London 2012

Tower Bridge getting into the Olympic spirit. Taken from the South embankment of the Thames. July 2012.

Last month, I was lucky enough to be in London during the Olympics.  As I had been traveling back and forth to the UK quite frequently the past couple of months leading up to the Games, I witnessed little changes the city was undergoing to prepare to be the world's host for seventeen days.  Special immigration lines for Olympic credential-holders at Heathrow being set up.   Logo shops popping up all over town peddling London 2012 trinkets and apparel.  Pink directional signs installed in tube stations pointing the way to "Horseguards Parade", "Earl's Court", "Olympic Park" and a plethora of other event venues.  Road closures, detours and altered transport routes being announced to alleviate the traffic jams and chaos expected in the streets of Central London.
 

What I never saw were the massive changes taking place in East London at the Olympic Park construction site and behind the scenes as tens of thousands of volunteers and planners worked tirelessly to organize and implement what I think is truly "the greatest show on earth." (Sorry, Ringling Brothers Circus. The Olympics have got you beat.)  The amount of time and money that went into pulling off the Games is beyond my comprehension.   Reports state that £9 billion (that's about $15 billion) were spent.   The scale of the Games was gigantic, to say the least.  Here are some interesting facts I've dug up about London 2012: 

 10,500 athletes from 216 countries competed in 302 medal events in 26 sports.  A total of 8.8 million spectator tickets were sold for the 34 venues in use across Great Britain.

Construction of the Olympic Park began on an industrial landfill in 2006 in Stratford in East London.  Upon completion, the Park consisted of 600 acres and contained 10 venues laid out along over 5 miles of canals and waterways.

London 2012 boasted the largest and heaviest medals ever designed for a Summer Olympiad.  Each weighs 400 grams and measures 3.35 inches in diameter.  The gold medals consist of 1.34% gold, 92.5% silver, and 6.16% copper.  The actual value of the raw materials used to make each one is roughly £445 (or about $700.)

The Olympic flames was carried by 8,000 people on an 8,000 mile journey across the United Kingdom over 70 days.  The actual torch stood 31 inches tall and weighed 1.8 lbs.

During the Games on August 7, 2012, the London Underground clocked it's busiest day in history.  4.5 million journeys were made on its networks of trains.

The athlete's Village featured a dining hall that was open 24 hours a day.  2.7 million bananas were consumed there in less than three weeks.

BMW, the Official Automotive Partner of London 2012, provided over 3,500 low-emission diesel, hybrid and electric cars and motorcycles to be used as Games vehicles to transport VIPs, athletes, volunteers, officials.


I guess my fascination with the Olympics started when I was a child.  I remember being curious about the Olympic traditions and intrigued by the different cities which played host ever four years.  But more than anything else, I was (and still am) captivated by the athletes.   I grew up idolizing swimmer Dara Torres, figure-skater Nancy Kerrigan, the '92 Dream Team, sprinter Michael Johnson.  So many of them have remarkable stories. 

I went to the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996 with my dad.  (He is an avid sports fanatic and has also gone to the Games in Mexico City in 1968 and Los Angeles in 1984.)  We saw a wide-range of events including springboard diving, basketball, baseball, and a ton of track and field.  We were in the stadium when Michael Johnson on his golds and broke the world records in the 200m and 400m and when Carl Lewis won the final gold of his career in the long jump.  The energy in the stadium was incredible, and the memory will last a lifetime. 

This is me, 14 years old.  At a diving event in Atlanta in '96. Check out those cuffed denim shorts. Yikes.

And I was very fortunate to be able to experience the Olympics up close and personal again this past summer.  I had flown into the UK at the end of June to visit my boyfriend for a few weeks, when it became abundantly clear that I should extend my trip and stay in London for a bit of the Olympics.  There was a palpable excitement and increasing energy in the city in the days leading up to the Opening Ceremonies.  The eyes of the entire world were about to be focused on London.  How could I possibly fly out of Heathrow two days before the festivities began?!  One call to the airlines and I had extended my stay thru the first week of competition.  And I am so glad that I did.

 

Battersea Park embankment looking east down the Thames towards the Chelsea Bridge.  August 2012.

