London 2012 olympic games

Development and preparation
Since the 2005 bid
Main article: 2012 Summer Olympic development
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) was created to oversee the staging of the Games after the success of the bid, and held their first board meeting on 3 October 2005.[21] The committee, chaired by Lord Coe, is in charge of implementing and staging the games, while the OlympicDelivery Authority (ODA) is in charge of the construction of the venues and infrastructure.[21]In April 2006 the Olympic Delivery Authority board was established.[22]
The Government Olympic Executive (GOE), a unit within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), is the lead Government body for coordinating the London 2012 Olympics. The GOE reports through the DCMS Permanent Secretary tothe Minister for Sports and the Olympics. It focuses on oversight of the Games, cross-programme programme management and the London 2012 Olympic Legacy before and after the Games that will benefit London and the UK. The organisation is also responsible for the supervision of the £9.3 billion of public sector funding.[23]
In August 2011, security concerns arose surrounding the hosting of theOlympic Games in London[24] due to the 2011 England riots, with a few countries expressing fear over the safety of the Games,[25] in spite of the International Olympic Committee's assurance that the riots will not affect the Games.[26]
The IOC's Coordination Commission for the 2012 Games completed their tenth and final visit to London in March 2012. They concluded that "London is ready to host theworld this summer".[27]
Venues and infrastructure
Main article: Venues of the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics


Olympic Stadium in June 2011
The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will use a mixture of new venues, existing and historic facilities, and temporary facilities, some of them in well-known locations such as Hyde Park and Horse Guards Parade. Some of the new facilities will bereused in their Olympic form, while others will be resized or relocated.[28]
The majority of venues have been divided into three zones within Greater London: the Olympic Zone, the River Zone and the Central Zone. In addition to these are those venues that, by necessity, are outside the boundaries of Greater London, such as the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy on the Isle of Portlandin Dorset, which will host the sailing events, some 125 miles (200 km) southwest of London. The football tournament will be staged at several grounds around the UK.[29] Work began on the Park in December 2006, when a sports hall in Eton Manor was pulled down.[30] The athletes' village in Portland was completed in September 2011.[31]
In November 2004 the 500-acre Olympic Park plans wererevealed.[32] The plans for the site were approved in September 2004 by Tower Hamlets, Newham, Hackney and Waltham Forest.[33] The redevelopment of the area to build the Olympic Park required compulsory purchase orders of property. The London Development Agency was in dispute with London and Continental Railways about the orders in November 2005. The LCR accused the LDA of killing off development in thearea. The LDA planned to buy land alongside the Olympic Park for the Stratford City development project, bringing the 180-acre site of the former Stratford Rail Lands into a mixed-use development, including 4,500 new homes, office space, hotels and shops.[34] This resulted in 2011 with the completion of the largest urban shopping centre in Europe being operated by Westfield.[35] By May 2006, 86% ofthe land had been bought as businesses fought eviction; this led to an enquiry being set up. 206 companies had to relocate by July 2007.[36] In addition, residents who opposed the eviction tried to find way to stop it by setting up campaigns. However they had to leave as 94% of land was bought and the other 6% bought as a £9 billion regeneration project started.[37]
However, there were some...