for tickets via a website from 15 March until 26 April 2011. There was a huge demand for tickets, with a demand of more than three times the number of tickets available. On 11 May 2012 a round of nearly one million "second chance" tickets went on sale over a 10-day period between 23 June and 3 July 2011. About 1.7 million tickets were available for football and 600,000 for other sports, including archery, field hockey, football, judo, boxing and volleyball. Ten sports had sold out by 8 am of the first day.

Countdown

The Countdown Clock in Trafalgar Square

During the closing ceremony of the 2008 Olympics, the Olympic Flag was formally handed over from the Mayor of Beijing to the Mayor of London. This was followed by a section highlighting London, One month later, the Olympic and Paralympic flags were raised outside the London City Hall.

A countdown clock in Trafalgar Square was unveiled, 500 days before the Games. It was a two-sided clock with the Paralympic countdown on the other side. The countdown to the start of the Olympics began with a ceremony for the lighting of the Olympic flame in Olympia, Greece.

Security

Main article: Security for the 2012 Summer Olympics See also: Controversies surrounding G4S

The police led the security operation (named Operation Olympics by the Ministry of Defence), with 10,000 officers available, supported by 13,500 members of the British Armed Forces. Naval and air assets were deployed as part of the security operation, including ships situated in the Thames, Typhoon fighter jets and surface-to-air missiles; it was the biggest security operation Britain had faced in decades. The cost of security increased from £282 million to £553 million, and the figure of 13,500 armed forces personnel was greater than the number deployed at the time in Afghanistan. The Metropolitan Police and the Royal Marines carried out security exercises in preparation for the Olympics on 19 January 2012, with 50 marine police officers in rigid inflatables and fast response boats, joined by up to 100 military personnel and a Royal Navy Lynx helicopter.

The Ministry of Defence distributed leaflets to residents of the Lexington building in Bow, announcing that a missile system was to be stationed on top of the water tower. This caused concern to some residents. The Ministry said it probably would use Starstreak missiles and that site evaluations had taken place, but that no final decision had taken place.

Medals

Front of the Silver Medal won by the USA.

Approximately 4,700 Olympic and Paralympic medals were produced by the Royal Mint at Llantrisant. They were designed by David Watkins (Olympics) and Lin Cheung (Paralympics). 99% of the gold, silver and copper was donated by Rio Tinto from a mine in Salt Lake County, Utah in the U.S. The remaining 1% came from a Mongolian mine. Each medal weighs 375–400 g (13.2–14.1 oz), has a diameter of 85 mm (3.3 in) and is 7 mm (0.28 in) thick, with the sport and discipline engraved on the rim. The obverse, as is traditional, features Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, stepping from the Panathinaiko Stadium that hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, with Parthenon in the background; the reverse features the Games logo, the River Thames and a series of lines representing "the energy of athletes and a sense of pulling together". The medals were transferred to the Tower of London vaults on 2 July 2012 for storage.

Each gold medal is 92.5 percent silver and 1.34 percent gold, with the remainder copper. The silver medal is 92.5 percent silver, with the remainder copper. The bronze medal is made up of 97 percent copper, 2.5 percent zinc, and 0.5 per cent tin. The value of the materials in the gold medal was about £410 (US$644), the silver about £210 (US$330), and the bronze about £3 (US$4.71) as of 30 July 2012.

Torch relay

Main article: 2012 Summer Olympics torch relay

The Olympics torch relay ran from 19 May to 27 July 2012, before the Games. Plans for the relay were developed in 2010–11, with the torch-bearer selection process announced on 18 May 2011. The torch was designed by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby.

On 18 May 2012 the Olympic flame arrived at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall from Greece on flight BA2012, operated by a British Airways Airbus A319 named "Firefly". The relay lasted 70 days, with 66 evening celebrations and six island visits, and involved some 8,000 people carrying the torch about 8,000 mi (12,875 km), starting from Land's End in Cornwall. The torch had three days outside the United Kingdom when it visited the Isle of Man on 2 June, Dublin in Ireland, on 6 June, and both Guernsey and Jersey on 15 July.

