As we await the start of the Olympic Games 2012 in London we hereby bring you a list of Olympic venues for the 2012 games. In number of these venues have been created especially for the Olympic Games and while the vast majority will be used in the future there are some which will be replaced after the Olympic Games have finished. Even though the vast majority of tickets for the Olympic Games have already been sold via the online website it is believed that more tickets will be made available in the short term with a number of overseas governments having struggled to sell all of their allocations.
London Olympic Games venues
The Copper Box
The Copper Box is located in the west of the Olympic Park and will host sports such as handball, goalball, fencing and the modern pentathlon.
The Aquatics Centre
The Aquatics Centre is located in the south-east corner of the Olympic Park and will see sports such as swimming, Paralympic swimming, diving, synchronised swimming and the modern pentathlon held in this arena.
The Basketball Arena
Located in the north of the Olympic Park, the Basketball Arena will host basketball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and the handball competition.
The BMX Track
The BMX Track, which will host the Olympic BMX competition, is situated in the north of the Olympic Park and is attracting attention from many sports fans.
Eton Manor
Eton Manor is a purpose-built arena for the wheelchair tennis which will take place during the London 2012 games. The venue itself is located in the north of the Olympic Park.
The Olympic Stadium
The Olympic Stadium, situated in the south of the Olympic Park, will be the focal point of the Olympic 2012 games and will host the athletics and the Paralympic athletics. The venue will also be the location for the opening and closing ceremonies.
The Riverbank Arena
The Riverbank Arena is again part of the larger Olympic Park and will host hockey, Paralympic five the site football and Paralympic seven the site football.
The Velodrome
The Velodrome has been the subject of much media attention and will host the track cycling and Paralympic track cycling events in the northern section of the Olympic Park. This is seen by many as the best cycling Velodrome in the world.
The Water Polo Arena
The Water Polo Arena has been created especially for the Olympic Games water polo event and is situated in the south-east corner of the Olympic Stadium. It is a temporary location and will be used for different purposes after the Olympic Games or over.
London venues
Earls Court
The Earls Court venue will be transformed into one of the most high-tech and eye-catching volleyball arenas which the sport has ever seen. The venue is situated in the Earls Court exhibition Centre and is certain to be a crowdpleaser.
ExCeL
The ExCeL exhibition and conference centre is based in London’s Docklands and is set to host a range of different Olympic and Paralympic sports during the 2012 Olympic Games. The five arenas will be used for boxing, fencing, judo, table tennis, tae kwon do, weightlifting, wrestling, boccia, Paralympic table tennis, Paralympic judo, Paralympic powerlifting, sitting volleyball and wheelchair fencing.
Greenwich Park
The Olympics and Paralympic equestrian competitions, as well as running and shooting events from the pentathlon, will be hosted by the Greenwich Park facilities. The venue itself is located on the south bank of the River Thames in south-east London.
Hampton Court
The cycling time trial will be hosted by Hampton Court in the London 2012 Olympic Games and has attracted significant attention for those looking to attend the event. Hampton Court itself is in the London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames in south-west London.
Horse Guards Parade
The dummy run of the beach volleyball competition took place on Horse Guards Parade in 2011 and attracted significant attention. The venue is very close to Downing Street and just across from Buckingham Palace and St James’s Park.
Hyde Park
The beautiful Hyde Park area will host the triathlon and marathon swimming events during the London 2012 Olympics, a venue which has been specifically built for the games.
Lord’s cricket ground
Despite the fact that the Lord’s cricket ground is more akin to test matches and one-day international cricket games it will be the venue for the 2012 Olympic archery competition. Lord’s is situated in St John’s Wood in north-west London which is very near to Regents Park.
North Greenwich Arena
The North Greenwich Arena will be home to the artistic gymnastics, trampoline, basketball and wheelchair basketball events in the Olympic 2012 games. The venue is situated on the Greenwich Peninsula and is across from the mouth of the River Thames and the River Lea.
