Football Olympic London 2012

tuart Pearce’s Team GB men have been drawn against Senegal, Uruguay and United Arab Emirates, while Hope Powell’s women were placed in a group with New Zealand, Cameroon and Brazil.Other highlights in the men’s tournament saw Spain drawn against Japan, Morocco and Honduras while Brazil will take on Egypt, Belarus and New Zealand.In the women’s tournament, the USA – gold medallists in 2008 – will faceColombia, France and North Korea, while Japan were matched with Canada, Sweden and South Africa.The tournament will kick off two days before the London 2012 Opening Ceremony when Great Britain's women's team play New Zealand at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

'Amazing spectacle'

London 2012 Organising Committee Chair Seb Coe said: 'Now that the draws for the Olympic Football Tournament have taken place, fans can begin to get excited about the amazing spectacle, the incredible teams and world class players – in both the men’s and women’s tournaments – that will be coming to Great Britain this summer.

'With matches taking place across England as well as in Scotland and Wales, and with tickets still available, football also provides people with a unique opportunity to still enjoy the Olympic experience this summer.'

Tickets for the Football tournament will go on sale in early May.

The draw

Men's draw: 

Group A: Great Britain (A1), Senegal (A2), United Arab Emirates (A3), Uruguay (A4)

Group B: Mexico (B1), South Korea (B2), Gabon (B3), Switzerland (B4)

Group C: Brazil (C1), Egypt (C2), Belarus (C3), New Zealand (C4)

Group D: Spain (D1), Japan (D2), Honduras (D3), Morocco (D4)

Women's draw: 

Group E: Great Britain (E1), New Zealand (E2), Cameroon (E3), Brazil (E4)

Group F: Japan (F1), Canada (F2), Sweden (F3), South Africa (F4)

Group G: USA (G1), France (G2), Colombia (G3), Korea DPR (G4)

London 2012 Olympics Fencing

Debbie Jevans said: ‘This multi-sport venue is one of the most important and exciting Olympic venues and will be a hub of sporting activity at Games time, accommodating seven sports during the Olympic Games and six during the Paralympics, second only to the Olympic Park.The task of hosting so many sports in one venue was put to the test, delivering seven international sporting events over three consecutive weeks, and I’m pleased with the outcomes. We learnt some lessons that will further inform our operational planning for the Games.’The Fencing event saw Great Britain come away with gold in the Team Foil. Richard Kruse, Laurence Halsted, James Kenber and Ed Jefferies beat China 44-43, France 45-25 and then the Russians 45-34.

Each contest pits two fencers against each other in an often mesmerising duel, a dancing combat befitting a theatrical production.

In view of a referee but also using electronic equipment to measure scoring, the combatants wear protective clothing, including a wire mesh face mask that has to pass a 12kg punch test.

There are 10 events (three individual men’s, two team men’s, three individual women’s and two team women’s) and three types of weapon: the epee, the sabre and the foil.

Points are scored by touching or ‘hitting’ opponents with the tip or blade of your sword, which is wired to a buzzer that sounds to indicate contact, on a valid target area; in the foil, this is the trunk of the body, in the sabre everything above the waist, excluding hands, and in epee the entire body is legal. Coloured lights on the electrical scoring apparatus register valid hits, while white lights register hits landing outside the valid target area.

Matches consist of three three-minute bouts. The first fencer to post 15 touches, or the one with most hits after three rounds, is declared the winner.

Events / disciplines

Men’s individual foil, women’s individual foil

Men’s individual sabre, women’s individual sabre

Men’s individual epee, women’s individual epee

Men’s team foil, women’s team foil

Men’s team sabre, women’s team epee

Equestrian Olympic London 2012

he Olympic Opening Ceremony takes place on 27 July and will be followed by 12 days of equestrian competition, with the world’s best athletes competing for six gold medals in the Olympic disciplines of eventing, dressage and show jumping. The equestrian events all take place at the Greenwich Park venue. Eventing opens the Olympic equestrian events on 28 July with two days of dressage, followed by cross-country on 30 July and two rounds of show jumping on 31 July to decide the team and individual medals. Dressage as an individual sport starts on 2 August with two days of Grand Prix competition, which forms the first qualifier for both the team and individual. The top seven teams and 11 best-placed individuals go forward to the Grand Prix special on 7 August, which will decide the team medals. The freestyle to music to decide the individual medals takes place on 9 August. The first qualifier show jumping as an individual sport will be on 4 August. The two-round team decider is on 5 and 6 August. Team medals will be presented on 6 August. The two rounds of show jumping to decide the

LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES EQUESTRIAN EVENTS TIMETABLE