The relay focused on National Heritage Sites, locations with sporting significance, key sporting events, schools registered with the Get Set School Network, green spaces and biodiversity, Live Sites (city locations with large screens), and festivals and other events. Dumfries and Galloway was the only Region in the whole of the United Kingdom that had the Olympic Torch pass through it twice. A group of young athletes, nominated by retired Olympic athletes, ran the torch around the stadium. These torchbearers were Callum Airlie, Jordan Duckitt, Desiree Henry, Katie Kirk, Cameron MacRitchie, Aidan Reynolds, and Adelle Tracey. Together the torchbearers each lit a petal that spread the fire to the 204 petals of the cauldron, representing the countries that participated in the Games. The cauldron was designed by Thomas Heatherwick.

Environmental policy

The Olympic Park was planned to incorporate 45 hectares of wildlife habitat, with a total of 525 bird boxes and 150 bat boxes. Local waterways and riverbanks were enhanced as part of the process. Renewable energy also featured at the Olympics. It was originally planned to provide 20% of the energy for the Olympic Park and Village from renewable technologies; however, only 9% of it was achieved. Proposals to meet the original target included large-scale on-site wind turbines and hydroelectric generators in the River Thames, but these plans were scrapped for safety reasons. The focus subsequently moved to installing solar panels on some buildings, and providing the opportunity to recover energy from waste. Where it could not be reused or recycled, food packaging for use at the Olympics—including fast-food wrappers, sandwich boxes and drink cartons—was made from compostable materials like starch and cellulose-based bioplastics. After use, many of these materials were suitable for anaerobic digestion (AD), allowing them to be made into renewable energy.

Post-Games, buildings like the Water Polo Arena were relocated elsewhere. Building parts like roofing covers and membranes of different temporary venues were recycled via VinyLoop. This allowed organisers to meet the standards of the Olympic Delivery Authority concerning environmental protection.

London 2012 inaugurated Olympic Games guidelines that included the recycling of PVC, which was used for temporary buildings such as the Basketball Arena and for the temporary parts of permanent venues such as the Olympic Stadium. In the Water Polo Arena, PVC roofing was made from recycled cushions to provide insulation. Through this recycling process, the Olympic Games PVC Policy was fulfilled; the policy states:

Where London 2012 procures PVC for temporary usage or where permanent usage is not assured, London 2012 is required to ensure that there is a take-back scheme that offers a closed-loop reuse system or mechanical recycling system for post-consumer waste.

According to Kirsten Henson, Materials Manager for the London 2012 Olympic Park: "The majority of temporary facilities created for the Olympic Games including the Aquatic centre temporary stands, basketball arena, Water Polo Arena, and the shooting facilities at the Royal Artillery Barracks, are essentially big tents. Basically, PVC stretched over lightweight steel frame. This design solution makes them efficient to install, reduces the need for any significant foundations and are, of course, reusable. We were challenged by the public around the use of PVC; but we considered it to be the right material for certain functions. We therefore challenged the PVC supply chain to have certain environmental performance criteria in place, including a take back and recycle scheme."

Cultural Olympiad

Main article: 2012 Cultural Olympiad
Tower Bridge was illuminated with the Olympic Rings in the week leading up to the opening ceremony.

The Olympic Charter, the set of rules and guidelines for the organization of the Olympic Games and for governing the Olympic Movement, states that

LOCOG shall organise a programme of cultural events which must cover at least the entire period during which the Olympic Village is open.

The Cultural Olympiad comprised many programmes, with more than 500 events spread over four years across the whole of the United Kingdom, and culminating in the London 2012 Festival.