The Mall (otherwise known as the Royal Mall)
The Mall will see events such as the marathon, race walk, Paralympic marathon and road cycling races during the 2012 Olympics. The area is situated in central London and is one of the most attractive tourist destinations the capital has to offer.
The Royal Artillery Barracks
It will come as no surprise to learn that the Royal Artillery Barracks will host shooting, Paralympic shooting and Paralympic archery in 2012. Situated on the edge of the Woolwich, in south-east London it is very close to the Greenwich Park World Heritage Site.
Wembley Arena
No Olympics 2012 London would be complete without the Wembley Arena which will this year host badminton and rhythmic gymnastics. The arena itself is situated in north-west London around 6 miles from the city centre and very close to Wembley stadium itself.
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium, known to many as the home of football, will ironically host the Olympic Games football event and is certain to be a crowdpleaser. Despite the fact that many previous Olympic Games have played down the football event there is no doubt it will prove very popular in the Olympics 2012 London.
Wimbledon
Situated in south-west London, near Richmond Park and Kew Gardens, Wimbledon will obviously host the Olympic tennis tournament. How excited will some of these competitors be when they learn they will be playing on centre court and other iconic locations?
Out of London venues
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch, situated in Kent and around one hours travel time from the Olympic Park, will host the Paralympic road cycling event which will include the time trial. This is yet another iconic location which the Olympic organisers have chosen.
City of Coventry Stadium
The city of Coventry Stadium is home to championship club Coventry City and will be one of the locations for the Olympic Games football tournament. Tickets for this tournament are proving to be very popular with many fans excited about the names being mentioned.
Eton Dorney
While Eton Dorney may not be a widely known iconic location in the UK but it will this year be hosting the rowing, Paralympic rowing and canoeing sprint Olympic events. It is situated near Windsor Castle and around 25 miles west of London.
Hadleigh Farm
Hadleigh Farm will be hosting the eagerly awaited mountain bike event in the 2012 Olympics with an array of obstacles and challenges awaiting competitors. Hadleigh Farm is situated east of London in the county of Essex.
Hampden Park
Hampen Park is now rated as a five-star football stadium after a £70 million refurbishment was well received by the football governing body. It will therefore be no surprise to learn that the venue will host some of the football games in the Olympic 2012 football tournament. Situated in the south of Glasgow in Scotland it is a far flung trek from the main Olympic Park.
Lea Valley White Water Centre
Situated in Hertfordshire the Lea Valley White Water Centre will be the venue for this year’s canoe slalom event. It is very impressive to see how the Olympic organisers have managed to bring in venues outside of London.
Millennium Stadium
Situated in the heart of Cardiff, Wales, the Millennium Stadium will be one of the main attractions for the Olympic football event in 2012. It will be interesting to see attendances for these football games which have caught the attention of spectators.
Old Trafford Stadium
The so-called Theatre of Dreams will be the home to some of the Olympic football events in 2012 and what a place to visit. Situated in Manchester, north-west England, it is one of the most iconic stadiums in the footballing world.
St James’s Park
Newcastle United fans around the world will be happy to see St James’s Park as one of the chosen venues for the Olympic football 2012 event. Situated in Newcastle, North East England, this is a football crazy area and the games will be attended in great numbers.
Weymouth and Portland
Situated in Dorset off the south coast of England, Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour will host this year’s sailing and Paralympic sailing events. Is there really a more suitable place to host such an event?
Olympic Administration Venues
IBC/MPC
The International Broadcast Centre/Main Press Centre will be a 24-hour media hub throughout the Olympic Games 2012. It will be home to 20,000 broadcasters, photographers and journalists who will cover the event for the expected 4 billion worldwide audience.
Olympic and Paralympic Villages
The Olympic and Paralympic villages will be located in the heart of the Olympic Park within walking distance to the vast majority of venues. Every effort has gone into making the Olympic Village and Paralympic Village the greatest home to athletes since the introduction of the Olympic Games.
