London 2012 532 days to go

The city of London will host the Games of the XXX Olympiad. This followed four rounds of voting by members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the 117th IOC Session in Singapore, where London beat Paris in the final round.

Nine cities initially submitted applications to host the 2012 Olympic Games: Paris (France), Leipzig (Germany), New York (United States of America), Istanbul (Turkey), Havana (Cuba), Moscow (Russian Federation), London (Great Britain), Madrid (Spain) and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). On 18 May 2004, the IOC Executive Board selected the five Candidate Cities. Listed in the official order of drawing of lots, these cities were:
   - Paris (France) 
   - New York (United States of America) 
   - Moscow (Russian Federation) 
   - London (Great Britain) 
   - Madrid (Spain)

The final decision on the host city for the Games of the XXX Olympiad was made by the full IOC membership during the 117th IOC Session in Singapore on 6 July 2005. London eventually triumphed by taking 54 votes from a possible 104. This gave London the majority that it needed to be elected as the host city for the 2012 Games. London had to overcome stiff competition, however, in the form of Paris, New York, Moscow and Madrid in its bid to get the Games.

117th IOC Session, 6 July 2005, Singapore:
Election of the Host City of the Games of the XXX Olympiad 

The London 2012 Games will be centred around the Olympic Park in east London, which will be the site of a number of new sports venues. Up to 180,000 spectators a day will enter the Park to enjoy the Games, making it the principal focus of Olympic activity in summer 2012.

The main venues – the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre, Velodrome and BMX Circuit, as well as the hockey, handball and basketball arenas –  will be easily accessible through a network of footbridges and walkways within the Park. The Olympic Village will be within walking distance of all the venues in the Park, enhancing the experience for athletes and officials. The use of other prestigious venues – such as Wembley Stadium for football, the All-England Club in Wimbledon for tennis, Lord’s Cricket Ground for archery and Horse Guards Parade for beach volleyball – is also a feature of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The London 2012 Games include a four-year Cultural Olympiad, which is already underway. It will reach a climax with the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony on 27 July 2012, starting a 60-day festival of sport and culture across the UK, as the Olympic and Paralympic spirit crosses the world once again.

Scale of the 2012 Games:

   - 26 Olympic sports in 34 venues

   - 20 Paralympic sports in 21 venues

   - 10,500 Olympic athletes and 4,200 Paralympic athletes

   - 20,000 press and media 

   - More than 9 million tickets

Madrid

Madrid has a stable population of 3.2 million, whilst the Madrid region will experiencing moderate growth from 5.5 to 5.8 million by 2012.

Madrid proposed humanist, sustainable and environmentally friendly Games. The Games concept was based on using venues predominantly located in three main clusters, one of which was in close proximity to the Olympic Village, and venues on the outskirts of Madrid within reasonable travel times of the Village. Madrid’s concept ensured that 58% of athletes would compete within 10 minutes of the Olympic Village. Madrid gave priority to sustainable development, planning to use the Olympic Games to take a significant step forward in improving environmental conditions in the city.

Moscow

Moscow’s population is expected to decrease from 10.4 to 9.9 million by 2012, however, at the same time, the population on the outskirts of Moscow is increasing rapidly.

 Moscow sought to further build on the legacies of the 1980 Olympic Games which have served the needs of the city very well. An “Olympic River” concept embraced the majority of the venues, as well as the Olympic Village, International Broadcast Centre (IBC) and Main Press Centre (MPC), which are located on or near the Moscow River. Moscow proposed a memorable experience for all athletes with minimal travel times to venues. This would have occurred in a country which was establishing itself as the “New Russia”.

New York

The population of New York City is expected to grow from 8.1 to 8.6 million by 2012.

New York proposed a predominantly inner-city Games in the interest of enhancing the athlete experience, with the core of major venues to be constructed in the city centre, including the Olympic stadium, the IBC and the MPC. Through the bid, New York intended to create a legacy for sport and for the city of New York. This was coupled with a genuine desire to host many more international sports events in New York. Some 58% of athletes would have competed in three designated clusters – Olympic Square (9 sports), Olympic Riverfront (4 sports/disciplines) and Olympic Park (6 sports/disciplines).

Paris

The population of the Paris region is expected to grow from 11.1 to 11.5 million by 2012.

Paris based its vision on the longstanding relationship between Olympism and France, and planned athlete-centred Games, with significant athlete involvement in the candidature phase. A commitment was made to continue this athlete involvement through to the organisation of the Games. The Games concept consisted of two major clusters close to the Olympic Village, encompassing 17 competitions.