On 6th July 2005, London was selected to host the 2012 Olympic Games, successfully overcoming promising opposition from Paris, Madrid, NYC and Moscow in the process.

Seven years on and Stratford in East London, proud home of the 2012 Olympics,has seen major transformation. The Olympic Village is nearing completion and the towering ‘ArcelorMittal Orbit’ has already dramatically reconfigured the skyline of the East End. The Olympics will make use of a combination of old and new venues throughout, with more and more stunning contemporary additions being finalised as the opening ceremony beckons. An array of influential British designers, architects and artists have all been involved in making the Games something of which the British public can be proud as the global spotlight shines intensely upon us.

Below is an overview of just some of the projects and people involved:

Wolf Olins designed the logo which depicts the year 2012, with the Olympic rings featured within the zero. This will be the first time the same logo is used for both Olympic and Paralympic games.

In July, all eyes will be on our athletes and with London being the fashion capital of the UK, they will need to look the part! Adidas have designed the Team GB kit since 1984, for the 2012 Olympics British fashion designer Stella McCartney has been appointed creative director. This will be the first time in which a fashion designer has designed an Olympic sport wear range. McCartney will design the entire Team GB kit, Paralympics GB kit, presentation suits and village wear!

East London has undergone a dramatic overhaul since construction of the Olympic Village began, with influential architects putting their mark on a wide array of venues, several of which have been
highlighted below:

 Olympic Stadium – HOK Sport – Peter Cook

Velodrome – Hopkins Architects

Aquatics Centre – Zaha Hadid Architects

One striking addition to the park is the ArcelorMittal Orbit – desgined by Anish Kapoor – Indian-born British sculptor and once winner of the Turner Prize. It provides the highest observation tower within the Olympic Park and is also the UK’s largest piece of art – a staggering 22m taller than the Statue of Liberty!

A fantastic build up to the event will be the journey of the Olympic torch. Its 70 day journey will begin at Lands End on 19 of May and travel clockwise around the country, it will pass through every county! The torch will eventually arrive in Stratford at the Olympic stadium on the 27th July, in time for the opening ceremony!

The Olympic Torch is designed by east Londoners Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby. The torch is made from gold aluminium and features 8000 holes which is a representation of the torchbearers and the amount of miles it will travel. The final torch bearer will carry it towards the cauldron and then ignite the flame in the stadium, once lit the flame will continue to burn throughout the Olympics.

Once the event is underway we will all be hopeful that ‘Team GB’ will get their hands on a collection of medals! The medals (as below) were designed by artist – David Watkins. Featuring ‘NIKE’ (Greek goddess of victory) and the River Thames on the back.

The 2012 Olympics will be one of the most exciting events to take place in London, for those of you lucky enough to have got tickets,enjoy!

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