The London 2012 Olympics Bid
London has launched a public campaign to support its bid to host the 2012 Olympics.
Characterized by a highly visible logo and promotional blitz, the promotion efforts include a giant campaign flag signed by well known names in sports, film and politics and projected "Back the Bid" logos on local landmarks.
In its pitch, London 2012 Ltd. writes: "London is one of the world's great cities. It would stage an exceptional Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. ... Historic landmarks such as Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament are world-famous. More than 8,000 acres of parkland add a green heart. And modern icons such as the London Eye bring a 21st century twist. ... And it lives and breathes sport, from existing world-class venues, such as Wimbledon, Wembley and Lord's cricket ground, to the public open spaces such as Hyde Park, Greenwich and Regent's Park.
"Winning the right to host the Games from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is an honour, an opportunity and a challenge. London is ready."
London 2012 Olympics Bid: Press Releases
It's London! - International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge has announced that London will host the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
6 July 2005
The news was greeted with huge cheers as thousands of people packed into Trafalgar Square to watch the result live on giant video screens.
Heather Small kick-started the party with a live performance of the bid anthem Proud, backed by singers from London community choirs.
And a spectacular flypast by the Red Arrows left a trail of red, white and blue above the crowds in central London.
London 2012 Chairman Sebastian Coe said: "This is just the most fantastic opportunity to do everything we ever dreamed of in British sport.
"We have a chance over seven years and way beyond that to change the face of British sport."
Mayor of London Ken Livingstone added: "This is amazing. When we started out it was a mountain to climb, but we've had an incredible few days here.
"What came over in our presentation was giving kids the chance - it's not just about cities."
"We spent a lot of time before formally submitting our bid preparing things and we will start work on that tomorrow. We'll give the world the best Games they've ever seen.
And Culture Minister Tessa Jowell, who will take up the post of Olympics Minister in the Government, admitted: "I've been shaking for the past two hours.
"This is the biggest prize sport can bestow and we won it for London and this is to unlock the ambition of children. Sport will now be central to Government policy."
London Theatre, Top Attractions and Restaurants 'Back the Bid' with a new 'See for Yourself' Ticket
May 4, 2005
As the excitement mounts in the final months of London's campaign to bring the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to the UK, London's cultural community have once again thrown the full weight of their support behind the city's Bid by coming together to showcase the capital's dynamic cultural offering to the world.
During the month of May, London theatre, top attractions and restaurants will extend a great value invitation, allowing people to experience some of the best the Capital has to offer, from top theatre shows to London attractions and restaurants.
At just £55 per person (a saving of up to £30 per person) the all-inclusive² See For Yourself Ticket provides: - A ticket to a choice of top London shows
- Entrance to a leading London attraction
- A two-course pre-theatre meal
To make sure that everyone across the UK can participate, a See for Yourself Hotel Package is also available at a cost of just £100 per person - offering all of the above plus an overnight stay in a 4 star London hotel, at a fantastic savings of up to £135 per person².
Tickets can be bought online through a dedicated website.
Richard Pulford, Chief Executive of The Society of London Theatre said: "The Society of London Theatre is very pleased to offer every support to London 2012. If together we can bring the Games to London we will have succeeded in creating a powerful international showcase for this city's immense cultural riches. However, the See For Yourself Ticket is a great reason not to wait until 2012. We are delighted with this invitation to experience the best of London today."
Jude Kelly, Chair of the Arts, Culture and Education Committee at London 2012 and former Director of the West Yorkshire Playhouse said: "There is probably no other city in the world that can unite sport, art and culture in a festival of human achievement as well as London can. Not only is this city passionate about its sports, but it is recognised the world over as a global centre for culture. If the Olympic and Paralympic Games come to London in 2012 this city will explode with creative energy and excitement. I am delighted that the cultural community is so behind our efforts to bring the greatest show on earth here."
Bid Chairman Sebastian Coe thanked the cultural community for their support and said: "London is one of the greatest, most celebrated, most vibrant cities in the world. It is a city ready to host the Games of the 30th Olympiad and a city eager to invite everyone to the celebrations. The See For Yourself Ticket is a fantastic way to highlight just what our guests in 2012 would be able to enjoy if we are honoured with the Games."
The See For Yourself Ticket was launched today in the heart of the West End, with cast members of the participating shows taking a ride on an open top London tour bus just one of the attractions participating in the See For Yourself offer.