Opening ceremony

Main articles: 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony and 2012 Summer Olympics Parade of Nations
Fireworks at the opening ceremony

Titled "The Isles of Wonder", the opening ceremony began at 21:00 British Summer Time (UTC+1) on 27 July in the Olympic Stadium. Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle was artistic director and Rick Smith of Underworld was musical director. The opening ceremony was immediately seen as a tremendous success, widely praised as a "masterpiece" and "a love letter to Britain". The principal sections of the artistic display represented Britain's Industrial Revolution, National Health Service, literary heritage, popular music and culture, and were noted for their vibrant storytelling and use of music.

The Games were officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. This was the second Olympic Games opened personally by the Queen, the first being in 1976 in Montreal, Canada. The ceremony featured a short comic film starring Daniel Craig as secret agent James Bond and the Queen as herself. There was also a musical comedy item starring Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean playing along with the London Symphony Orchestra. These were widely ascribed to Britain's sense of humour.

Live musical performers included Frank Turner, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Mike Oldfield, Dizzee Rascal, Arctic Monkeys, and Sir Paul McCartney who performed "Hey Jude" as the closing act. Broadcast live on BBC One, the ceremony attracted a peak viewing audience of over 27 million in the UK.

Closing ceremony

Main articles: 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony and 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony flag bearers

The closing ceremony was held on 12 August. It featured a flashback fiesta to British music with The Who closing the performance. The ceremony also included a handover of the Olympic flag by Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, to Eduardo Paes, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, the host city of the 2016 Summer Olympics. In his closing address, Jacques Rogge described the Games as "happy and glorious".

The Games

Participating National Olympic Committees

Number of participating athletes by country
  300+   100–299   30–99   10–29   4–9   1–3
Participating countries:
Green = Had previously participated; Grey = Participating for first time; Yellow circle is host city (London)

Around 10,500 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) took part, (85 countries acquired at least one medal: gold, silver or bronze) surpassing the 1948 Summer Olympics in London and the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester as the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the United Kingdom.

Three athletes from the Netherlands Antilles, which whose territory was dissolved in 2010 and lost its recognition during 123rd IOC session held during July 2011, and one athlete from South Sudan, which their NOC was recognized in 2015, participated as two independent athletes teams under the Olympic flag.

