2012 London Olympics

Olympic Mascots

2005-10-26T09:23:00.000-07:00

Olympic Games mascots are selected by the local organizing committee of the host city. The first official Olympic mascot dates back to the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich with Waldi the dachshund, a popular Bavarian dog.

In the United States, previous mascots have included Roni the raccoon at the 1980 Lake Placid Games, Sam the eagle at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, and Izzy the animated character at the 1996 Atlanta Games. The 2002 Salt Lake Winter Games mascots were Powder, the snowshoe hare; Copper, the coyote; and Coal, the American black bear.

In 1994, the Lillehammer Organizing Committee was the first organization to base their mascots on historical human figures naming Hakon and Kristine after royal children from the 13th century. Nagano featured four Îsnowlets' based on the motif of an owl. Most recently, Sydney's mascots were: Millie, the spiny anteater; Syd, the duck-billed platypus; and Olly, the kookaburra bird.

The Olympic Hymn

2005-09-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

The Olympic Hymn is played at the Olympics when the Olympic Flag is raised. The music from the hymn was composed by Spirou Samara, and the words were added by Costic of Greece in 1896.

The Hym is below:

Ancient Immortal Spirit, chaste Father
Of all that is Beauty, Grandeur and Truth
Descending appear with Thy presence
Illuminate Thine Earth and the Heavens.

Shine upon noble endeavors wrought
at the Games on Track and in the Field.
Crown with thy eternal evergreen branch
The bodies, making them stronger and worthy.

Dale, Mount and Ocean, with Thy Light,
Is a white a purple temple, brighten!
To thine Temple, to Thy Worship, come all.
Oh! Ancient Eternal Spirit!

Olympic Games Torch & Flame

2005-09-20T01:29:00.000-07:00

One of the most enduring symbols of the Olympic Games is the Olympic flame. The flame made its first appearance at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games and since then the lighting of the flame has become a major focal point of every Opening Ceremonies.

The concept of lighting a flame for the duration of the Games comes from the ancient Greeks, who used a flame lit by the sun's rays at Olympia - the site of the original Olympic Games.

Olympic Medals

2005-09-16T04:11:00.000-07:00

The medals - gold, silver, and bronze - represent the highest levels of athletic achievement at the Games.

The design of the medal varies with each Olympic Games and they are the responsibility of the host city's organizing committee. Olympic medals must be at least 60 millimeters in diameter and at least three millimeters thick. Gold and silver medals must be made of 92.5 percent pure silver; the gold medal must be gilded with at least six grams of gold.

Olympic oath

2005-09-14T05:45:00.000-07:00

The Olympic oath is a symbolic gesture of sportsmanship that traces its origins to the 1920 Olympic Games. One athlete from the host country takes the oath at Opening Ceremonies on behalf of all the athletes.

Oath: "In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams."

The Olympic motto

2005-09-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

The Olympic motto "Citius, Altius, Fortius" is Latin for "Faster, Higher, Braver," but is universally accepted to mean "Swifter, Higher, Stronger."

Olympic creed

2005-09-11T05:35:00.000-07:00

"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."

-The words of the Olympic creed are attributed to Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games

Olympic Rings

2005-09-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

The Olympic Rings were created by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1913 and first displayed on the Olympic Flag in 1920. The Olympic symbol of five interlocked rings represents the five original continents

Africa
America (North & South)
Asia
Australia
Europe

and the meeting of the athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games. The five colors of the rings blue, black and red (top) and yellow and green (bottom) were chosen since one of these colors can be found in the flag of each competing nation.

Paralympic Games

2005-09-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

The first Paralympic Games was held in 1948. The name 'Paralympics' comes from the words 'Parallel' and 'Olympics'.

Winter Olympic sports

2005-09-07T07:03:00.000-07:00

The Winter Olympic sports are alpine skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, ice hocky, luge, biathlon (cross-country skiing and target shooting), bobsled, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined (ski jumping and cross-country skiing), skeleton, ski jumping, snowboarding, and speed skating.

The ancient Olympic Games

2005-09-05T23:27:00.000-07:00

The ancient Olympic Games were only open to free men who spoke Greek. The games were only held at Olympia rather than moving from place to place as the modern games do.

Summer Olympic sports

2005-09-05T06:41:00.000-07:00

The Summer Olympic sports are archery, badminton, baseball, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, canoe / kayak, cycling, diving, equestrian, fencing, field hockey, gymnastics, handball, judo, modern pentathlon (shooting, fencing, swimming, show jumping, and running), mountain biking, rowing, sailing, shooting, soccer, softball, swimming, synchronized swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, track and field, triathlon (swimming, biking, running), volleyball, water polo, weightlifting, and wrestling.

First Olympic Games

2005-09-02T07:42:00.000-07:00

The early The early Olympic Games were celebrated as a religious festival from 776 B.C. until 393 A.D., when the games were banned for being a pagan festival (the Olympics celebrated the Greek god Zeus). In 1894, a French educator Baron Pierre de Coubertin, proposed a revival of the ancient tradition, and thus the modern-day Olympic Summer Games were born.

The Olympic Park

2005-09-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

The Olympic Park in east London, lies at the heart of London's plans for the 2012 Games.

The 500-acre site in Stratford will provide a compact, secure and easily accessible home for the Games, seven minutes from central London.

Nine new venues will be situated within easy walking distance of each other, allowing competitors and spectators alike to experience the unique atmosphere of an Olympic Games.

The main 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium will host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, as well as the Athletics events.

Work has already started on the world-class Aquatics Centre, which will include two 50m swimming pools and a diving pool.

The Hockey Centre will comprise two stadia with different capacities, plus a warm up pitch.

The Velopark will include the Velodome and a BMX track, while the four multi-sport arenas will be the setting for Fencing, Volleyball, Basketball and Handball.

The Park will also house the Olympic Village, providing accommodation for every competitor and official, with 80 per cent within 20 minutes of their event venues.

The compact , green site will also include a state-of-the-art media centre providing facilities for broadcast and print journalists from all over the world.

A best-ever Games transport system will deliver up to 240,000 people an hour to the Olympic Park by tube, train, bus and via park and ride schemes.

And full planning permission for the Olympic Park has already been granted, a decision that London 2012 Chairman Sebastian Coe called 'a major milestone'.