New Olympic Park venue guide for the London 2012 Olympic Games

Arguably the biggest event on earth this year,  London 2012 Olympics is going to officially start with the opening ceremony tonight at 8pm local time, for a duration of 17 days until 12th August 2012. While all eyes are on London now, the hosting city for London 2012 Olympic Games, and the Olympic flames of the torch relay is approaching the Olympic stadium, why don’t we warm us up with the Olympics heat by reviewing some of the outstanding venues constructed for the event since 7 years ago?

Travelers come for the London 2012 Olympics will definitely wish to see what London has to offer in exotic stadiums and infrastructure, exclusive shopping and other special events in conjunction with the Summer Games. Besides those renown destinations such as Wembley, Old Trafford, Wimbledon and Hyde Park, which being utilised as Olympics sporting venues, the new Olympic Park is where travel photographers are the most interested in.

The Olympics Park

The Olympic Park is at the heart of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 9 new world-class sporting venues, the Olympic and Paralympic Village and media centres, all set in fantastic new parklands, will be a fabulous stage for the world’s athletes to perform at their best. 2.5sq km (246 hectares) in size – equivalent to Hyde Park or 357 football pitches. At Games time the Park will include 9 major competition venues, 11 sponsor showcase areas and with over 1,000 picnic benches, 362 toilet blocks and 8.35km of waterways in and around Park, 30 new bridges built crossing roads, rail lines and rivers to link the site together.

These new structures purposely built for the event are especially eyes catching worth every traveler’s visit, which include:

The Orbit

The Orbit, an observation tower for panoramic view of London east.

Water Polo Arena

The Arena, which has a 37m competition pool and a smaller training pool, is the i rst dedicated Water Polo venue to be built for an Olympic Games. The venue’s sloping design means the referee’s raised table does not obscure the view of spectators, who sit on the opposite side of the pool.

Velodrome

Velodrome is the venue for Track Cycling and Paralympic Track Cycling events. The Velodrome won the Architecture Award at the Design Museum’s 2012 Awards. The track is made from 56km of sustainably sourced Siberian pine, and was  fixed in place using more than 300,000 nails.

Olympic Village

Accommodation for up to 16,000 athletes and officials during the Olympic Games, The Olympic Village is located in the Olympic Park, within walking distance of the venues – enhancing the experience of athletes and officials who will stay there during the Games. Along with 67 blocks of apartments for its residents during the Games, the Village has shops, restaurants, and medical and leisure facilities.

Olympic Stadium

The Olympic Stadium is the main venue for Athletics, Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Its innovative flexible design has a lower tier with a capacity of 25,000, and an upper tier holding a further 55,000 spectators. 3 years has been spent to construct this venue.

Copper Box

Copper Box is the venue for Handball and fencing. 88 rooftop sun-pipes to allow the field of play to be naturally lit. The Copper Box is 115,000 cubic metres in size – larger than the Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank.

Basketball Arena

Basketball Arena is one of the largest temporary venues ever built for any Olympic and Paralympic Games. The 1,000-tonne steel frame is covered in 20,000 square metres of recyclable PVC fabric. It will be one of the most heavily-used venues within the Olympic Park, with competition events taking place almost every day.

Aquatics Centre

Aquatics Centre is built for Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming, and Modern Pentathlon events during the Olympics. The Centre contains a 50m competition pool, 25m competition diving pool and 50m warm-up pool.

Click to view the Olympic Park map.

View Larger Map

Olympic Park is located in Stratford of east London, which is far away from the main tourist areas of central Greater London. Only one Underground line connect Stratford with central London. Take Central Line towards Epping Underground Station and drop off at Stratford to get to the Olympic Park. Light rail transit is also connecting St. Pancras with Stratford station.

Here are a few useful links for more information of London 2012 Olympic Games.

• Download the London 2012 Olympics Venue Guides
• Visit the official London 2012 Olympics website
• Download the London 2012 Olympics Results mobile apps

That’s it. Enjoy the London 2012 Olympics and your holidays in London! 🙂 – Travel Feeder, your ultimate travel photo blog

About The Author

Cecil Lee

The author is an avid traveler and photography hobbyist who loves to share with others his travel and photo-taking experience in many popular tourist destinations around Europe, Asia and Australasia. Read the exciting stories with many photos captured on his journeys.