Participating National Olympic Committees

Number of athletes by National Olympic Committee

10,518 athletes from 204 NOCs

IOC Letter Code Country Athletes
GBR  Great Britain 530
USA  United States 530
RUS  Russia 429
AUS  Australia 405
GER  Germany 383
CHN  China 376
FRA  France 324
JPN  Japan 291
ITA  Italy 281
ESP  Spain 278
CAN  Canada 273
KOR  South Korea 250
BRA  Brazil 248
UKR  Ukraine 230
POL  Poland 210
NZL  New Zealand 178
NED  Netherlands 173
BLR  Belarus 160
HUN  Hungary 152
ARG  Argentina 137
CZE  Czech Republic 133
SWE  Sweden 133
RSA  South Africa 124
SRB  Serbia 116
DEN  Denmark 114
KAZ  Kazakhstan 113
TUR  Turkey 112
BEL  Belgium 111
CUB  Cuba 109
EGY  Egypt 109
CRO  Croatia 107
ROU  Romania 105
GRE  Greece 102
COL  Colombia 101
MEX  Mexico 99
SUI  Switzerland 98
TUN  Tunisia 83
IND  India 81
POR  Portugal 76
AUT  Austria 70
VEN  Venezuela 68
SLO  Slovenia 65
IRL  Ireland 64
BUL  Bulgaria 63
MAR  Morocco 63
LTU  Lithuania 62
NOR  Norway 61
FIN  Finland 56
UZB  Uzbekistan 53
AZE  Azerbaijan 52
IRI  Iran 52
PRK  North Korea 52
NGR  Nigeria 49
KEN  Kenya 47
SVK  Slovakia 47
JAM  Jamaica 45
LAT  Latvia 45
TPE  Chinese Taipei 44
HKG  Hong Kong 41
ALG  Algeria 38
ISR  Israel 37
THA  Thailand 37
ECU  Ecuador 36
CHI  Chile 35
GEO  Georgia 34
ANG  Angola 33
DOM  Dominican Republic 33
ETH  Ethiopia 33
MNE  Montenegro 33
CMR  Cameroon 32
EST  Estonia 32
SEN  Senegal 31
MAS  Malaysia 29
MGL  Mongolia 29
ISL  Iceland 27
URU  Uruguay 27
UAE  United Arab Emirates 26
HON  Honduras 25
PUR  Puerto Rico 25
TRI  Trinidad and Tobago 25
ARM  Armenia 24
SIN  Singapore 23
INA  Indonesia 22
BAH  Bahamas 21
GAB  Gabon 21
PAK  Pakistan 21
MDA  Moldova 20
GUA  Guatemala 19
KSA  Saudi Arabia 19
VIE  Vietnam 18
PER  Peru 16
TJK  Tajikistan 16
UGA  Uganda 15
KGZ  Kyrgyzstan 14
CYP  Cyprus 13
BRN  Bahrain 12
ERI  Eritrea 12
QAT  Qatar 12
CRC  Costa Rica 11
MRI  Mauritius 11
PHI  Philippines 11
ESA  El Salvador 10
KUW  Kuwait 10
LIB  Lebanon 10
SYR  Syria 10
TKM  Turkmenistan 10
ALB  Albania 9
FIJ  Fiji 9
CIV  Ivory Coast 9
JOR  Jordan 9
LUX  Luxembourg 9
NAM  Namibia 9
BER  Bermuda 8
COK  Cook Islands 8
GRN  Grenada 8
GUM  Guam 8
IRQ  Iraq 8
PAN  Panama 8
PNG  Papua New Guinea 8
PAR  Paraguay 8
SAM  Samoa 8
CGO  Republic of the Congo 7
GHA  Ghana 7
ISV  Virgin Islands 7
MAD  Madagascar 7
RWA  Rwanda 7
SRI  Sri Lanka 7
ZAM  Zambia 7
ZIM  Zimbabwe 7
AFG  Afghanistan 6
AND  Andorra 6
BAR  Barbados 6
BIH  Bosnia and Herzegovina 6
BDI  Burundi 6
CAM  Cambodia 6
CAF  Central African Republic 6
FSM  Federated States of Micronesia 6
GUY  Guyana 6
MLI  Mali 6
MON  Monaco 6
MOZ  Mozambique 6
MYA  Myanmar 6
NCA  Nicaragua 6
NIG  Niger 6
SEY  Seychelles 6
SUD  Sudan 6
TAN  Tanzania 6
TOG  Togo 6
BAN  Bangladesh 5
BEN  Benin 5
BOL  Bolivia 5
BUR  Burkina Faso 5
HAI  Haiti 5
MDV  Maldives 5
MLT  Malta 5
NEP  Nepal 5
PLE  Palestine 5
PLW  Palau 5
SUR  Suriname 5
VAN  Vanuatu 5
ANT  Antigua and Barbuda 4
ASA  American Samoa 4
ARU  Aruba 4
BOT  Botswana 4
CAY  Cayman Islands 4
COD  Democratic Republic of the Congo 4
DJI  Djibouti 4
GUI  Guinea 4
GBS  Guinea-Bissau 4
IOA  Independent Olympic Athletes 4
LES  Lesotho 4
LBA  Libya 4
MKD  Macedonia 4
MHL  Marshall Islands 4
SKN  Saint Kitts and Nevis 4
LCA  Saint Lucia 4
SMR  San Marino 4
SOL  Solomon Islands 4
YEM  Yemen 4
BIZ  Belize 3
BRU  Brunei 3
CPV  Cape Verde 3
COM  Comoros 3
KIR  Kiribati 3
LAO  Laos 3
LBR  Liberia 3
LIE  Liechtenstein 3
MAW  Malawi 3
OMA  Oman 3
VIN  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3
SWZ  Swaziland 3
TGA  Tonga 3
TUV  Tuvalu 3
BHU  Bhutan 2
IVB  British Virgin Islands 2
CHA  Chad 2
DMA  Dominica 2
GEQ  Equatorial Guinea 2
GAM  The Gambia 2
MTN  Mauritania 2
NRU  Nauru 2
STP  São Tomé and Príncipe 2
SLE  Sierra Leone 2
SOM  Somalia 2
TLS  Timor-Leste 2

National houses

During the Games, some countries and continents had a "national house". These temporary meeting places for supporters, athletes and other followers were located throughout London.

