The Olympic Games have begun. About 10,500 athletes from 204 countries will be competing until August 12 in hopes of bringing home a medal. As there are several various sporting events, not every event can take place in the same area, so London has 32 different venues for the Olympians to compete in throughout the city and even beyond.
There are so many venues that anyone in central London will never be more than 30 minutes from one of them. Some are within close distance of famous London landmarks, providing the perfect backdrop for spectators as they watch the events in the English host city.
Some of the venues hold a lot of history and have been around for centuries like the 18th century Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich. However there are also more modern venues that were created just for the Olympics like the stadium in Olympic Park.
Since there are so many venues, it can be a bit confusing about what goes on where. Here is a little rundown of the main Olympic venues.
The brand new 2.5sq km Olympic Park in East London contains several of the Olympic venues including the main Olympic Stadium. The Stadium is where the opening and closing ceremonies take place. Athletics events such as track and field also take place in the 80,000 seat stadium.
To the south of the Park is the Water Polo Arena and Aquatics Centre. These two buildings, designed for the water sports of the Olympics, were created especially for the Games. Spectators can catch events such as swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, and water polo between these two water arenas.
To the north of the Park is the Velodrome, Hockey Centre, Basketball Arena, Handball Arena, BMX circuit and Eton Manor. The Velodrome is an odd, Pringle-shaped stadium that was created for the Olympic cycling events. The two-pitched Hockey Centre was created for hockey events. The 12,000 seat Basketball Arena is the third largest arena in the park, but it is a temporary building which will be removed after the Games. The copper Handball Arena will host handball and goalball. The brand new BMX circuit, next to the Velodrome, is where BMX biking events will take place. Eton Manor contains training pools for swimmers as well as a wheelchair tennis court for the Paralympics.
Outside of Olympic Park is another big area, the North Greenwich Arena, or the O2 arena. This grand stadium located on the Greenwich peninsula on the banks of the River Thames will host gymnastics, trampoline, and some basketball events.
Several other arenas will host various events within London and in nearby areas. For the locations and further information about all of the Olympic Arena's, view this diagram of the venue locations provided by LondonTown.com
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
