One Month to Go London 2012 Olympic

One Month to Go Until the London 2012 Olympic Games

With only a month to go to the London 2012 Olympic Games the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has today officially opened the Main Press Centre (MPC) which will host up to 6,000 accredited press and photographic media during Games time.

(PRWEB) June 27, 2012

With only a month to go to the London 2012 Olympic Games the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has today officially opened the Main Press Centre (MPC) which will host up to 6,000 accredited press and photographic media during Games time.

• London 2012’s first venue on the Olympic Park open for business
• Plan to entertain and educate spectators revealed
• ‘Rock The Games’ programme will see release of new Muse track ‘Survival’ and four other official songs inspired by the Games
• Scissor Sisters and Rizzle Kicks are among artists to play surprise gigs at London 2012 venues

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The MPC will provide 31,000 square metres of office space across four floors of workspace for journalists, photographers, accredited non-rights holding broadcasters, as well as IOC and LOCOG staff during the Games. Across the Games it will be open for 52 days with the Catering Village serving an estimated 480,000 meals and 1.6 million cups of tea over 24 hours a day.

The MPC will become a ‘home from home’ for the world’s media with state-of-the-art media facilities to ensure media can report on the Games. A 200 metre-long High Street will feature a range of shops and services including a post office and dry cleaners, pharmacy and general store.

LOCOG Chair Sebastian Coe said: ‘Like the athletes competing at London 2012, the world’s writers and photographers who will be based in the MPC are at the top of their profession. We will offer them state of the art facilities so they can tell the extraordinary stories that will come out of the Games. This is our first venue on the Olympic Park to open for business and we are ready to welcome the world’s media as they come and set up their office.’

With the sporting action a mere month away, LOCOG has also announced today that spectators attending the Games will be treated to a programme of comprehensive and innovative sport presentation for the Games, including in-ear commentary, music, presenters for different sports - and a few other surprises.

The sports presentation experience for spectators is set to entertain and educate, reflecting the London 2012 vision of connecting more young people with sport. Each venue will have a tailored sports presentation programme offering different experiences best suited to sports - ensuring the spectator experience is as good as possible.

A music library of 2012 songs with five music themes – energy, primetime, extreme, heritage and world stage – has been compiled. Each theme will be tailored for specific sports, for example heritage for Tennis at Wimbledon or extreme for BMX.

A unique music programme for the Olympic Games, ‘Rock the Games’ is being created which features live performances and exclusive new recorded tracks from various artists.

Five official songs have been composed for ‘Rock The Games’, led by chart-topping band Muse whose track 'Survival' has been written for the Games and will be played at various sport sessions. The track is available for download from Thursday 28th June. The other four official songs are by Elton John vs Pnau (released July 16th) Delphic (released July 23rd), Chemical Brothers (released July 30th) and Dizzee Rascal (released August 6th).

In addition, Scissor Sisters and Rizzle Kicks are just two of the artists that are set to play surprise gigs at some of the Olympic venues.

Other London 2012 venues will see exciting performances from leading dancers including the English National Ballet and street crews choreographed by Peridot. Acrobatics, cheerleading from Newham’s Ascension Eagles, sport demonstrations and sport skills’ shows including jump rope from Get Tricky. Music will also be provided by military bands from the Royal Marines, Army and Royal Air Force and DJs providing a lively entertainment programme for spectators.

Films, including ‘Sport A-Z’ for Olympic and Paralympic sports, will be shown before each session allowing spectators to get an overview of the sport in a dynamic and engaging way. The films will use actions shots of former and current athletes as well as graphical animations and motion capture avatars demonstrating the sports.

All venues will have presenters who will act as anchors in venues, appearing on the big screens. They will host each session and guide the spectators through all the key sporting elements, interacting with the crowd, interviewing attending athletes and celebrities and keeping everyone informed of key timings. There will be a mixture of established presenters including Ben Shephard and Gethin Jones as well as up and coming talent such as Aissetou N’gom. Other young presenters were also recruited through universities, sports clubs, drama and performing arts groups throughout the UK - over 750 budding presenters applied to work at the Games and 13 were selected to be part of the London 2012 presenting team.

As well as announcers and commentators, a number of venues will have in-ear commentary radios available for purchase by spectators, giving access to live expert analysis of the competition. The radio will be available for sports where a number of elements are happening simultaneously on the field of play or where there are judged elements which may not be easily understandable for those new to the sport. All commentators will complete a workshop with the RNIB to make sure that the commentary will also be useful for sight impaired visitors.

