Surrey Gears up for the Games with Giant Olympic Rings

Surrey Gears up for the Games with Giant Olympic Rings

With just over a week until the Olympic Games Cycling Road Race competition takes place in Box Hill, Surrey, a large set of Olympic Rings has been launched in the county. The Rings are set to provide a spectacular backdrop to the Road Race competition and Surrey’s London 2012 celebrations.

(PRWEB) July 19, 2012

With just over a week until the Olympic Games Cycling Road Race competition takes place in Box Hill, Surrey, a large set of Olympic Rings has been launched in the county. The Rings are set to provide a spectacular backdrop to the Road Race competition and Surrey’s London 2012 celebrations.

The Rings have been installed on the side of the National Trust’s Box Hill. Made of aluminium they are approximately 15m wide by 7m high and will be an exciting feature in the county for the duration of the Olympic Games.

The Road Race competition will begin on the 28 July and 29 July and spectators at Box Hill are set to get a fantastic view of the events. Labelled the most gruelling stretch of the course - the men’s race will loop Box Hill nine times and the women’s twice.

Seb Coe, LOCOG Chair, said: ‘The Olympic Rings are an iconic symbol, inspiring athletes and uniting people around the world. To athletes they represent the culmination of thousands of hours of training and reaching the highest level in sport. These Rings will excite and inspire local people and visitors to Box Hill.’

Helyn Clack, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Services and the 2012 Games, said: ‘This proves the Games aren’t just about London. Surrey’s giant Olympic Rings will become one of the most memorable icons of the Games with television cameras sending pictures of it around the world. It will encourage people to visit our beautiful county not just now, but for years to come.’

Andy Wright, National Trust Countryside Manager for the Surrey Hills, added: ‘We’re so proud to showcase this special place to the world. For us the Rings are a symbol of what an amazing place Box Hill is, what an amazing journey it has been on over the past few years and what a fantastic legacy the Olympics will leave here, particularly for wildlife.’

Surrey is also hosting the Olympic Road Cycling Time Trial event on 1 August.

Giant sets of Olympic Rings are being installed at iconic sites across the United Kingdom to excite and inspire people ahead of the Games and to demonstrate that we are ready to welcome the world.

Notes to editors:
Media requiring more information can contact Surrey County Council Media Officer Nicole Herlihy on 020 8541 8039 or email nicole.herlihy(at)surreycc(dot)gov.uk for more information.

For media enquires about Box Hill please contact Michelle Cleverley on 07917 070491 or email michelle.cleverley(at)nationaltrust(dot)org.uk

Time lapse footage of the Rings installation will be available from 2pm from the Surrey County Council Press Office
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/

Olympic Rings
The five rings are coloured blue, yellow, black, green and red – representing the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games. The Olympic Rings are one of the world’s most recognisable logos.

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.

Olympic Highlights of the Week

IOC Announces Olympic Highlights of the Week

On 18 and 19 June, IOC President Jacques Rogge was in Lillehammer (Norway) for the debriefing between the Organising Committee of the 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG), Innsbruck 2012, and the organisers of the second edition, Lillehammer 2016. Among other things, he took part in a seminar attended by over 200 people.

(PRWEB) June 22, 2012

IOC ACTIVITIES
PRESIDENT
On 18 and 19 June, IOC President Jacques Rogge was in Lillehammer (Norway) for the debriefing between the Organising Committee of the 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG), Innsbruck 2012, and the organisers of the second edition, Lillehammer 2016. Among other things, he took part in a seminar attended by over 200 people.

During his trip, President Rogge met the Norwegian Minister of Culture, Anniken Huitfeldt, before attending the opening of the new curling venue for the 2016 YOG and visiting the venues for the Nordic skiing events at Birkebeiner, where he met Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and some young athletes training at the venues.

Back in Lausanne, on 21 June, President Rogge met the IOC members elected in July 2011, José Perurena, Gerardo Werthein and Barbara Kendall. The next day, he received IOC member Samih Moudallal and International Hockey Federation (FIH) President Leandro Negre, accompanied by FIH Secretary General Kelly Fairweather. He later attended the Finance Commission meeting, chaired by Richard Carrión, and the IOC-Olympic Capital meeting, before taking part in the Olympic Day celebrations.