A few days before the Opening Ceremonies, I heard on the news that the Olympic Torch was due to pass thru the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, which is located just down the road from my boyfriend's flat.  I thought it would be fun to see the flame in person (an estimated 14 million people saw it during the relay), and I was curious to visit the animal shelter - a no-kill facility that cares for 9,000 animals annually.  The event was open to the public with a suggested donation to the animal shelter.  When we arrived, all of the volunteers were lined up to greet the flame with dogs who were up for adoption.  English soccer star Michael Owen carried the torch thru the shelter and posed for some photos with a Staffordshire Terrier named Rory.

Olympic torch at the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.  July 2012.

In addition to his regular gig at Maddox Club in Mayfair, my boyfriend helped launch a pop-up beach club adjacent to the Olympic Park during the Games.  Located directly across the canal from the Olympic Stadium, it was the most amazing spot to witness all of the excitement of the Opening Ceremonies.

Maddox Beach Club Launch Party.  July 27, 2012.  Photo by Paul Khera.

Maddox Beach Club Launch Party.  July 27, 2012.  Photo by Paul Khera.

Open Ceremonies fireworks from Maddox Beach Club.  July 27, 2012.

A friend of mine had an extra ticket to a morning session of Handball, and she kindly invited me to go with her and her parents.  I got up and left the flat quite early, around 6:30am, to head to meet them at the Park.  Despite all of the fear mongering by officials about the gridlock that was expected on public transportation system, I found getting to and from the Park quite easy.  The most convenient route being the Victoria Line Underground to the Overground train to either the Hackney Wick or Stratford station.  We arrived early enough that there were no lines to get past security and in thru the gates.

The Park itself was huge.  It took more than half an hour to walk from one side to the other.  One of the aims of London 2012 was sustainability.  Organizers promised that 90% of all garbage waste created in the Park would be recycled.  Many of the venues were designed to reduce energy consumption and were constructed using recycled materials.   Some 74,000 plants, 60,000 bulbs, and 4,000 trees were brought in create several large green areas tucked amongst the buildings and waterways - it was the largest landscaping project to ever take place in the UK.

I had never seen Handball played before.  In fact, I wasn't even really sure what it was.  I thought the premise was throwing a small ball against the wall and hoping it ricocheted and hit someone.  (Think a mix of wallball and dodgeball.)  I was totally wrong.  It's a fast-paced team sport that mixes elements of basketball, soccer and rugby.  Played on a large hard-surface court, it was extremely physical and fun to watch.  Handball is one of only three Olympic sports in which the United States has never won a medal.  (The other two being badminton and table tennis.)  We saw two matches: Angola vs. Croatia and Denmark vs. Korea.

Handball Match at The Copper Box.  July 30, 2012.

After the session ended, we wandered around the Park taking photos and in search of some lunch.  By that time, it was terribly crowded and we decided to forego waiting in life for 20 minutes to get a sandwich.  But we did stumble upon the Today Show set, where US Synchronized Springboard Diving pair Kelci Bryant and Abby Johnston were on-site after having just won the silver medal the night before.  We met both of them briefly (University of Minnesota and Duke alums, respectively) and even got to make a cameo appearance on the show.  Bonus!

US diving silver medalist Kelci Bryant on set of the Today Show.

The Velodrome indoor cycling venue.

Later in the week, I stumbled across two tickets for swimming on a resale website for US citizens.  I just happened to be online at the very minute they popped up, so I snatched them immediately.  Most spectators obtained tickets thru a lottery system two years ago, so this was a very welcome surprise. 

My boyfriend and I got to see several of the swimming stars of the Games, including Rebecca Adlington, Missy Franklin, Katie Ledecky, and the legend...Michael Phelps.  I thought the Aquatics Centre was the most atrocious-looking building...an architectural monstrosity.  The 22,500-seat partially-temporary venue cost over £215 millon ($350 million) to construct.  (Later this year the two side wings containing the majority of the bleachers will be taken down, leaving the permanent facility with a seating capacity of 2,500.)

At the Olympic Park gate en route to the Aquatics Centre.  August 2, 2012.

Men's 100m Butterfly.  Michael Phelps is fourth from the bottom, in last place.  He goes on to win this race.

Olympic Stadium and Orbit taken from the balcony of the Aquatics Centre.

When I returned back to Charlottesville and watched the coverage on television, it all felt a bit surreal that I was there a few days prior.  I hope that I'll have the chance to experience another Olympics at some point somewhere in the world sometime in the future.