London Olympics 2012: 10,000 audition for Olympic Games ceremony

More than 10,000 people have auditioned to take part in the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, organisers have said.

The London organising committee (Locog) said the ceremonies would feature 20,000 volunteer performers.it is urging more volunteers, particularly men, to come forward.

The ceremonies will have a TV audience of around four billion - the advertising industry estimates this is worth up to £5bn in airtime exposure.

'Enthusiasm and talent'

London 2012 organisers are looking for dancers, actors, percussionists and general all-round performers to have a role in the ceremonies.

Further auditions will take place in the new year, and the London 2012 website said: "We need more men - particularly if you have rhythm!Locog chairman Lord Sebastian Coe said: "I would like to thank the thousands of people who have come to the auditions.

"The enthusiasm, energy and talent has been amazing and the team are looking forward to restarting auditions in January.

"So, if you have huge amounts of energy and a willingness to perform in front of a stadium audience and billions of people around the world, then sign up to be part of the cast that will deliver great ceremonies to make the country proud and wow the world next summer."

Locog has hired a creative team of British talent to oversee the events, including Oscar-winning film director Danny Boyle as artistic director for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

Take That's creative director Kim Gavin has been appointed artistic director for the closing ceremonies of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Beach Volleyball test event sand to be used across London

The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) has donated 2,274 tonnes of sand from the recent London Prepares series Beach Volleyball test event to sports venues across London.

The sand, originally from a quarry in Godstone, Surrey, was used at Horse Guards Parade for the Visa FIVB Beach Volleyball International and will now be redistributed to three sites around the capital in a bid to increase interest and participation in the sport.

The sand will be donated to Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, the Score Sports Centre in Waltham Forest and Westminster Academy Sports Centre, helping create a total of seven new courts.

It is hoped the new courts will be used by an influx of new players inspired by the London 2012 test event and Volleyball England’s new Go Spike campaign, aimed at getting more people into the sport.

LOCOG Director of Sport Debbie Jevans said: 'We want to leave a legacy for sport after the Games in a variety of ways so it is great that the sand from our test event can be distributed to venues in this way, so legacy can start to happen before the Games have even begun.  

'We hope that having these courts at different locations in London will inspire more young people to get involved in an exciting sport.

London 2012 Olympic Games - celebrates one year to go

The Olympic Stadium lights up to mark the one year to go milestone

The Games next year will mark the end of a decade-long project, after London won the bid in 2005 based on a vision to stage Games that would have athletes at its heart, inspire young people and be a catalyst for lasting change. 

London is on track to deliver on these promises and lay the foundations for significant social, sporting and economic legacies.  

LOCOG Chair Seb Coe said: 'With a year to go we are inviting the athletes, spectators and visitors from around the world to come to the UK next summer – it’s ‘London Calling’. Waiting for them will be a spectacular festival of sport and culture in the world’s greatest city, which will be more magical and vibrant than ever.

'There is much to do in the next 12 months, but we can take huge comfort in the progress that has been made so far. We are absolutely on track and determined to stage Olympic and Paralympic Games which will deliver on the promises we made in Singapore, inspire the athletes and make the nation proud.'

A total of 15,000 athletes from over 200 countries will compete in the Olympic and Parlaympic Games next summer, and preparations are on track to ensure London 2012 is one of the most spectacular Games ever.

The President of the International OIympic Committee Jacques Rogge will today formally invite the athletes of the world to the Games next summer. He will also unveil the Olympic medals at an event in London’s Trafalgar Square. 

Rogge said: 'London 2012 is now ideally placed not just to deliver top level Olympic competition but also to leave a great legacy to the British people. I wish London well as it enters its final year of preparations and testing and I am confident that next summer this great city will once again do the Olympic Movement proud.’

On track for 2012

A number of significant milestones have been achieved:

More than 3.5 million tickets have been sold so far, setting the scene for full venues at Games time and a sensational atmosphere for competing athletes

A quarter of a million people have applied to volunteer and interviews are now taking place to fill up to 70,000 roles

The initial route for the Olympic Torch Relay has been announced, with details of the Torch design also unveiled

International Inspiration has delivered on its promise of reaching 12 million children worldwide with one year to go to the Games. 

LOCOG is also set to award more than £700m worth of contracts, including purchasing more than 900,000 pieces of sporting equipment.  

Development and regeneration

Construction of the Olympic Park, undertaken by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), is now 88% complete. The Park is a spectacular showcase for the very best in British design, engineering, creativity and security. Electricity pylons have been replaced by iconic sporting arena and a housing development, which will house the world’s athletes during the Games.  

Transport links have been improved, waterways cleaned and communities reconnected and renewed. More than six billion pounds' worth of contracts have been awarded to improve transport links and clean waterways, with 98% of these going to UK-based firms.

ODA Chairman John Armitt said: ‘A project of this scale and complexity has not been seen in the UK for generations. With the main Olympic Park venues ready a year before the Games as planned, we are ready to handover to Seb Coe’s Organising Committee who are on track to stage a great Games in 2012.’

The next 12 months

LOCOG will now begin a sustained period of construction of its own. The 17,000-seat Hockey Centre will be constructed on the Olympic Park, while temporary venues around London – including Horse Guards Parade and Greenwich Park – must be also be built.

