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| The countdown clock in Trafalgar Square |
The Basics
There are 36 sports
played by 204 countries. The games will start on the 27th of July and finish on
the 12th of August. Events will take place at 26 different
venues.
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The Olympic and
Paralympic Games take place every four years.
People
The Ancient Games took place in Greece over 2.000 years ago.
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| A wreath of laurel |
Greek men came from every part of the country to take part in sports like wrestling, running, boxing and chariot racing.
The winning athletes were rewarded with a WREATH OF LAUREL LEAVES and were treated as heroes.
There will be more than 10,000 athletes from all over
the world in London . They will take part in the competitions and try their very best.
The new Olympic village
will be big enough for 16,000 people. 80,000 spectators will be able to
sit in the new Olympic stadium.
The winning athletes are rewarded with medals: GOLD ,
SILVER and BRONZE.
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| A gold medal |
News and media
Now we have the modern Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The athletes respect each other and are good examples of the Olympic and
Paralympic VALUES: Friendship, excellence,
respect for the
Olympic Games, and equality, determination,
inspiration and courage for the Paralympic Games.
There will be 8000 Olympic torch carriers.
With 200 kilometres of
electrical cables, 20,000 journalists will report on the 2012 Olympics 24 hours
a day.
More than 4 billion people around the world will watch the opening
ceremony and the rest of the games on TV.
The Olympic rings
The Olympic Rings are five interlocking
rings that stand for the five original continents, (Africa, America, Asia,
Australia, and Europe) and the athletes from around the world.
The colours of the rings are blue,
yellow, black,
green, and red respectively. At least one of these colours is
found on the flag of every nation.
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| The Olympic torch |
The Olympic torch
The London 2.012 Olympic and Paralympic
Games will begin with a special ceremony.
In memory of the Olympic Games’
origins, the flame is lit in Olympia, Greece, some months before the opening of
the Games. The Olympic flame can only be lit by the sun’s rays.
The
torch is carried by relay from Olympia to the host city of the Games. The torch
bearer will light the huge cauldron.
Wenlock and Mandeville are the official mascots for the 2012 Summer
Olympics and Paralympics.
