THE PARALYMPIC GAMES LONDON 29th AUGUST-9th SEPTEMBER 2012

The Agitos, symbol of Paralympics was suspended from Tower Bridge on 24 August.



In many ways in 2012 the Paralympic Games are coming home. The concept of the Paralympic Games was born in Stoke Mandeville, UK, when a disability sports competition was held at the same time as the London 1948 Olympic Games in London.
Sport for athletes with a disability has existed for more than 100 years but it was not until after the Second World War that it was widely introduced.

Humble beginnings In 1944, German neurologist Dr Ludwig Guttmann opened a spinal injuries centre at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in England. Guttmann transformed the care of Second World War servicemen as he introduced sport to their rehabilitation programme. He encouraged his patients to get involved in wheelchair polo and basketball.

On the day of the Opening Ceremony of the London 1948 Olympic Games, Dr Ludwig Guttmann held the first Archery competition for wheelchair athletes, which was the beginning of the Stoke Mandeville Games.

After this the Games were held annually, and in 1952 competitors from the Netherlands took part as well, and were soon to become the International Stoke Mandeville Games.

The first Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games first took place in Rome 1960 Games and featured 400 athletes from 23 countries. Since then they have taken place every four years. In 1976 the first Paralympic Winter Games were held in Sweden, and as with the Olympic Games, have taken place every four years.

Since the Seoul 1988 Games, the Olympic and Paralympic Games have taken place in the same city. 

The Paralympic Games today As the years have gone by the Paralympic Games have grown bigger and become more high profile, and in terms of size and scale they are now the second biggest sporting event on earth, after the Olympic Games.

The London 2012 Paralympic Games will see 4,280 athletes compete – the largest numbers ever to attend a Paralympic Games. More than 503 gold medals will be awarded over the course of 11 days of competition.

To celebrate Stoke Mandeville's history in the Paralympic Games, the Paralympic Flame was created in Stoke Mandeville on 28 August. Find out more about the Paralympic Torch Relay

Read more about the Paralympic movement

OLYMPICS END WITH A POP PARTY

With a little British pomp and a lot of British pop, London brought the curtain down on a glorious Olympic Games on Sunday 12,  in a spectacular, technicolor pageant of landmarks, lightshows and lots of fun with a sensational rock 'n roll nostalgia tour.

LONDON 2012 CLOSING CEREMONY

The London 2012 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony started at 9pm on 12 August 2012 and celebrated the amazing sporting feats of the athletes who have taken part in the Games with the ultimate aftershow party. 

The Ceremony featured more than 4,100 performers, including 3,500 adult volunteers and 380 schoolchildren from the six east London Host Boroughs, and showcased the great creative talent of the UK in a fun, colourful and festive atmosphere. 

Following an introduction to daily life in London, the athletes entered the Olympic Stadium and volunteers were thanked. ‘A Symphony of British Music’ followed to celebrate the fact that music has been one of Britain’s strongest cultural exports over the last 50 years.

At the end of the Ceremony, the Olympic Games were handed over to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympic Games, and the Olympic Flame was extinguished, signalling the end of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

THE OLYMPIC GAMES: A SHORT ANIMATED HISTORY

 
                   
                   
                   


                

WORD HURDLES - GAME

How's your knowledge of Olympic sports. Test yourself or play against a friend with this game. Can you win a medal? 

MIREIA WINS TWO MEDALS AT LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC

Mireia Belmonte has won a second medal at the London 2012 Olympics and in just one week has become the best spanish swimmer of all time.

Mireia Belmonte, the young Catalan swimmer from Badalona has won silver in the 200 metres butterfly and 800 metres freestyle events at the Olympic Games in London and has equaled the record held until now by canoeist David Cal and ex cyclist Joan Llaneras to become the only Spaniard to win two medals in a single olympic games.

In just a week, the girl from Badalona can boast of being the best Spanish swimmer of all time. With the silver in the 200 meters butterfly and 800 freestyle events, Belmonte is the only one that has won two medals at an Olympic games in all Spanish swimming history.

Mireia Belmonte still has many challenges ahead of her after the games. For starters, the World Cup 2013 is to be disputed on home soil in Barcelona.

STROLL: DISCOVERY TRAILS_ LONDON 2012

Take a stroll along some of London’s most scenic streets with the free Discovery Trails. Six unique walking routes have been put together across the historic city centre that will take you on a journey of discovery to the greatest sights and sounds of London.

Keep an eye out for official Games mascots Mandeville and Wenlock, who’ll be bringing the trails to life and highlighting some great photo opportunities. Each will be individually designed, animating the routes in a unique way that captures the spirit of London. 

GABBY DOUGLAS WON THE GOLD MEDAL- LONDON 2012

Gabby Douglas, known as "The Flying Squirrel," won the women's all-around title at the 2012 Olympic Games , becoming the third straight American to win gymnastics' biggest prize and the first African-American. It's her second gold medal of the London Games, coming two nights after she and her "Fierce Five" teammates gave the United States its first Olympic title since 1996.

Douglas finished with 62.232 points.

Gabby brought the house down with her energetic floor routine, and U.S. teammates Jordyn Wieber, McKayla Maroney and Kyla Ross jumped to their feet and cheered when she finished. 
Douglas flashed a smile and coach Liang Chow lifted her off the podium. 
    

OPENING CEREMONY - LONDON 2012

The London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony took place at 9pm on 27 July 2012. Titled 'Isles of Wonder', the Ceremony welcomed the finest athletes from more than 200 nations for the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games, marking an historic third time the capital has hosted the world’s biggest and most important sporting event.

The Opening Ceremony reflected the key themes and priorities of the London 2012 Games, based on sport, inspiration, youth and urban transformation.

