london life n olympic london
london life n olympic london
With the Olympic Games and Paralympics following hard on the heels of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the whole world is watching London this summer. Julie Thompson looks at the venues, how you can still join in the action and how the Games will benefit the city long after the athletes have returned home
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olympic park One of the main focuses of the London 2012 Games, with up to 180,000 spectators a day taking in the multitude of events, the Olympic Park will be transformed from an Olympic site into a
new piece of the city, in the heart of London’s East End. By spring 2014, the
560-acre Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford will be like no other in the UK. As well as its iconic
no tickets? no problem! If you missed out on Olympics tickets, there are several events in the latter stages and in the Paralympics that you can enjoy for free: l August 4, 11: Race Walk – taking place on the streets of central London, finishing at The Mall, this is a series of speed-walk events including a men’s and women’s 20-kilometre race and a men’s 50k race. l August 4, 7: Triathlon – watch athletes compete in a demanding triathlon schedule, which includes swimming, cycling and running, in London’s Hyde Park. The competition is made up of a 1,500m swim, 40k cycle ride and a 10k run. l August 5, 12: Marathon – the Olympic Marathon will pass landmarks such as the Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square. Unlike the London
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venues, the park will have two distinct areas – the landscaped river valley in the north and a 50-acre
urban landscape in the south. The North Park will open first, in 2013, and
Marathon, with 35,000 runners, the Olympic Marathon only has around 80 competitors. l August 9-10: Swimming marathon – the world’s best n Marathon Swimming, Hyde Park. marathon swimmers will take to the Serpentine in Hyde Park to compete in the Olympic 10k Marathon Swim, completing six laps of the lake. The south side of the lake will be open to spectators without tickets. l September 9: Paralympic marathons – watch the men’s and women’s marathons. Large parts of the course are free to watch, with access to The Mall by ticket only.
David Poultney for LOCOG
s the first city to have held the Olympic Games three times – previously in 1908 and 1948 – London has been centre stage once more as host of the Games of the XXX Olympiad. While the city continues to celebrate its summer to remember, we give you an insight of life after the Games and the legacy the Olympics will leave for the capital.
Summer 2012
ity and aquatic disciplines, offering a range of programmes. The centre will be open to the local community and schools.
n Beach Volleyball test event ahead of London 2012
LOCOG
the arcelormittal orbit
Regional Park Authority after the Games and will be known as the Lee Valley VeloPark. The 6,000-seat velodrome will be used by high-performance athletes who will train alongside the local and regional community. Aquatics Centre: Situated on the main gateway into the Park, the Aquatics Centre, with two 50-metre pools, will provide an important legacy for London, which only has two of this size currently. Following its transformation after the Games, the centre will cater for all levels of swimming abil-
park venues The Stadium: The centrepiece of the London 2012 Games, the Stadium will retain athletics at its core after the Games and will host a range of sporting, entertainment and cultural events. It will also be the host venue for the 2017 World Athletics Championships. VeloPark: The VeloPark will be owned and managed by Lee Valley
Summer 2012
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The ArcelorMittal Orbit
London 2012
London calling
London 2012
will include a naturethemed community hub and playground and a 7,500-capacity indoor entertainment venue with a yearly programme of high-profile sporting and music events. The South Plaza will sit between the Stadium, Aquatics Centre and the ArcelorMittal Orbit. The tree-lined promenade will connect spaces to be used for events and attractions including cultural programmes, pop-up street food stalls and community events. As well as the green, open spaces and tranquil waterways, the park will be a place to live and work, with five new neighbourhoods and its own commercial district. With Europe’s largest urban shopping centre right on its doorstep and thousands of hotel rooms just a short walk away, among them the newly-opened Holiday Inn and Staybridge Suites, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is set to become a leading leisure and business destination.
The ArcelorMittal Orbit, Britain’s largest piece of public art at just over 377 feet high, commissioned to provide a lasting legacy of the 2012 Games, was designed by Turner Prize winner Anish Kapoor and one of the world’s leading structural designers, Cecil Balmond. While the Games are on, visitors with tickets for the Orbit can take the glass lift to the top in just 30 seconds for stunning views over the Olympic Stadium, Olympic Park and the whole of London. When it reopens in 2014, the ArcelorMittal Orbit will operate as a visitor attraction with ticketed viewing from the observation decks. It will be able to accommodate around 5,000 visitors a day, with an estimated one million people visiting the attraction in the first year. Visitors will be able to take the lift to the top, and then descend via the 455 steps of the spiral staircase to view the 2,000 tonnes of steel used to make this incredible structure. With its featured lighting made up of 250 coloured spotlights, the Orbit is set to become a beacon of East London both day and night in the years to come.