Nation Location Name
African nations Kensington Gardens
Austria Trinity House
Belgium Inner Temple
Brazil Somerset House Casa Brasil
Canada Canada House
China The Waldorf Hilton
Croatia Pelham Hotel, South Kensington
Czech Republic Business Design Centre, Islington
Denmark St Katherine Docks
France Old Billingsgate Club France
Georgia Chelsea College of Art and Design (45 Millbank)
Germany Museum of London Docklands Deutsches Haus
Great Britain Westfield Stratford City
Ireland The Big Chill House, Kings Cross
Italy Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre Casa Italia
Japan Royal Aeronautical Society
Jamaica The O2
Kenya East Thames Community Centre, Stratford
Korea Royal Thames Yacht Club
Monaco Haymarket
Netherlands Alexandra Palace Holland Heineken House
New Zealand Granary Square, Kings Cross Kiwi House
Nigeria Theatre Royal Stratford East
Poland Polish Social and Cultural Centre
Qatar Institution of Engineering and Technology, Savoy Place
Romania 30 Pavilion Road, Knightsbridge
Russia Perks Field, Kensington Palace
Slovakia Institute of Directors
South Africa Queen Elizabeth Hall
South Pacific St Katharine Docks
Switzerland Glazier's Hall
Trinidad & Tobago Tricycle Theatre
United States Royal College of Art

Sports

The 2012 Summer Olympics featured 26 different sports encompassing 39 disciplines and 302 events. In the list below, the number of events in each discipline is noted in parentheses.

2012 Summer Olympics Sports Programme

Women's boxing was included in the programme for the first time, and 36 women competed in three weight classes. There was a special dispensation for the shooting events, which would otherwise have been illegal under UK gun law. In tennis, mixed doubles returned to the Olympic programme for the first time since 1924.

London's bid featured the same 28 sports that had been included in other recent Summer Olympics, but the IOC voted to drop baseball and softball from the 2012 Games just two days after London had been selected as the host city. There was an appeal, but the IOC voted to uphold the decision, and the two sports were scheduled to be discontinued after their last appearance at the 2008 Olympics. The IOC then voted on whether or not to replace them; karate, squash, golf, roller sports and rugby sevens were considered. Karate and squash were the two final nominees, but neither received enough votes to reach the required two-thirds majority.

Although formal demonstration sports were eliminated after the 1992 Summer Olympics, special tournaments for non-Olympic sports can be run during the Games, such as the Wushu tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics. There were attempts to run Twenty20 cricket and netball tournaments alongside the 2012 Games, but neither campaign was successful.

Calendar

See also: Chronological summary of the 2012 Summer Olympics

The final official schedule was released on 15 February 2011.

