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The host city for the Games of the XXX Olympiad will be the city of London. Following four rounds of voting by members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), today, at the 117th IOC Session, in Singapore, London eventually triumphed by taking 54 votes from a possible 104. This gave London the majority that it needed to be elected as the host city for the 2012 Games. London had to overcome stiff competition, however, in the form of Paris, New York, Moscow and Madrid in its bid to get the Games.

Four Main Themes

The London 2012 Olympic Games vision is underpinned by four main themes: delivering the experience of a lifetime for athletes, leaving a legacy for sport, benefiting the community through regeneration and supporting the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Movement.

Experience Of A Lifetime

The Olympic and Paralympic Games are the pinnacle of every athlete’s career. London 2012 will strive to provide conditions that enable the athletes to compete in an environment of excellence, friendship and enjoyment. Fifty per cent of competitors will live only minutes from their venues and will never have to leave the security of the Olympic Park, while a further 30% will be only 20 minutes from their venues.

Legacy For Sport

After London 2012, London will possess some of the finest sports facilities for hosting national and international events. This will enable London to create the London Olympic Institute, a world-class institution for sport, culture and the environment, which will provide facilities and services for elite athletes, as well as encouraging participation in sport well after the 2012 Games are over.

Regeneration

The Olympic Park will be created in the Lower Lea Valley and will contribute to the regeneration of an entire community - for the direct benefit of everyone who lives there. The Olympic Park will become a hub for East London, bringing communities together and acting as a catalyst for profound social and economic change. It will become a model of social inclusion, opening up opportunities for education, cultural and skills development and jobs for people across London and Great Britain.

Supporting The Olympic Movement

London 2012 will protect and enhance the Games. Through London’s position as a global media and marketing centre, London 2012 will be able to convey the excitement and spectacle of the Games to the largest audience ever, while ensuring that the Games are also a financial success.

World-class

London 2012 will use a combination of new sporting venues in the Olympic Park, existing world-class facilities and other inspirational and historical locations. Outside the Olympic Park, athletes will have the chance to compete in or near venues such as the World Heritage sites of Greenwich, the Palace of Westminster and the Tower of London; Wembley Stadium; Lord’s Cricket Ground; Wimbledon; Horse Guards Parade; the Royal Parks and Eton Dorney. London 2012 is committed to “Excellence without extravagance” and it is for this reason that new venues will be built only where clear legacy needs have been identified and sporting and business plans developed for post-Games use.

Source:

©IOC/Eric Goh

6 July 2005

http://www.olympic.org/uk/news/olympic_news/full_story_uk.asp?id=1386