“Inspire a Generation.” That’s the motto of this year’s Olympic Games being held in London for from July 27 to August 12, 2012. The anticipation is over as the London 2012 Olympics will officially begin tonight with the opening ceremony. The last time London hosted the Olympics was in 1948, and they have more than surpassed the estimated twenty million pounds they spent on the event back then. The U.K., like most of the world, is in an economic recession, yet they are still spending the equivalent of $14.6 billion on the seventeen-day event, which has officially been named The Games of the XXX Olympiad. London submitted the winning bid to host the 2012 Olympics, beating out strong competitors such as New York, Madrid, Paris, and Moscow. This is the third time London has hosted the event since the modern Olympics began in 1896.
There will be 204 countries taking part in the 302 events in 26 sports, and a total of approximately 10,500 athletes will be representing their countries. The spectator attendance is expected to be over 500,000, and over 9,000,000 seating tickets have been sold. Standard seats at regular events cost around thirty dollars. The best seats at events, such as the Opening Ceremony, cost much more at a price of around $3,000.
The Opening Ceremony will begin at 1:00pm London time and is titled “The Isles of Wonder.” This ceremony consists of thousands of athletes marching into the Olympic Stadium behind their respective national flag. Following the march, a show will take place with the arrival of the Olympic torch and the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron.
For the next 16 days the most elite athletes in the world will be competing for their chance at one of the 4,000 medals that are available at the Olympic Games. Once all of the events have taken place and the medals have been awarded, the Closing Ceremony will take place on August 12, 2012. Then the flame in the Olympic Cauldron will be extinguished, marking the end of the games.
From now through August 12th, check in at 4:00pm Pacific every day for an Olympic Recap article – don’t miss out on the important events!