MEMBERS
Julio César Maglione has been awarded the Grand Chain of the South American Order of Merit, the South American Sports Organisation (ODESUR)’s highest distinction. He was presented with this by the ODESUR President and IOC member, Carlos Arthur Nuzman, at the ODESUR General Assembly in Santiago (Chile).

Ser Miang Ng will shortly be standing down as Singapore’s Ambassador to Hungary after 12 years of service. In recognition of his important role in developing relations between the two countries, he will be receiving one of Hungary’s most prestigious decorations.

COMMISSIONS
This week in Vidy, the following IOC commissions have held meetings: Marketing, Sport for All, Finance, Philately and Numismatics and Memorabilia, as well as the Audit Committee.

An IOC delegation has been at Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development held from 20 to 22 June in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). For this occasion, the IOC’s Sport and Environment Commission has produced a new publication entitled “Sustainability through Sport: Implementing the Olympic Movement’s Agenda 21”, which summarises the progress made over the last 20 years in the area of sustainable development, particularly in terms of environmental protection, education and socio-economic development.

The 8th IOC World Conference on Sport, Education and Culture will be held from 25 to 27 November 2012 in Amsterdam (the Netherlands). This event is being organised by the IOC’s Commission for Culture and Olympic Education, in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and in collaboration with the Dutch NOC. The delegates will review policies, exchange on best practice and identify future action in the field of sport, education and culture. Also at the Conference, the winners of the IOC’s fourth “Art and Sport Contest will receive their medals.

During the Olympic Philately, Numismatics and Memorabilia Commission meeting in Lausanne, the names of the winners of the inaugural Juan Antonio Samaranch Medal for Olympic Collecting were announced. The award was introduced by the IOC this year to honour the legacy of former IOC President Samaranch, an avid Olympic collector who introduced programmes to encourage the collection and study of Olympic stamps, coins and memorabilia during his time in office. The medals were presented to the winners by IOC member Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr, son of the late President Samaranch, on 22 June.

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS FEDERATIONS
SUMMER IFS
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has just launched a new web site devoted to 3x3 basketball:http://www.3x3planet.com. The site is intended to connect players and tournament organisers worldwide. In addition, FIBA celebrated its 80th anniversary on 18 June.

The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) has announced the death, at the age of 92, of Susi Urzynicok from Germany, an FIG honorary member since 1976. For many years, Susi Urzynicok worked to develop women’sartistic gymnastics around the world. The FIG has also announced the death of Switzerland’s Nicole Delaloye-Maye, at the age of 56. A member of the national team, she was Swiss champion in 1974 and competed in several world championships. After her competition career, she joined the FIG’s international judges’ college, and took part in the 1996 Games in Atlanta.

At the International Junior Competition in Suhl (Germany), the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) presented its “Run & Shoot” event, a new Sport for All competition format. The aim is to pursue the goals of the IOC’s Sport for All Commission by promoting regular physical activity for its health and social benefits. “Run & Shoot” is an easy-to-access shooting sport event which combines running with air rifle target shooting, and requires no special equipment.

WINTER IFS
The 54th Ordinary Congress of the International Skating Union (ISU) concluded on 15 June in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). More than 200 delegates representing 76 ISU member federations attended. Opened by ISU President and IOC member Ottavio Cinquanta, the Congress took a number of decisions listed on http://www.isu.org. The next Congress will be held in June 2014 in Dublin (Ireland).

NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEES
On 17 June, the Spanish NOC, in collaboration with the city of Madrid, celebrated Olympic Day in the Madrid Río Park. A large number of children and adults took part in the various sports competitions under the theme of “play fair”. Also attending were NOC President Alejandro Blanco and several Olympic medallists, including Joan Lino, Rafa Lozano, María Peláez, Muriel Bujalance, Montse Puche, Silvia Fernández and Carlos Alonso.