Debbie Jevans, Director of Sport said: ‘Inspiring people to engage with sport has always been central to our vision. There are 26 Olympic sports and many people will be seeing these for the first time so we will explain some of the intricacies in an innovative and informative way. We also want to ensure the way we present sport adds to the experience of the spectators in the venues and builds the atmosphere. This will be a special summer and we are grateful to everyone who has given their time and expertise over the past years.’

An entertainment programme will also run throughout the day from locations around the Olympic Park. Roaming performers will entertain the crowds while they explore the Park. A bandstand will also offer up-and-coming performers the opportunity to perform in front of thousands of people in the Park during the Games.

In addition to the entertainment around the Park there will be chances to take a photo with a mascot, visit sponsor showcases, pin trading and a chance to watch the action on the Park Live Site.

LOCOG today has also issued ‘5 top tips’ for ticket holders coming to the Games. These are:

1. Be prepared for security checks when you arrive: this will be like taking an international flight at an airport. It will be busy and you will have to queue, so get there early – check http://www.london2012.com for your recommended arrival time.

2. Bring as little as possible with you: the more you bring, the longer it will take to go through security. One small soft-sided rucksack or handbag is allowed per person – this must fit under your seat. If you have a ticket for Football, we strongly suggest you do not bring a bag – if you do, your entry will be delayed and you may miss your event.

3. Read the lists of prohibited and restricted items before you leave: You cannot bring in liquids over 100ml*, including water – but you can bring an empty plastic water bottle and fill it up at water points inside venues. There is a wide range of food available to buy, but if you need to bring your own food, it must fit inside your bag.

4. Leave plenty of time to travel to your venue: London and the UK will be extremely busy and very different to what you’re used to. Use the spectator journey planner to find the best route and, where necessary, book your travel to make sure you get to your event on time. Ticket holders for events in and around London can use their Games Travelcard for travel in London zones 1-9.    

5. Please remember the only way to pay is by Visa (debit, credit or prepaid card) or cash.

Notes to editors:

Footage from the briefing will be available later in the day via http://footagelibrary.london2012.com/

For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office.

The Official London 2012 Join In app is a free mobile guide to help you plan, enjoy and share your Games experience. From the Olympic Torch Relay to the Olympics and Paralympics, the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, plus all the cultural, city and community celebrations happening across the UK, the Official London 2012 Join In App is your essential companion. It is available now at app stores and athttp://www.london2012.com/mobileapps/

Muse
Muse have five studio albums, a plethora of awards (including five MTV Europe Music awards, five Q awards, eight NME Awards, two Brit Awards, four Kerrang! Awards, a Grammy and a Mercury Prize nomination) and an extensive list of top 10 singles which has resulted in Muse being one of the biggest bands in the UK/Europe.

Matt Bellamy, Dominic Howard and Chris Wolstenholme celebrated the release of their 5th album ‘The Resistance’ with two open air homecoming shows in Teignmouth, Devon, back in 2009. No.1 in the UK, the album also topped that charts in 19 countries worldwide. A European tour followed with a lavish new production which saw them play in front of 300,000 fans in just two months. A short trip home during the tour saw them bestowed as the 2011 recipients of the Silver Clef Award from music therapy charity Nordoff Robbins before heading out for a string of sold out stadium shows in UK, France, Italy, Holland, Spain and Switzerland.

Muse will release their 6th studio album ‘The 2ND Law’ this September. A European arena tour will follow the release from October onwards.

London 2012 Games partners
The Worldwide Olympic Partners who support the London 2012 Olympic Games and the National Olympic Committees around the world are Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos, Dow, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter and Gamble, Samsung and Visa.

LOCOG has seven domestic Tier One Partners - adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF and Lloyds TSB. There are seven domestic Tier Two Supporters – Adecco, ArcelorMittal, Cadbury, Cisco, Deloitte, Thomas Cook and UPS. There are now twenty-eight domestic Tier Three Suppliers and Providers – Aggreko, Airwave, Atkins, Boston Consulting Group, CBS Outdoor, Crystal CG, Eurostar, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, G4S, GSK, Gymnova, Heathrow Airport, Heineken UK, Holiday Inn, John Lewis, McCann Worldgroup, Mondo, NATURE VALLEY, Next, Nielsen, Populous, Rapiscan Systems, Rio Tinto, Technogym, Thames Water, Ticketmaster, Trebor and Westfield.

There is one domestic Tier One Paralympic Games-only Partner, Sainsbury’s and two domestic Tier Three Paralympic Games-only Suppliers, Otto Bock and Panasonic. The London 2012 Paralympic Games also acknowledges the support of the National Lottery.