All times and dates use British Summer Time (UTC+1)
OC Opening ceremony Event competitions 1 Gold medal events CC Closing ceremony
July/August 2012 July August Events
25th
Wed
26th
Thu
27th
Fri
28th
Sat
29th
Sun
30th
Mon
31st
Tue
1st
Wed
2nd
Thu
3rd
Fri
4th
Sat
5th
Sun
6th
Mon
7th
Tue
8th
Wed
9th
Thu
10th
Fri
11th
Sat
12th
Sun
Ceremonies OC CC
Aquatics Diving 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 46
Marathon swimming 1 1
Swimming 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Synchronized swimming 1 1
Water polo 1 1
Archery 1 1 1 1 4
Athletics 2 6 6 5 4 4 5 6 8 1 47
Badminton 1 2 2 5
Basketball 1 1 2
Boxing 3 5 5 13
Canoeing Slalom 1 1 2 16
Sprint 4 4 4
Cycling Road cycling 1 1 2 18
Track cycling 2 2 1 1 1 3
BMX 2
Mountain biking 1 1
Equestrian 2 1 1 1 1 6
Fencing 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 10
Field hockey 1 1 2
Football 1 1 2
Gymnastics Artistic 1 1 1 1 3 3 4 18
Rhythmic 1 1
Trampolining 1 1
Handball 1 1 2
Judo 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 14
Modern pentathlon 1 1 2
Rowing 3 3 4 4 14
Sailing 2 2 2 1 2 1 10
Shooting 2 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 15
Table tennis 1 1 1 1 4
Taekwondo 2 2 2 2 8
Tennis 2 3 5
Triathlon 1 1 2
Volleyball Beach volleyball 1 1 4
Indoor volleyball 1 1
Weightlifting 1 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 15
Wrestling 2 3 2 2 2 2 3 2 18
Daily medal events 12 14 12 15 20 18 22 25 23 18 21 16 22 17 32 15 302
Cumulative total 12 26 38 53 73 91 113 138 161 179 200 216 238 255 287 302
July/August 2012 25th
Wed
26th
Thu
27th
Fri
28th
Sat
29th
Sun
30th
Mon
31st
Tue
1st
Wed
2nd
Thu
3rd
Fri
4th
Sat
5th
Sun
6th
Mon
7th
Tue
8th
Wed
9th
Thu
10th
Fri
11th
Sat
12th
Sun
Total events
July August

Records

Mo Farah (left) with Usain Bolt (right), demonstrating one another's famous gestures (the "Lightning Bolt" and "Mobot")
Main article: World and Olympic records set at the 2012 Summer Olympics

These Olympic Games resulted in 32 world records in eight sports. The largest number of records were set in swimming, at eight. China, Great Britain and the United States set the most records, with five each.

Medal table

Main article: 2012 Summer Olympics medal table Further information: List of 2012 Summer Olympics medal winners

A total of 85 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) won medals, 54 of those countries winning at least one gold medal. Seven NOCs won their first ever Olympic medal: Bahrain (gold), Botswana (silver), Cyprus (silver), Gabon (silver), Grenada (gold), Guatemala (silver), and Montenegro (silver). The United States finished at the top of the table, winning 48 gold medals and a total of 104 medals. China finished second with 38 gold medals and 91 medals overall, and hosts Great Britain came in third place, winning 29 gold medals and 65 medals overall in their best performance since London hosted its first Summer Olympics in 1908, pushing Russia—who won 18 gold medals and 64 medals in total, after doping redistributions (initially 24 gold and 82 total)—into fourth place.

Key

  ‡   Changes in medal standings (see subpage)

  *   Host nation (Great Britain)

2012 Summer Olympics medal table
RankNOCGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 United States482631105
2 China39312292
3 Great Britain*‡29181865
4 Russia18202664
5 South Korea139931
6 Germany11201344
7 France11111335
8 Australia8151235
9 Italy891128
10 Hungary84618
11–86Remaining NOCs110141192443
Totals (86 entries)303304353960

Podium sweeps

Date Sport Event NOC Gold Silver Bronze
28 July Fencing Women's foil  Italy Elisa Di Francisca Arianna Errigo Valentina Vezzali
9 August Athletics Men's 200 metres  Jamaica Usain Bolt Yohan Blake Warren Weir
11 August Athletics Women's 20 kilometres walk  China Qieyang Shenjie Liu Hong Lü Xiuzhi

Broadcasting

Main article: List of 2012 Summer Olympics broadcasters
Here East, the former London Olympics Media Centre. It now accommodates campuses for Staffordshire University, Loughborough University and University College London and is a location for start-up businesses.

The host broadcaster was Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), an agency of the IOC. The OBS used its own cameras and crews subcontracted from other Olympic broadcasters to cover the events. The base video and audio were sold to other broadcasters, who added their own commentary and presentation.