n Mark Cavendish won the London 2012 road race test event
did you know? l London 2012 is the first Summer Games to calculate its complete carbon footprint. It also aims to set a world record for the largest number of people neutralising their travel carbon to a single event. l The Olympic Park is the first and largest new parkland in Europe for more than 150 years. Wetlands and river habitats have been restored from contaminated land. l The first marathon run over 26 miles and 385 yards was at the 1908 London Olympics; it was lengthened so that the Royal Family could see the start and end (it started at Windsor Castle and finished in front of the Royal Box at the stadium). l The first time athletes paraded under their national flags at the start of the Olympics was at the 1908 Games in London.
suits you For families: Enjoy a family picnic at one of the Live Sites located in the heart of London and beyond, taking place n Park Live CGI throughout the Games. Entry is free and some have large screens to view events: www.london2012.com/join-in/live-sites. For couples: Enjoy a Showtime event together; from dance to theatre or bandstand performances, there is something for all tastes as part of London’s “summer like no other”. For details, go to: www.visitlondon.com/events. For value: On September 10, Team GB and Paralympics GB athletes parade through the capital’s centre to celebrate competing in London 2012. Take to the streets for a great free day out and to enjoy the end of the Games. For luxury: If you have Olympic tickets, why not take an exclusive, private water taxi to your event? With an onboard steward/stewardess offering drinks and canapés, and entertainment on board, it’s the VIP way to travel. Details online at: www.watertaxitotheolympicpark.co.uk.
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London 2012
n The Olympic Stadium
LOCOG
London 2012
n Five-ring circus: the Olympics are finally here
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St James Theatre
n Hit the roof on the new O2 climb
n Centre stage: the new St James Theatre
The Ritz London
Putting on the Ritz Quintessentially British institutions The Ritz and Thomas Pink have launched the definitive London shopping experience. The Tickled Pink programme, n In the pink: Ritzy stay priced from £640 per night, includes overnight accommodation in a Louis XVI-inspired guestroom with fruit, flowers and a bottle of Champagne in-room on arrival, a twohour shopping excursion in Thomas Pink’s classic Morgan, starting with a glass of Champagne at their flagship boutique, a signature treatment in the Ritz Salon or your room, Champagne Afternoon Tea in the Palm Court and full English breakfast the next morning. For details or to make a reservation, call 020 7493 8181, email reservations@theritzlondon.com or visit www.theritzlondon.com.
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Up on the roof he O2 in Greenwich is one of London’s most iconic landmarks and is now home to one of the capital’s newest and most exciting attractions, Up at the O2. This 90-minute exhilarating outdoor challenge allows visitors to walk across the roof of the domed structure via a stretchable fabric walkway suspended 170 feet above
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ground level, between the O2’s distinctive yellow masts. The observation platform at the summit offers spectacular 360-degree views of the capital and its many landmarks including the Olympic Park, Thames Barrier, the Shard and Canary Wharf. Suitable for all ages from 10 onwards (and at least four feet – 1.2 metres – tall), the journey begins at Base
Camp, where visitors are kitted out in specially-made climbsuits, shoes and safety harnesses and are taken by trained guides to the base of the tent to start their climb. Climbs take place every 30 minutes and you will need at least 90 minutes to complete your climb. For more details on opening times and ticket prices, go to www.UpatTheO2.co.uk.
View to a thrill
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xperience Britain’s first vertical town and Western Europe’s tallest building when The View from The Shard viewing platform opens on February 1, 2013. At 1,016 feet (310m), The Shard features two high-speed kaleidoscopic lifts that take just 30 seconds to reach Level 68, offering a cloudscape above London. From here, visitors will make their way to Level 69 for 360-degree views across 40 miles of the city, with multimedia displays bringing the past, present and future of London to life. The very best view in town is from Level 72, at 800ft (244m), the highest public level of The Shard and almost twice the height of any other London viewpoint. Here, exposed to the elements and the sights and sounds of the city below, you can see the shards of glass that form the top of this amazing new tower. The View from The Shard will be open from 9am to 10pm daily; for more information and to book tickets, go to www.theviewfromtheshard.com.
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n The Shard will offer amazing views
Sellar Group
London’s first newly-built theatre complex in 30 years will open in the heart of Victoria in September. St James Theatre, developed on the site of the former Westminster Theatre, will include a 312-seat theatre, a 100-seat studio theatre for one-night and short run comedy and live music events, brasserie and bar, and will be one of the most luxurious theatre venues in the city. The first performance of Sandy Toksvig’s Bully Boy starring Anthony Andrews and Joshua Miles will be on September 18; the show runs until the end of October. For more details of upcoming performances and ticket prices, go to www.stjamestheatre.co.uk.
The O2
Curtain call for new theatre
Summer 2012