London's initial euphoria over winning the right to host the 2012 Olympics has, inevitably, been toned down a bit as the serious planning gets under way. The estimated final cost is already up from £2.4bn to £3.3bn (+37% in two years, with five years to go) and the gloomy statistics for the Millennium Dome (now The Dome) are still fresh in the memory.
It's a sobering thought that the Scottish Parliament building was originally, in 1999, going to cost less than £40m. Five years on, 'Holyrood' finally opened after £430m had been spent, so figuring on a final cost for the London Olympics of at least £10bn might be advisable.
While we're waiting for the final bill - much of which will be paid by sponsors - we can already look forward to London being taken over by the Games (including the Paralympics). Some of the venues and sports to take place across the London region will be:
Olympic Park - the Lea Valley complex will contain the main Olympic Stadium for athletics, plus centres for cycling, water sports, hockey and indoor competitions such as fencing, handball, basketball, BMX.
ExCel - the existing exhibition centre at Royal Victoria Dock will be adapted into various arenas for watching boxing, table tennis, martial arts and weightlifting.
Greenwich - home to The Dome, which will host basketball and gymnastics (also the 2009 World Gymnastics Championships). Near the Dome will be the temporary Greenwich Arena (badminton, rhythmic gymnastics). Equestrian and modern pentathlon will be held outdoors in Greenwich Park, close to the National Maritime Museum. Near Greenwich, the Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich, will have the shooting events.
Other London venues - if all goes according to plan, there will be: football at Wembley Stadium; cycling through Regent's Park and Hampstead Heath; tennis at Wimbledon; triathlon in Hyde Park; volleyball in Earls Court; archery at Lord's; and beach volleyball in Horse Guards Parade.
Outside London, there will be boat sports to watch at Eton, Broxbourne and Portland Harbour, but the real regional spread will involve the stadiums hosting football matches in Glasgow (Hampden), Cardiff (Millennium Stadium), Manchester (Old Trafford), Newcastle (St James's Park) and Birmingham (Villa Park).
http://www.london2012.org/en
