2012 – Year of London Olympics
London, now being the center of world attention due to 2012 Olympic Games, welcomed the year 2012 with splendid fireworks at Thames. The beautiful fireworks light up the Southern Banks of Thames to welcome the New Year with a bang. Various viewing locations were left open to the visitors from where visitors could not just view the fireworks but also enjoy a good dinner, drink and spend their new year’s eve in leisure.
With the arrival of the year 2012, no one will be as tense or anxious as the organizers of 2012 London Olympics. Now the countdown has truly begun with only 207 from now for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on July 27 this year. Since past seven years London is preparing for the 2012 Olympics after defeating Paris in the last round of International Olympic Committee vote on July6, 2005 in Singapore.
For London, the year 2012 is a very busy year. Apart from the Olympic Games, 2012 also marks Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. The year will also witness European Football Championship in Ukraine and Poland but Olympics still remain the marquee event for summer of 2012. For 17 days, London will be at the center of worldwide attention. With the 2012 Olympic Games, London becomes the only city to host Olympic Games the third time, the previous London Olympic Games were in the years 1908 and 1948.
Major Concerns of 2012 London Olympics
The greatest concerns regarding the London Olympic Games are related to two very unpredictable factors, transportation and security. Being a global event, the Olympic Games are sure to raise security concerns. It may even invite terrorist attacks.
Another major concern is the transportation. London has an already stretched public transport network. Will it be able to cope with the added strain is yet another question that stays unanswered.
Preparations for 2012 London Olympics
Majority of the prime locations are already built and are capable of accommodating the 10,000 enthusiastic athletes from around 200 nations who will be in London for the sixteen days of competition which includes 26 sports and almost 300 medal events.
An industrial wasteland of East London is now converted into an Olympic Park. The area of the park is 1-square-mile and features numerous flagship arenas. It represents the major portion of a long term regeneration project meant for one of the most undeveloped regions of England.
London has raised almost 700 million pounds ($1billion) from the sponsors during one of the worst financial times.
In spite of the public outcry against the ticketing system which left numerous applicants without tickets, the ticket sales helped organizers earn revenue of hundreds of millions. The Games are sold out and the London Organizing Committee for Olympic Games (LOCOG) is fully on track to cope with its operating budget of 2.1 billion pound ($3.3 billion).
The greatest financial pressure is due to the additional security costs which are as high as $1.6 billion. The number of security guards planned rose from 10,000 to 23,700. There will be 12000 police officials to guard the streets. Around 13,500 military personnel are going to be all set to defend and a warship will be stationed at Thames. Fighter Jets will be placed on standby.
The greatest challenge for the organizers of 2012 London Olympics is to maintain the security while still ensuring not locking the city down. While the security has to be maintained, it should not affect the normal lifestyle of people. If people can’t live their routine lives, the terrorists are winning to that extent.
The city of London should keep moving normally. Transport officials predict an additional 3 million trips every single day in public transport. Many Underground stations might experience long lines and overcrowding. There is also scope for strikes.