Where and when will it take place?

The 2012 Olympic Games will take place from 27 July to 12 August followed by the Paralympics Games from 29 August to 9 September.

It will be held in London, located in the Lower Lea Valley in London’s East End.

The Olympic Park in east London lies at the heart of London's plans for the 2012 Games.

The 500-acre site in Stratford will provide a compact, secure and easily accessible home for the Games, and is located only seven minutes from central London.

The main site will host an 80,000 seat Olympic stadium, an aquatics centre, velopark, hockey centre, a London Olympic Institute, an Olympic Village with over 17,000 beds and a Creative Industries Hub. 

Venues across the country include St James’s Park in Newcastle and the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy in Dorset.

Through imaginative design and meticulous attention to detail, it is expected that London and Great Britain will deliver the ‘Best Ever Games’ for athletes, spectators and sports enthusiasts.

Find further information about the venues and anticipated programmes here.

Key facts

• More than 200 nations will compete in the 2012 Olympic Games and around 150 in the Paralympic Games
• 10,250 athletes are expected compete
• 70,000 volunteers will be needed to help run the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games
• 20,000 press and media will arrive to cover the event
• Over nine million tickets will be sold

Who is organising it?

London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG)is responsible for the preparation and staging of the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and will directly liaise with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on the Games.

LOCOG has specific responsibility for a wide range of activities including raising sponsorship and marketing, ticket sales, the opening and closing and ceremonies, volunteering and the Torch Relay.

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is the delivery body responsible for ensuring delivery of Olympic venues, infrastructure and transport for London 2012. 

Information about the ODA can be found here.

LOCOG and the ODA report to the Olympic Board, which is made up of one representative of each of  the Games key stakeholders: LOCOG, the British Olympic Association (BOA), the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Further information about the Olympics Board can be found here.

How is it funded?

Find out more about how the Games are funded here.

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The 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and the North East.

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