London celebrates three years to go

Today marks three years to go until the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games, and the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) and its partners are holding a number of events to celebrate the this landmark date. These will include the opportunity for Team GB athletes to tour the Olympic Park and to travel on the new Javelin trains that will bring up to 25,000 spectators per hour into the Olympic Park at Games time.

Making A Difference
IOC President Jacques Rogge said, “A little over four years ago, Seb Coe presented a vision to the IOC members of Games that would make a difference. Make a difference to the athletes by giving them the experience of a lifetime, make a difference to the lives of people in London and across Great Britain through regeneration and sport, and make a difference to the IOC and the Olympic Movement. London 2012 and its partners are delivering on that vision. Their good work since Singapore is a testament to that fact, and I am in no doubt that in 2012 we will see great Games that will make a difference to us all.”

On Track
LOCOG has made solid progress with its preparations to stage the Game since its election in Singapore in 2005 and has now passed the GBP 500 million mark in domestic sponsorship. The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is also on track and within budget, with construction on all permanent venues in the Olympic Park well underway. The external structure of the Olympic Stadium is now complete, the roof structure of the Aquatics Centre is over half way finished, and work is also progressing well on the Olympic Village, the Velodrome, the IBC/MPC and the transport and infrastructure projects needed for the Games and their legacy.

LONDON 2012
London was elected as the Host City for the Games of the XXX Olympiad on 6 July 2005 at the 117th IOC Session in Singapore. London eventually succeeded in the fourth round of voting, taking 54 votes from a possible 104. London faced stiff opposition during the vote from the other four candidate cities: Paris, New York, Moscow and Madrid. There will be 26 sports on the Olympic Programme in London in 2012 and around 10,500 athletes.