The process of testing venues and Games-time operations under the London Prepares series banner will continue, while over 80 agreements have been signed between teams from around the world and facilities across the UK confirming Pre-Games Training Camps.

LOCOG is committed to making sure that the London 2012 Games will be the most accessible possible and that everyone has the opportunity to be involved with the Games. 

London will be left with world class sporting facilities and significant investment by both the Government and Mayor of London will see more young people participating in sport, more coaches and a better sporting infrastructure

Olympics Committee Issues Social Media Guidelines For London 2012, Including Domains

There are not many organisations in the world that are as vociferous in their control of their trademarks as the International Olympic Committee. With the London Olympics scheduled for 2012, the IOC has issued social media guidelines for participants and other accredited persons.

The guidelines also refer to domain names that include "the word 'Olympic' or 'Olympics' or any similar words related thereto (or any foreign language equivalents thereof) are not allowed unless approved by the IOC beforehand."

The IOC gives the example of[myname]olympic.com which would not be permitted while [myname].com/olympic would be allowed, but only during the period of the Olympic Games during which these Guidelines are applicable. The guidelines also note that "participants and other accredited persons may not create stand-alone Olympic-themed websites, application or any other feature to host coverage of the Olympic Games."

On social media such as Twitter and Facebook, the control continues. The guidelines state "the IOC encourages participants and other accredited persons to post comments on social media platforms or websites and tweet during the Olympic Games, and it is entirely acceptable for a participant or any other accredited person to do a personal posting, blog or tweet. However, any such postings, blogs or tweets should be in a first-person, diarytype format and should not be in the role of a journalist - i.e. they must not report on competition or comment on the activities of other participants or accredited persons, or disclose any information which is confidential or private in relation to any other person or organisation. A tweet is regarded in this respect as a short blog and the same guidelines are in effect, again, in first-person, diary-type format.

"Postings, blogs and tweets should at all times conform to the Olympic spirit and fundamental principles of Olympism as contained in the Olympic Charter, be dignified and in good taste, and not contain vulgar or obscene words or images."

Olympics Tourch Pictures

The first Olympic torch relay was organised by the Nazis for the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. The regime used fire to connect symbolically the Third Reich with ancient Greece, which saw light as a emblem of purity.

After the Second World War, the concept of an Olympic torch relay was reprised for the 1948 Games in London. During what was known as the 'relay of peace', the Olympic flame was carried by an Italian marksman through the streets of Bari on its way to London.

Yoshinori Sakai, nicknamed the 'Hiroshima baby', was born in the city on the day the atomic bomb was dropped. He was chosen to light the cauldron at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games.

The Olympic Flame, Torch and Relay History

The Olympic Flame, Torch and Relay draw on a history going back to the ancient Olympic Games in Greece.

The ancient Games

The Torch and Relay were important elements of the cultural festivals surrounding the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece.

During the Games, a sacred flame burned continually on the altar of the goddess, Hera. In addition, heralds were summoned to travel throughout Greece to announce the Games, declaring a sacred truce for the duration.

Spreading the light from Greece: the modern Games

A very precise ritual for the lighting of the Flame is followed at every Games. It is lit from the sun's rays at the Temple of Hera in Olympia, in a traditional ceremony among the ruins of the home of the Ancient Games.

After a short relay around Greece, the Flame is handed over to the new Host City at another ceremony in the Panathenaiko stadium in Athens.

The Flame is then delivered to the Host Country, where it is transferred from one Torchbearer to another, spreading the message of peace, unity and friendship. It ends its journey as the last Torchbearer lights the cauldron at the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in the Olympic Stadium, marking the official start of the Games.The Flame is extinguished on the final day of the Games, at the Closing Ceremony.

The Olympic Torch Relay will start at Land's End on Saturday 19 May 2012

Located in the entrancing surroundings of Cornwall, Land's End will provide a spectacular backdrop for the start of the Olympic Torch Relay.

Situated at the extreme south-westerly point of the British mainland, Land's End is approximately eight miles west-southwest of Penzance.

Land's End is a place of the first and the last, and many journeys have started from here to that other extremity on the British mainland, John O’Groats. This distance of 874 miles by road defines the length of many races, walks or charitable events.

Visitors to the area can stand on the cliff tops and experience the pounding surf of the wild Atlantic; on a clear day the Isles of Scilly might even be visible on the vast horizon.

See the Olympic Torch Relay map

Cornwall is a place with an ancient past. Standing stones still dot the landscape a few miles inland from Land’s End, and Roman seafarers came to Cornwall to trade for tin. Later, the rich mineral resources enabled Cornwall to lead the way in the industrial revolution and many of its former mining districts are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, Cornwall is transforming into a centre for innovative, knowledge-based businesses, and offers a vibrant cultural life.

Tourism forms an essential part of Cornwall’s economy. The county welcomes four million visitors annually, not just for traditional seaside holidays and the vast selection of sandy beaches but to enjoy sub-tropical gardens, adrenaline-filled sports and a marvellous array of festivals and events. On top of this, Cornwall is home to indulgent spas, sublime walks and tantalising restaurants with fresh produce.