The official recording format of the 2012 Summer Olympics used Panasonic's digital technologies. The official video was produced and distributed from the International Broadcast Centre in 1080/50i High-Definition (HD) format. Panasonic announced that DVCPRO HD would be the official recording format. OBS London used P2 HD shoulder-mount camcorders.

The IOC wanted television coverage to reach as broad a worldwide audience as possible, and several national and regional broadcasters covered London 2012. In the UK, the BBC carried the Olympics and Channel 4 the Paralympics. The BBC aimed to broadcast all 5,000 hours of the Games. BBC Parliament's Freeview channel was suspended, BBC Three's on-air time was extended so that it could show Olympic events in the daytime, and 24 additional BBC Olympics channels were available via cable, satellite and the internet in the UK.

The US television rights, owned by NBC, accounted for more than half the rights revenue for the IOC. Despite high viewership, many viewers were disappointed with NBC's coverage. The operations of broadcasters granted rights to the Games were hosted in the dedicated International Broadcast Centre inside the security cordon of the Olympic Park. YouTube planned to stream the Games in 64 territories in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa where there were no official broadcasters.

In Sri Lanka a dispute occurred between Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) and MBC Networks (MTV/MBC) as to who was the official broadcaster of the Games. This problem was caused as Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) had offered the official broadcasting rights to both networks, as both of the networks were ABU members. So SLRC filed a case against MBC Networks for broadcasting rights at the Colombo Magistrate's Court. Considering the case, the court issued a special court order preventing MBC Networks' Olympic broadcast and stated that SLRC should be the sole broadcaster. However, when the Games started, both networks broadcast most of the events simultaneously. Another dispute had previously occurred between Carlton Sports Network (CSN) and SLRC, but the Sports Minister, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, had stated that SLRC had the exclusive rights.

Olympic Golden Rings Awards

In November 2012, the IOC announced the winners of the Golden Ring Awards for the best broadcast coverage of the Games. Best Olympic Sports Production was awarded to the sailing, produced by Christopher Lincoln, Gary Milkis, and Ursula Romero. The production for the canoe/kayak slalom and the rowing/canoe sprint came second and third respectively. The award for Best On Air Promotion went to NBC with Foxtel and ZDF finishing second and third. NBC Olympics also won the Best Olympic Feature category, as Sky Italia came second and ZDF third. The Best Athlete Profile award went to TV Record's profile of Sarah Menezes, NBC came second with their profile of David Rudisha, and ESPN Latin America took third place with a profile of Miguel Correa and Ruben Rezola. The award for Best Olympic Programme went to NBC, host broadcasters the BBC took second place for Super Saturday (the middle Saturday of the Games), and third place was claimed by the Nine Network for their live coverage of Day 16 of the Games.

Marketing

Main article: 2012 Summer Olympics marketing

"Survival" by Muse was announced as the official song of the Olympics, to be played by international broadcasters reporting on the Games. The track was noted to express a sense of conviction and determination to win. In August 2009, the Royal Mail commissioned artists and illustrators to design 30 stamps, which were released in batches of 10 between 2009 and 2011. The last ones were released on 22 July 2011. Two £5 coins designed by Saiman Miah have been made to commemorate the Olympics. As with other Olympics since 1952, the Royal Mint will strike a set of commemorative one-kilogram gold and silver coins.

Motto

The official motto for the 2012 Summer Olympics is "Inspire a generation". It was chosen to highlight the organisers' commitment to inspire the world, including younger generations, to get involved in sporting events through the Games' legacy. A secondary motto of "Be part of it" was also used throughout marketing.

Logo and graphics

There have been two London 2012 logos: one used for the bidding process, and the other used in the branding for the Games themselves. The bid logo, created by Kino Design, was a ribbon with blue, yellow, black, green, and red stripes winding through the text "LONDON 2012", making the shape of the River Thames in East London. The main logo, designed by Wolff Olins and published on 4 June 2007, is a representation of the number 2012, with the Olympic Rings embedded within the zero.