The Guatemalan NOC recently informed us of the creation of the Friends of Olympic Sport Foundation (Fundación de Amigos del Deporte Olímpico - FADO), the aim of which is to foster the development of Olympic sport in Guatemala, in close collaboration with the NOC. The Foundation will offer extra financial assistance to the athletes who have qualified for the Games, to help them prepare for the competition.

On 12 June, the Italian NOC (CONI) held an international seminar on “training during the evolutionary age”, which brought together numerous Italian participants, 24 international representatives and the President of the International Mediterranean Games Committee, Amar Addadi. In his welcome speech, CONI President Giovanni Petrucci stressed the importance of these meetings and discussions for the future of Italian sport. CONI Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi then stressed the need to work with talented young athletes and put in place future projects before the end of the Olympic cycle. The same day, a sports technical cooperation agreement was signed between CONI and the Libyan NOC for the next four years. Those present included the Libyan NOC President, Nabil Al Alem, and the Secretary General, Marwan Maghur, as well as Raffaele Pagnozzi and Amar Addadi. The aim of the agreement is to facilitate the exchange of athletes and technicians for major sports events.

The Uzbek NOC informs us that Olympic Day was celebrated on 3 June in Tashkent, with its focus on the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London. Some 1,200 people took part in the 0.3-mile, 0.5-mile and 1-mile events as part of the preliminary competitions all over the country, then in the finals held in the Alisher Navoi National Park. The youngest competitors ran a 50m course, with disabled participants covering 0.3 miles. The winners received their prizes and gifts from Uzbek officials and athletes.

The Peruvian NOC informs us that Spanish NOC President Alejandro Blanco has given a talk on “modern sports development” to representatives of the 11 NOCs of the region, sports federations, universities, local authorities and the Bolivarian Sports Organisation (ODEBO). Held at Miraflores, the event was led by the Peruvian NOC President, José Quiñones González; the President of the Peruvian Sports Institute, Francisco Boza; the Mayor of Miraflores, Jorge Muñoz Wells; IOC member in Peru Ivan Dibos; and the ODEBO President, Danilo Carrera Drouet. Spain’s experience of successfully hosting the 1992 Games in Barcelona and the country’s major sporting transformation were the reasons for Alejandro Blanco’s participation.

The legendary Czech gymnast, Vera Caslavska, the heroine of the 1964 Games in Tokyo and the 1968 Games in Mexico City and winner of 11 Olympic medals, seven of them gold, has received the Slovak NOC’s highest distinction. She was presented with the NOC Trophy by NOC President Frantisek Chmelar on 1 June, at the opening ceremony of the 25th edition of the Gym Festival in Trnava. FIG Honorary President Yuri Titov and the Slovak minister responsible for sport, Dusan Caplovic, were also present. Vera Caslavska, who celebrated her 70th birthday in May this year, was President of the Czech NOC from 1990 to 1992.

ORGANISING COMMITTEES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES
LONDON 2012
The culmination of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad, the London 2012 Festival got underway on 21 June. For 12 weeks, the UK will be celebrating the largest nationwide cultural festival ever staged. Some 12,000 performances and events given by 25,000 artists from 205 countries will be held in 900 venues.

RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has launched a new digital library designed to make WADA’s education and information tools more accessible to its stakeholders. The library can be accessed by going tohttp://bibliotheque.wada-ama.org. WADA has also completed and published its 2011 Annual Report. The document is available in e-format and PDF format at http://www.wada-ama.org.

The International Academy of Sports Science and Technology (AISTS) has created a new scholarship for its Master of Sports Administration course in Lausanne. The AISTS Athlete Scholarship will be exclusively for elite athletes. The deadline for applications is 15 August 2012.

Olympic Museum is Opening

The Olympic Museum is Opening on the Helvétie Moored by the Ouchy Lakeside

Starting on 5 April, you will be able to see part of The Olympic Museum’s collections on the Helvétie, one of the CGN’s Belle Époque boats, which has been turned into a floating museum for the occasion. The renovation work on the Museum building started in January and will continue until the end of 2013. During this time, The Museum will be completely closed to the public.