It was a Ceremony 'for everyone' and celebrated contributions the UK has made to the world through innovation and revolution, as well as the creativity and exuberance of British people. 

The spectacular finale of the event saw the Olympic Cauldron, formed of 205 copper petals representing the competing nations coming together in London for the Games, ignited by seven young Torchbearers nominated by Britain’s past and present Olympic and sporting greats.
Designer Thomas Heatherwick's work was a highlight of the ceremony at the Olympic Stadium, watched by 80,000 spectators.

BUSHY PARK TO OLYMPIC STADIUM

The torch will go for a spin round the maze at 16th century Hampoton Court Palace before taking to the Thames and arriving in the early afternoon at Tower Bridge. It will next appear in public at the Olympic Games ceremony.

LONDON OLYMPIC CITY

London, olympic city from Rosafersa

OLIMPIC TORCH: LONDON VENUES REVEALED

London's most famous landmarks will be visited by the Olympic flame on the day before the opening ceremony.

On 26 July, the torch will be carried from Camden to Westminster in the final stages of the Olympic flame's journey through every London borough.

Torchbearers will visit venues including Buckingham Palace, St Paul's Cathedral and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

The 175 torchbearers will carry the flame through Camden, Islington, City of London, Southwark, Lambeth, Wandsworth, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham and City of Westminster on day 69.

The penultimate day of the Olympic Torch Relay is set to include many of London's iconic landmarks which are famous around the world and give the city its special character.

LONDON 2012: A VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE OLYMPIC PARK

From the showpiece of the Olympic stadium to the cutting-edge sustainable design of the Velodrome, our 3D map of the Olympic Park takes you on a tour of the architectural stars of London 2012. Click on the blue buttons across the top to begin, and other arrows for more detailed information.

QUEEN GREETS OLYMPIC TORCH 2012 AT WINDSOR

The Olimpic torch visited the Queen at Windsor Castle, was carried by the man who broke the four-minute mile and by Britain's greatest Olympic rower and even got a passing glance at a streaker.

On a stormy Tuesday, 10th July,  the Queen held an unopened umbrella as Gina Macgregor, a sodden 74-year-old runner, carried the torch to the castle.

Macgregor joked about being caught in a downpour, telling the Queen she had "looked fine this morning" when she set off with the fire that was lit back in May in Greece to mark the London Olympics.

The day began with the torch being held aloft by 83-year-old Roger Bannister, who in 1954 became the first runner to smash the four-minute mile.

The torch is winding its way 12,900 kilometres across the country ahead of the July 27-August 12 Olympics.

LONDON 2012 OLYMPICS TRAILER

A learning game by English Attack!

THE OLYMPIC RINGS AT TOWER BRIDGE

The olympic rings are already installed at Tower Bridge to mark the final countdown to the 2012 Olympic Games.

The Rings weigh more than three tonnes and measure over 25 metres wide by 11.5 metres tall.

During the Games, each of London‘s famous bridges will be lit up in the evenings in a dazzling display of colour.

THE SHARD, THE TALLEST BUILDING IN EUROPE

The Shard (also referred to as Shard London Bridge, the London Bridge Tower or the Shard of Glass) is a skyscraper in London, England. Standing 309.6 metres (1,016 ft) high, it was topped out on 30 March 2012 and opened on 5 July 2012. The Shard is the tallest building in Europe.

The Shard's inauguration ceremony was rounded off with a laser light show that lit up the capital. 

Twelve lasers and 30 searchlights lit upo the night sky, to celebrate the external completion of The Shard.

Green lasers and streams of light stretched out from the 95 story building on London's Southbank on Thursday evening.

They reached across to landmarks including the London Eye, the Gherkin and Tower Bridge.

The show, observed by the Duke of York and the Qatari prime minister, was the finale to The Shard's inauguration celebration.

The display was set to two pieces of classical music, performed live by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC TORCH RELAY (26th MAY - 1st JUNE)

CARDIFF

SWANSEA

ABERYSTWYTH

BEAUMARIS

CHESTER

STOKE ON TRENT

BOLTON

OLIMPIC FLAME ARRIVES IN THE UK

The Flame arrived at Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Culdrose in Cornwall on board a chartered British Airways A319 aircraft, specially named The Firefly, at approximately 7.25pm.

A delegation from the UK, led by HRH The Princess Royal and including LOCOG Chair Sebastian Coe, Minister for Sport and the Olympics Hugh Robertson, Mayor of London Boris Johnson, and David Beckham accompanied the Flame after receiving it at the Olympic Flame Handover Ceremony in the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens on 17 May.

HRH THE PRINCESS ROYAL RECEIVES THE OLIMPIC FLAME

The Olympic Flame has been handed over to the London 2012 delegation, headed by President of the British Olympic Association HRH the Princess Royal, in a Ceremony at the Panathenaic Stadium in Greece.

Olympic Flame Handover Ceremony

Left to right: Spyros Capralos, Boris Johnson, The Princess Royal, David Beckham, Lord Coe and Hugh Robertson.

As the final part of the Greek leg of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, the handover of the Olympic Flame concluded its 3,000km, eight-day journey around the country.

Attended by President of the Hellenic Republic Mr Karolos Papoulias, the Ceremony featured addresses by President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee Spyros Capralos and Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) Seb Coe, before the Olympic Flame was handed over to Her Royal Highness.

Spyros Capralos said: ‘The Handover of the Olympic Flame is a key milestone for each Olympic Games as the Torch Relay rallies the world’s athletes to make their final preparations.

'After a fantastic eight-day Torch Relay around Greece we wish London and the whole of the UK well for a successful 70-day Torch Relay and Olympic Games.’