British design is the best it has ever been, and London 2012 is a testament to that. The Olympic stadium, Velodrome and Aquatic centre are all beautiful buildings, and also engineering landmarks. British architects have built structures that defy gravity, allow adaptation for new purposes and further projects, and promote a strong future for sport. The Olympic park was such a wonderful place to be, everything looked tremendous and worked together to create an indescribable atmosphere that put a smile on everyones face. Amongst the hundreds of thousands of people, there were no crying children, no teenage tantrums or racial disputes. This environment astounded and amazed all who entered, and inspired memories, photographs and stories that will last lifetimes.
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Fingers, toes, hands and feet, even arms and legs. These are simple luxuries to an athlete. The Olympic Games champions those at the pinnacle of human evolution, but the likes of Linford Christie, Carl Lewis, Kelly Holmes, Steve Redgrave and Chris Hoy have it easy compared to Paralympic athletes. These super-humans shed just as much blood, sweat and tears in their bid to become the best at what they do, and this year they got the opportunity to really show the world just how incredible they are. No longer should we view these athletes as disabled, as they can achieve far superior feats than everyone else.
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SPORT DOES N O T C A R E W H O Y O U A R E
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The crowd participation at London 2012 surpassed that of any group of spectators at any event on earth to date. A deafening roar resonated throughout the arenas all day and night, and when a member of the GB team was competing it became ridiculous. Every nation was represented, from Belize to Palestine, and it was this unfaltering support and passion demonstrated by the crowds that will be the key feature of the games when looking back in years to come.
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Years of training, sacrifice and heartache all come down to a few seconds. For some this time will be the greatest of their life, for the others it leads to devastation. The physical act of sport inspires intense emotions not only for the athletes, also their supporters, their family and their friends. It is these moments of exhilaration and despair that convey the emotional roller coaster that is life as a competitive athlete.
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This year was huge for the small city of London. The eyes of the world were on us and many of them, including our own, were waiting for failure in hosting the biggest sporting event on earth. Undoubtedly it was a mammoth task to undertake, but the historic British ideals of pride
and achievement shone through to firmly deliver an amazing spectacle, and silenced all who had doubts.
and his team set out to unite the nation with spirit and pride rather than money and fireworks, which unquestionably made the London games the most successful and complete Olympiad of the modern era.
Park was like being transported to a completely different place, a million miles from how London was a year ago with rioters on the streets and people afraid to leave their homes. There was no animosity here, people were happy, chatting and laughing with complete
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around
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Olympic
It was hard to see how the explosive and elaborate Beijing games could be followed without further bankrupting the country, and so Sebastian Coe
strangers and soaking up every ounce of the incredible atmosphere. As a photographer I could barely begin to capture all the memorable scenes happening at any one time. My favourite had to be at the start of each event in the athletics
to be consumed with patriotism, especially the false patriotism that overwhelms the nation every time Wimbledon or the World Cup comes around. That said, the magnificent success of London 2012 and watching how the games have affected everyone, combined with the
stadium. A sea of flags shot into the air as far as the eye could see, covering every person in the stands. This support was not only for athletes from Great Britain, but every single competitor on the track. I have never been the type of person
selfless nature of all the volunteers, staff and people behind the scenes who made it happen, has made me very proud to call this town my home. For six weeks we were the centre of the world, London came together and we made it count.
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photography and design by sim bradley i m a g e s c a p t u re d o n f i l m a n d b y d i g i t a l a-m-p.tv