27 Jul Opening Ceremony 

28 Jul Eventing – Individual and team Dressage 

29 Jul Eventing – Individual and team Dressage 

30 Jul Eventing – Individual and team Cross Country

31 Jul Eventing – Jumping 1st round individual qualifier and team final 2nd round individual final

02 Aug Dressage – Individual and team Grand Prix 1st qualifier 

03 Aug Dressage – Individual and team Grand Prix 1st qualifier

04 Aug Jumping – 1st qualifier 

05 Aug Jumping – individual 2nd qualifier and team 1st round

06 Aug Jumping – individual 3rd qualifier and 2nd round team final

07 Aug Dressage – Grand Prix special 2nd individual qualifier and team final

08 Aug Jumping - individual round A and individual round B final

09 Aug Dressage - freestyle individual final

12 Aug closing ceremony

Jumping

Jumping (known as ‘Show Jumping’ in the United Kingdom) takes place in an arena, around a course of approximately 15 fences. Jumping courses are now highly technical, requiring boldness, scope, power, accuracy and control from both horse and rider. The fences are designed so that if the horse hits them as they jump them, part or all of the fence will knock down and the rider will be penalised with ‘faults’. Faults are also awarded if the rider does not complete the course within a set time. The winner is the rider with the fewest faults; if there is a tie, the result is decided by jumping a shortened course as fast as possible without knocking fences down (“against the clock”). The Team medal is decided over three rounds by four riders and the Individual medals over five rounds.EventingThe Eventing competition (formerly called the Three Day Event) takes place over four days. Days One and Two are Dressage, Day Three is Cross Country and Day four is Jumping.The Dressage and Jumping phases are similar to the pure Dressage and Jumping competitions. In the Cross Country event, riders have to complete a course over natural terrain of between 6270m and 7410m. The course contains solid obstacles that test the nerve, boldness, scope and partnership of horse and rider; faults are awarded for run-outs, exceeding the specified time limit and falls of either horse or rider. The rider with the fewest penalties at the end of the competition is the winner, with the Team Medals decided by the best three scores from each nation.

Cycling Olympic London 2012

BMX (Bicycle Motocross) began to take off in the late 1960s in California, around the time that motocross became popular in the US. The motorised sport was the inspiration for the pedal-powered version – a breathtaking spectacle that’s since become popular all over the world.Taking place at the BMX Track in the Olympic Park, the London 2012 competition will see 48 competitors (32 men and 16 women) compete over three days from Wednesday 8 to Friday 10 August.The brand new 400-metre BMX Track is located next to the Velodrome in the north of the Olympic Park. The entire venue covers a total area of 160m by 90m, slightly larger than the size of a football pitch. All athlete entries will be confirmed following the sport entries deadline on 9 July 2012                     

We want to make sure you arrive at your venue safely. The spectator journey planner offers a variety of cycling options (fast, quiet, recreational) so you can choose a cycle route that suits you. You should also bear in mind these tips:

If you haven’t been on your bicycle for some time, make sure you carry out a basic cycle check before you set off. Your local cycle shop will be able to offer advice.

Wear bright clothing in the day and reflective clothing or accessories in low light. It is a legal requirement to have lights on your bike when travelling at night.

Ride in a straight line past parked cars rather than dodge between them and allow a full doors width between you.

Be aware that there are blind spots all around large vehicles, it is often safer to hang back

Ride away from the gutter. If the road is too narrow for vehicles to pass, it may be safer to ride towarsd the middle of the lane to prevent dangerous overtaking by other vehicles. 

Don’t ride through red traffic lights, you may be fined £30

Take advantage of cycle training classes, which may be useful to get you back in the saddle if you’ve not cycled for some time. Most local authorities in the UK offer these.

The safety of spectators cycling to London 2012 venues is extremely important to London 2012. If you're considering cycling as a travel option, make sure you read the cycle safety tips provided on the TfL website

2012 Kayak and Canoe Olympic

The London Canoe Sprint Invitational International was the first international canoe sprint regatta to take place in Britain for more than 30 years.Eton Dorney had also staged the Rowing test event – the FISA World Rowing Junior Championships – just weeks before the London Canoe Sprint Invitational International Regatta. London 2012 used the Canoe Sprint event specifically to test the timing, technology and workforce for the venue.Luckes said: 'Although Eton Dorney is a proven world-class venue, it was still crucial for us to test our operations ahead of the Games. The event has gone remarkably well and we have seen some fantastic sport, witnessing world class athletes competing in an Olympic venue. We are pleased with how the event has run and are delighted with the athlete feedback.'

Nine canoes, all in a row, racing along a straight, still stretch of water. First to the line wins.

As in slalom canoe, the competition is divided into two classes: the kayak, in which competitors are seated in the boat and can use both ends of the paddle, and the canoe, in which competitors kneel and use a single-bladed paddle to propel themselves.

Athletes race over distances of 200m, 500m or 1,000m, either solo, in pairs or in teams of four. Each event is defined by a code, such as K2 (K for kayak, two for the number of people in each canoe).

As an outdoor sport weather can affect the outcome of a race. Choppy, as opposed to still or calm, water and windy conditions can make a race more physically gruelling and harder to negotiate.

