Five years to go to the start of the London 2012 Games
27th July 2006
Today, Friday 27 July, sees Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee, marking five years to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games by taking the London 2012 Roadshow to the host borough of Waltham Forest.
Seb is joined by double Olympic Gold Medallist Dame Kelly Holmes, Olympic Gold Medallist Jonathan Edwards, Paralympic Gold Medallist Dame Tanni Grey-Thomson, Olympian Roger Black and Council Leader Cllr Clyde Loakes for a day of sports participation in East London.
The day also recognises the significant progress the London 2012 Organising Committee, The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and Games stakeholders across the UK have made in the five key areas of sport, delivery, partnership, culture and legacy with the release of the London 2012 Annual Update. Key achievements this year include; the handover of the Olympic Park land to the ODA; Lloyds TSB and EDF Energy announced as Games partners; the completion of the tunnels to underground the powerlines in the Olympic Park; the Cultural Olympiad framework presented to the sector and industry partners identified to take forward the key projects.
The London 2012 Annual Update also sets out the milestones for the next twelve months that include;
- the launch of the UK-wide preparation camp guide
- Games-time training venues confirmed
- the Olympic Park site cleared and cleaned ready for the big build in 2008
- significant work starting on Olympic Park bridges, waterways and energy systems
- development and delivery of handover ceremonies in Beijing and celebrations across the UK
- new sponsors signed up and activation programmes launched
- the launch of a UK wide service to support business accessing Games-related opportunities
- the launch of the London 2012 Sustainability Plan
- detailed legacy plans for London, UK and Nations and Regions in place and being delivered on
- St Pancras International opens and the upgrade to Stratford Regional Station begins
Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee commented:
“Hosting the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games is an opportunity of a lifetime for London and the UK. It has been a year of real achievement for 2012 and today’s five years to go milestone is an opportunity to recognise our progress but also to take a forward look at what we want to have achieved by the start of the 2008 Beijing Games. The Games have the ability to change lives both on and off the sporting field and all across the UK. This is an opportunity that must be seized.”
Martin Havenhand, Executive Chair of the Yorkshire Committee for the 2012 Games commented:
“We in Yorkshire were vocal and enthusiastic supporters of the London bid for the 2012 Games and believe they present a great opportunity not only for London but for all the other regions of the UK. In our Yorkshire Gold document we set out a robust plan of how Yorkshire and Humber will benefit from the Games in terms of Sport, Communities, Culture, Tourism and Business. We believe that, through the Games, we can achieve a lasting legacy for Yorkshire and Humber.”
– Ends –
For more information please contact:
London 2012 Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 100
Notes to Editors:
- For copies of the London 2012 Annual Update please contact the London 2012 press office on +44 (0)203 2012 100
- For copies of Yorkshire Gold, Yorkshire and Humber’s strategy for the London 2012 Games, please contact Ben McKenna (bmckenna@yorkshire-culture.co.uk) or Rebecca di Corpo (rdicorpo@yorkshire-culture.co.uk) of the Yorkshire Committee for the 2012 Games on 0113 394 4548. To download a copy of Yorkshire Gold click here.
- Upcoming London 2012 Roadshow events in August:
August 18th |
Eureka! The Museum for Children, Halifax |
August 19th |
Fun Athletics Festival, Castleford |
- The London 2012 Roadshow stops feature a demonstration area, where visitors can take part in ‘taster’ sporting activities programmed by Sport England. Information on local sports and fitness clubs in the local area will also be available to encourage visitors to continue to participate. On board the Roadshow bus, visitors will be able access the new 2012 Challenge website www.london2012.com, set their own challenge and be inspired by the Olympic Games to achieve it.
- Visitors to the Roadshow will be able to take part in The National Lottery Dream Stats Zone to find out what it takes to be a sporting
champion and how to get more involved with sport. The Zone offers people the chance to try out the Dream Stats calculator – by answering a few simple questions, the online application matches their physical attributes and personal preferences to show what sports most suit them. Visitors can also assess their sporting aptitude for real, by taking a series of fun physical tests.
- National Lottery funding will contribute up to £2.2 billion* towards the cost of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympics Games. £750 million of Good Causes money raised by sales of designated lottery games, such as the draw-based game Dream Number and certain Scratchcards and interactive games, will go towards funding the provision of facilities and supporting infrastructure of the 2012 Games. For more information contact Liz Parker on 020 7632 5746 / 07866 450 287 liz.parker@camelotgroup.co.uk *Subject to Parliamentary approval
- Sport England exists to sustain and increase participation in community sport. It is a non-departmental public body and Lottery distributor. Our ambition is to get two million people participating more in sport by 2012. We do this by promoting, advising and investing in community sport. For more information contact Alex Russell on 020 7273 1866.