(PRWEB) April 04, 2012

Starting on 5 April, you will be able to see part of The Olympic Museum’s collections on the Helvétie, one of the CGN’s Belle Époque boats, which has been turned into a floating museum for the occasion. The renovation work on the Museum building started in January and will continue until the end of 2013. During this time, The Museum will be completely closed to the public.

The flame will continue to burn. Thanks to a collaborative effort by the Compagnie générale de navigation (CGN), the city of Lausanne and the canton of Vaud, a 600m2 exhibition has been created on a magnificent paddle steamer, the M/S Helvétie. In this splendid setting, the free exhibition, open from April to October, looks back at the highlights of the last 20 years of Olympism.

It features the exceptional athletes who make the Games what they are, plus the works by the top
creators who have made their mark on the architecture of stadiums or the production of ceremonies and costumes. Many emblematic items from The Museum collections, including torches, medals and sports equipment, are also an integral part of the exhibition. The new sports are there, as well as new technology and recent areas of focus like the environment and urban planning. Audiovisual archives of Games highlights and the biographies of the great champions can be consulted.

Designed as a link between The Olympic Museum of today and that of tomorrow, this floating exhibition will offer passers-by and the many visitors unaware of the closure an attractive and original feature close to what they had originally intended to visit. As well as the exhibition, an information booth describing the Museum renovation, a souvenir shop and a café can also be found on the Quai de Belgique and on the boat itself. Between 100,000 and 200,000 people are expected during the two-year renovation, according to the initial visitor estimates.

But the temporary Museum is not the only place where the Museum’s collections can be seen during this closure period. A few months from now, during the Olympic Games in London, the Royal Opera House will be the showcase for 300 prestigious objects from among the Olympic treasures. “The Olympic Journey” is designed to take visitors on a journey through the history of the Olympic Games. More than 75,000 visitors are expected in this leading arts and culture venue.

After 17 successful years with more than 3.3 million visitors, the most popular museum in French-speaking Switzerland is being renovated over a period of roughly 20 months. Afterwards, an entirely redesigned Museum will open, featuring the latest technology and a new theme-based museographic approach. With an exhibition area of 3,000 m2, each of the three permanent exhibition levels will look at a key dimension of modern Olympism. The park will also be redesigned to create a veritable outdoor museum, with sections devoted to artworks and others set aside for sports activities.

While The Museum is closed, the Olympic Studies Centre will continue to welcome researchers and students looking to make use of its immense resources for their work and study.

To find out more, contact:
Sophie Brinca, Media Relations Coordinator: sophie.brinca(at)olympic(dot)org or tel. +41 21 621 64 04

London Olympics : Timely Tips

Weather is Becoming Beautiful in the U.K., the Time is Right to Explore Touring, Traveling, or Moving to London

RoadFish.com men's lifestyle and finance magazine offers timely tips, suggestions and ideas if traveling or moving to London.

New York, NY (PRWEB) March 24, 2012

RoadFish.com men’s lifestyle and finance magazine explores the perks to travel or even move to the beautiful, elegant, and culturally rich United Kingdom. Many of RoadFish.com’s colleagues, friends, and even family members reside in Great Britain, and the men’s lifestyle and finance magazine today discussed ways for locals and tourists to travel, live or even move within England’s stunning capital city.

RoadFish.com’s Senior staff writer is quoted as saying, “As a company, we work with and have so many relationships with British-born natives. Interacting with them every day and learning the ‘local’ takes on England makes it hard not to look at this awesome nation and not dream of traveling or living there someday. There is so much that London has to offer.”

Among the many perks on RoadFish’s “move to London” list, England’s capital city happens to be next to New York City and Tokyo as being one of the world’s leading financial centers, putting it in incredibly good economical position. London is also the world’s 5th largest metropolitan vicinity, and is home to countless museums, galleries and cultural institutions. For folks who are considering moving to or within London, the local estate agents can provide incredibly valuable assistance.

RoadFish.com points out the obvious benefit of visiting or moving to a fellow English-speaking nation. RoadFish.com’s Senior staff writer stated, “When I’ve traveled internationally in the past, it’s always been to non-English speaking countries. I’ve felt vulnerable at times, and the language barrier certainly posed a challenge. I wonder how much I missed out on by not being able to speak the local language. Visiting or moving to England, language is a non-issue.”