The British canoeists have so far played down any home advantage they may have and expect athletes from other countries to arrive with sufficient time to acclimatise to the conditions.

The canoe sprint, also known as ‘flatwater’, will take place at the same venue as rowing and the two sports are similar. Competitors race in small boats with the winner the first to cross the finish line, the difference being technique used to propel the boat.It has long been argued that women should be allowed to compete in C1 and C2 events but as of yet the International Canoe Federation are yet to change their rules.

Events / disciplines:

C1 Men’s canoe single 1,000 metres

C2 Men’s canoe double 1,000 metres

K1 Men’s kayak single 1,000 metres

K2 Men’s kayak double 1,000 metres

K4 Men’s kayak four 1,000 metres

C1 Men’s canoe single 200 metres

K1 Men’s kayak single 200 metres

K2 Men’s kayak double 200 metres

K4 Women’s kayak four 500 metres

K1 Women’s kayak single 500 metres

K2 Women’s kayak double 500 metres

K1 Women’s kayak single 200 metres

Boxing Olympics 2012

Male Olympic boxers will compete in 10 weight classes, from light flyweight to super-heavyweight, while female boxers will contest three weight divisions (flyweight, lightweight, middleweight).
The male bouts are contested over three three-minute rounds - compared to professional fights which last 12 rounds. Female bouts take place over four two-minute rounds.
The fighter who knocks out their opponent or scores the most points wins. Boxers score one point for every punch they land with the marked part of their glove on their opponent’s head or upper body. If three of the panel of five judges hit electronic buttons within a second of each other the boxer is awarded a point.
Any boxer who moves more than 12 points ahead of an opponent automatically wins. This system differs from professional boxing where points are awarded based on each boxer’s overall performance in a round, not for each individual successful punch.

The boxer judged to have won the round (normally the fighter who lands the most quality shots) is given 10 points, while the loser is given nine points. If the fight goes to points, the winner is the one with the highest accumulated score (i.e. the fighter who won the most rounds) as decided by the judges.
Each boxer is given a corner, labelled red or blue. This is also the colour of the clothing they wear to fight. All fighters must also wear protective headgear, a key difference from the professional bouts.

Olympics 2012 basketball

The women’s tournament will tip-off at the Basketball Arena on Saturday 28 July, with Great Britain v Australia among the games on the first day. The men’s tournament begins the following day, when defending Olympic champions USA take on France.
Competition format
Teams have been drawn into two groups for the preliminary rounds and will play each other in their respective groups, before the top four teams from each group move on to the quarter-final stage.London 2012 Organising Commitee Director of Sport Debbie Jevans said: 'The Olympic Basketball tournament is sure to be one of the big hits of the summer with some of the biggest basketball stars in the world coming to London to compete for gold.With the competition schedule now confirmed, teams and fans alike can start to get ready for the exciting encounters, world-class players and top teams we’ll see in action this summer.'
Final places up for grabs
Nine teams have already qualified for the men’s competition, with the remaining three places to be decided at an qualifying tournament in Venezuela in July. The final five places for the women's competition will be decided at a qualification tournament in Turkey, which gets underway on 25 June.

 

Olympic men’s tournament: 

Group A

Argentina

France 

Tunisia

USA

*Two remaining qualifiers

Group B

Australia

Brazil

China

Great Britain

Spain

*One remaining qualifier

Olympic women’s tournament: 

Group A

Angola

China

USA

*Three remaining qualifiers

Group B

Australia

Brazil

Great Britain

Russia

*Two remaining qualifiers

badminton olympics 2012

One of the most dynamic Olympic sports, Badminton made its full Olympic debut at Barcelona 1992. 

Asian countries now dominate: China, Indonesia and South Korea have won 23 of the 24 gold medals awarded since the sport’s first appearance at the Games.The Badminton competition takes place from Saturday 28 July to Sunday 5 August.View the full Badminton competition scheduleThe competition will see 172 competitors compete for medals in five competitions - men’s Singles, women’s Singles, men’s Doubles, women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles.Each country is limited to three athletes in each Singles event and two pairs (four athletes) in each Doubles event, dependent on their position in the world ranking list of 3 May 2012 that determines qualification.All entries for Badminton will be confirmed following the sport entries deadline on 9 July 2012.

About London Olympic 2012 Badminton

The Olympic Badminton event takes place from Saturday 28th July – Sunday 5th August 2012. The event includes men’s, women’s, doubles and mixed doubles tournaments with a total of five gold medals to be won.

Staying in London during the London Olympics 2012 Badminton

The London Olympics 2012 Badminton event sees the best badminton players battle it out on court. If you are watching any of the matches then you will be looking to book self catering accommodation in London. The Olympic Games 2012 are going to put great demand on the cities holiday rental accommodation and it is advised that you book a place to stay in London well in advance of the occasion. Last minute self catering accommodation in London will not be available, so book early with Eventful Stays who have an impressive selection of places to stay in the capital both on long and short term lets.