The Paralympics logo (far left) and the different official colour combinations for the Wolff Olins main logo design

Public reaction to the main logo in a June 2007 BBC poll was negative; more than 80% of votes gave it the lowest possible rating. Several newspapers ran their own logo competitions, displaying alternative submissions from their readers, and several writers from news agencies criticised the logo. It was suggested that the logo resembled the American cartoon characters Lisa Simpson and Bart Simpson performing fellatio. In February 2011, Iran threatened to boycott the Olympics, complaining that the logo appeared to spell out the word "Zion". However, this boycott did not occur.

Colours

     The four main colours used in the branding of the Games were pink, blue, green, and orange. These colours were chosen to showcase the spirit of the Games: energetic, spirited, youthful, and bright.

    The auxiliary colours used in the branding were dark purple, grey, and gold. These were mostly used in symbols and graphics to offset the brightness of the main colours.

Mascots

Main article: Wenlock and Mandeville

The official mascots for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games were unveiled on 19 May 2010. Wenlock and Mandeville are animations depicting two drops of steel from a steelworks in Bolton.

They are named after Much Wenlock, a town in Shropshire that holds a forerunner of the current Olympic Games, and Stoke Mandeville, a village in Buckinghamshire where a forerunner of the Paralympic Games was first held. The writer Michael Morpurgo wrote the story concept for the mascots, and an animation was produced. Four stories have been created about the mascots: Out Of A Rainbow, Adventures On A Rainbow, Rainbow Rescue, and Rainbow to the Games.

Creative Review magazine liked the mascots, but elsewhere their design was greeted with some disdain. However, the mascots' creators claim that young people find the duo appealing.

Chariots of Fire

The 1981 Best Picture Oscar–winning film Chariots of Fire, which tells the story of two British athletes in the 1924 Olympics, was a recurring theme in promotions for the 2012 Olympics. A digitally re-mastered version of Chariots of Fire was released on 13 July 2012 and screened in over 100 UK cinemas as part of the celebrations, and a 2012 stage adaptation ran in London theatres from 9 May 2012 to 5 January 2013. The film's theme tune was performed during the opening ceremony by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Simon Rattle. The performance was accompanied by a comedic skit by Rowan Atkinson, which included the opening beach-running footage from the film. A new orchestration of the film's theme tune was played during each medal presentation of the Games.

Controversies

Main article: Controversies at the 2012 Summer Olympics

During the lead-up to the Games, there were controversies over sponsorship, the athletes' use of social media, and several political issues. After a complicated lottery process, thousands of people failed to secure seats for the events they wanted, but a large number of empty seats were observed early in the Games, even at some of the most popular events. There was speculation that this was due to a failure of corporate sponsors to make use of tickets they had received.

During the Games, eight competitors in the badminton women's doubles were disqualified for "not using best efforts", when they tried to lose matches in the group stage to obtain more favourable fixtures in the knockout rounds. A number of results in boxing, gymnastics and judo were overturned by officials after initial decisions were appealed against.

Drug testing and doping violations

Main article: Use of performance-enhancing drugs in the Olympic Games § 2012 London

It was announced before the Summer Games that half of all the competitors would be tested for drugs, with 150 scientists set to take 6,000 samples between the start of the Games and the end of the Paralympic Games. Every competitor who won a medal was also tested. The Olympic laboratory tested up to 400 samples every day for more than 240 prohibited substances.

Although there were less than 10 doping violations detected during the games, in the years following many samples were retested with improved laboratory procedures. This resulted in a large number of disqualifications and rescinded medals. As of mid 2024, 44 medals have been stripped due to doping violations with around 130 total disqualifications. In particular, almost 50 were from Russian athletes. Testing for drugs was completed by GSK (GlaxoSmithKline).

See also

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.
  3. Originally, Israel had 38 participating athletes but swimmer Jonatan Kopelev, who had qualified for the Olympics in June 2012, had to withdraw from the team after having his appendix removed two weeks before the Games.

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