The London 2012 Olympics
The Queen "parachuted" in with James Bond, Mr Bean joined the London Symphony Orchestra, and Britain had its best Olympics in over a century.
Published
Quick Facts
- Dates
- 27 July to 12 August 2012 (Paralympics 29 August to 9 September)
- Host city
- London, the first city to stage the Summer Games three times (1908, 1948, 2012)
- Bid won
- 6 July 2005 in Singapore, beating Paris in the final round
- Centrepiece
- Olympic Park and Stadium in Stratford, east London
- Team GB haul
- 66 medals, including 29 golds, third in the medal table (the original total of 65 rose to 66 when Goldie Sayers was later awarded javelin bronze)
- Mascots
- Wenlock and Mandeville, named after Much Wenlock and Stoke Mandeville
- Volunteers
- About 70,000 Gamesmakers
- Opening ceremony
- Danny Boyle's "Isles of Wonder"
Won on a Wednesday, shaken on a Thursday
On 6 July 2005, in Singapore, the International Olympic Committee announced that London had beaten Paris, the long-time favourite, to host the 2012 Games. Crowds in Trafalgar Square cheered. The next morning, London was hit by the 7/7 bombings. The contrast between the two days became part of the story of the bid, and of the city's determination to deliver the Games well. Sebastian Coe, double Olympic 1500m champion, had led the bid and went on to chair the organising committee. Their promise was a Games that would leave a lasting legacy in the run-down lands of east London.
The Queen, Bond and a cauldron made of petals
Danny Boyle's opening ceremony on 27 July turned the Olympic Stadium into a green and pleasant land, complete with sheep, farmers and a Glastonbury Tor-style hill. Then came the Industrial Revolution, as chimneys rose from the ground and molten metal forged the Olympic rings. The film that played next became the night's most famous moment. Daniel Craig's James Bond collected the Queen from Buckingham Palace, and the pair appeared to parachute into the stadium (stunt doubles did the jumping). Rowan Atkinson's Mr Bean also played a one-note part in the Chariots of Fire theme with the London Symphony Orchestra. There was a tribute to the NHS, and Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, appeared with the message "This is for everyone". The cauldron, designed by Thomas Heatherwick, was made of 204 copper petals, one for each competing team. Seven young people, nominated by British Olympic champions, lit them: six young athletes and Jordan Duckitt, a London 2012 young ambassador. The petals rose together into a single flame.
Super Saturday: 44 minutes that stopped a nation
On 4 August, the Olympic Stadium produced a night British athletics fans still talk about. Jessica Ennis won heptathlon gold, Greg Rutherford took long jump gold, and Mo Farah won the 10,000m, all within about 44 minutes. The crowd of 80,000 barely had time to breathe. Farah added the 5,000m a week later, completing a distance double. Elsewhere, Bradley Wiggins, newly crowned Tour de France winner, took the time trial gold, and Chris Hoy won his sixth Olympic gold in the velodrome, which gave Britain its most successful Olympian at that time. Katherine Grainger finally won gold in the double sculls at Eton Dorney after three previous silvers. Nicola Adams became the first woman ever to win an Olympic boxing title, as women's boxing made its Games debut. Andy Murray beat Roger Federer on Centre Court at Wimbledon to win the tennis singles.
Bolt, Phelps and Rudisha steal the show
The world's best did not just visit, they delivered. Usain Bolt defended his 100m and 200m titles, then anchored Jamaica to a 4x100m relay world record of 36.84 seconds. Michael Phelps won four golds and two silvers in the Aquatics Centre, designed by Zaha Hadid, and left London having announced his retirement as the most decorated Olympian ever, with 22 medals. He returned to competition in 2014 and retired again after Rio 2016 with 28 Olympic medals. David Rudisha of Kenya ran the 800m in a world record of 1:40.91, leading from the front all the way. Team GB finished third in the medal table, behind the United States and China, with 29 golds. It was Britain's best Olympic performance since 1908, which was also a London Games.
A mascot from Shropshire and a Games for everyone
London's mascots, Wenlock and Mandeville, had quiet roots. Wenlock was named after Much Wenlock in Shropshire, where Dr William Penny Brookes staged his own Wenlock Olympian Games from 1850, an inspiration for the modern Olympics. Mandeville was named after Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire, where Ludwig Guttmann organised the first competition for wheelchair athletes in 1948, the same year London last hosted. The Paralympics that followed were a landmark in their own right. David Weir won four golds on the track and roads, Ellie Simmonds delighted the swimming crowd, and Jonnie Peacock took the 100m T44. Channel 4's coverage, with its "Meet the Superhumans" campaign, changed how many people watched disability sport. The torch relay had begun at Land's End on 19 May and lasted 70 days. About 8,000 torchbearers carried it round the UK.
Beyond the Park: Horse Guards, Lord's and Weymouth
One of the most striking things about 2012 was where events were held. Beach volleyball was played on sand laid at Horse Guards Parade, in the shadow of Downing Street. Archery took place at Lord's cricket ground, and the road cycling set off down The Mall. Sailing was held at Weymouth and Portland, rowing at Eton Dorney, and the mountain biking at Hadleigh Farm in Essex. Football was played at venues from Wembley to Hampden Park, Old Trafford and Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. The Olympic Park itself was built on former industrial land in Stratford. It includes the ArcelorMittal Orbit, a 114.5-metre tower by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond. Boris Johnson, then London's mayor, famously got stuck on a zip wire in Victoria Park while waving two Union flags. The Olympic Stadium later became London Stadium, and the Park became Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Notable people
- Sebastian Coe
- Danny Boyle
- Jessica Ennis-Hill
- Greg Rutherford
- Mo Farah
- Chris Hoy
- Bradley Wiggins
- Katherine Grainger
- Nicola Adams
- Andy Murray
- Usain Bolt
- Michael Phelps
- David Rudisha
- David Weir
- Ellie Simmonds
- Jonnie Peacock
- Thomas Heatherwick
- Ludwig Guttmann
- William Penny Brookes
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