There are certainly countless other reasons to visit or tour London. In their article in the Daily News and Analytics,co-writers Ismat Tahseen and Maheka Mirpuri quote the age old saying, “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford.” The top ten reasons to visit London, according to this DNA article, are music, Madame Tussauds, Buckingham Palace, the city’s history and architecture, Wimbledon, The Thames, theater, eating out, the nightlife, and the shopping opportunities. It is a city in which culture, business, entertainment, and history.

Lauren Barack of USA Today offers some tips if you are planning on visiting London within the next couple of months. For a March activity in England’s capital city, Barack suggests the Ideal Home Exhibition at the Earls Court Exhibition Center. This year, the Ideal Home Show runs from March 16th through April 1st and features more than 600 exhibitors on topics such as home interiors, home improvements, ideal gardens, food and house wares, gadgets, and even home shows. The Ideal Home Show has been running annually for over 100 years, making for a traditional English activity. If visiting in April, Barack reports that the London Marathon takes place in the middle of the month. The marathon route takes participants along a historical route including such historical spots as Greenwich Park, Westminster Bridge, Isle of Dogs, Victoria Embankment, and St. James’ Park. If on holiday during the week of Easter, Barack recommends the Battersea Park Easter Day Parade and its colorful floats and marching bands, and the Easter Monday horse-drawn carriage procession.

RoadFish.com’s Senior staff writer references the quote typically credited to Ghandi, ‘the world is a book, and those who have not traveled have only read one page.’

This summer, London will host the Summer Olympic Games for the third time (the first two were in 1908 and 1948), making it the first city in the world to have held three summer Olympics.

About RoadFish.com

RoadFish.com is an online men's lifestyle and finance magazine targeted toward men in their 30’s and 40’s that have already attained a moderate level of success in life, and are striving toward more. It goes over current events of interest to this group, such things as exciting adventures, making money, consumer interests, mortgage rate information, and dating tips, as well as ways to make more and save more money. It is a publication owned by Purpose Inc.

Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/travel-move-live/united-kingdom-london/prweb9325705.htm

London Prepares for the Olympics 2012

London Prepares for the Olympics

Author: Paul Buchanan

Since it's been a good sixty years or so since London last hosted the Olympic Games, it only makes sense that the English capital is more than excited about its upcoming hosting of the event, which is set to take place in 2012. What's going to make the event all the more special is the fact that its occurrence will make London the first ever city to have hosted three modern day Olympic Games - an accolade that is sure to be envied by and coveted by many others!

As expected, London is already making big plans for the event. After all, having to follow the performance that Beijing put on in 2008 is no mean feat and it's likely that London's organisers are working hard to put on an even more impressive show.

Due to take place between 27 July and 14 August 2012, the London Games are expected to bring a swarm of tourists from all over the world into the United Kingdom in order to support their countries. It's also likely that plenty of Britons will be travelling south to take in an event or two, and the official Olympic Games shop that has recently opened has already seen much interest as fans of the games clamour to show off their support even two years before the event takes place.

If you're one of the millions of people hoping to visit London for the games, you've still got a bit of a wait before the tickets to your favourite events become available - currently, all that is known about ticket sales is that they'll become available in 2011. However, it's a good idea to keep checking back closer to the time for when tickets will become available, as the last thing you want to do is leave it too late and be disappointed when it turns out your event is sold out.

Similarly, it's crucial to book your accommodation as early in possible as organisers are warning that the popularity of the games could cause many hotels and hostels to sell out months before the events are scheduled to take place. That's why it's a wise idea to book your Olympic Games tickets and your stay in one of the nearby London hotels at the same time, so you won't book one and forget the other, only remembering when it's too late.

The London Olympic Games are a fantastic opportunity to see the Olympics live for yourself, especially if you live in the UK - so it's more than worth considering taking a trip to London in 2012, especially if you weren't already thinking about it!

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/http://paulbuchanan.articlealley.com/london-prepares-for-the-olympics-1737647.html