World's sporting greats unite behind London bid
April 28, 2005
Wayne Rooney, Paul Tergat, Luol Deng, Antonio Pinto and Grant Hackett Join David Beckham, Cathy Freeman, Haile Gebrselassie & others in unprecedented show of support for London
London: In a week when registered support for London 2012 reached 1.3 million people, and an ICM Research poll showed 79 per cent of Londoners backed the bid (the highest since the campaign began), London received a further boost today (Thursday), with some of the world's greatest athletes both past and present, announcing their support for London's Olympic bid.
The latest London 2012 bid ambassadors include some of the biggest names in sport - Luol Deng (Britain), 6ft 8" Chicago Bulls rookie; Kapil Dev (India), cricket legend; Nick Farr-Jones (Australia), captain of 1992 winning Rugby World Cup team; Grant Hackett (Australia), two times Olympic Freestyle swimming Champion; Jurgen Hingsen (Germany), former decathlon world record holder; Antonio Pinto (Portugal), three times winner of the London Marathon; Sir Vivian Richards (West Indies), cricket legend and Paul Tergat (Kenya), the World Marathon Record holder (Pease see Notes to Editors below for quotes and brief biographies of the above London 2012 ambassadors).
England and Manchester United Soccer star Wayne Rooney is also one of the latest big names to pledge support for London's Olympic bid.
"Seeing the world's best athletes perform in some of the world's most famous venues and settings such as the new Wembley, Wimbledon, Lord's and Hyde Park would be really inspiring for young people and anything that encourages children to become more active and involved in sport gets my support," said Rooney, the 19-year-old soccer sensation and PFA Young Player of the Year.
Eighteen-year-old Chinese snooker sensation Ding Junhui, winner of the 2005 China Open, also becomes a new ambassador, reflecting the extensive range of sporting champions supporting London's bid.
"I've experienced first-hand the warmth and hospitality of the British people and their passion for sport. London has the biggest Chinese population of any European city and I know our athletes and supporters would get a wonderful welcome there in 2012," he said.
London 2012 Chairman and double Olympic gold medallist Sebastian Coe said the support of such highly regarded sportspeople is especially important for the London bid because London's Olympic Games plans have been designed by athletes for athletes.
"What makes this support even more valuable is the personal nature of each of the pledges of support," Coe said.
In many cases the support from the sporting greats is attributed to personal experience of competing in Britain and especially London, while for others spending time in the capital and experiencing the multicultural and vibrant society has secured their commitment to London.
"Bringing the Olympic Games to London will see the creation of much needed new sports venues and facilities in a new Olympic Park that will provide the best ever conditions for athletes and inspire increased participation amongst young people in Olympic sport," Coe said.
The new international ambassadors join other high profile London 2012 ambassadors and supporters who have made significant contributions to world sport, culture and society including Nelson Mandela; Australia's Olympic Games champion, Cathy Freeman; New Zealand rugby legend Sean Fitzpatrick; Ethiopian running great Haile Gebrselassie; England football heroe David Beckham; South African Olympic athlete Hezekiel Sepeng and rugby legend Morne Du Plessis, and British based football managers, Sweden's Sven Goran Eriksson and Portugal's Jose Mourinho.
Olympic support soars in London
April 27, 2005
Seventy nine per cent of Londoners support the capital's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games - up to its highest level ever and up 12 per cent since October last year.
The results of the ICM poll for The Londoner the Mayor's newspaper for Londoners - just 70 days before the IOC decides on which city will host the 2012 Games, show the highest level of support ever for London's bid.
Sebastian Coe, Chairman of London 2012, said:
'This poll is a timely reminder of how support for the bid is still growing. It is a further boost to our campaign to host the Games and sends a powerful signal to the Olympic movement of the fantastic welcome they would receive in London in 2012.'
Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, said:
'This poll shows that backing for our bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games has soared - and gives us a real boost as we enter the home straight. It also shows an overwhelming majority of Londoners see the capital's diversity as one of its strengths. In London we literally have the world in one city. What better place to host the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games?'
The result also comes hard on the heels of Nelson Mandela's public backing for the London bid. Praising the capital's rich diversity he said:
'There is no city like London. It is a wonderfully diverse and open city providing a home to hundreds of different nationalities from all over the world. I can't think of a better place than London to hold an event that unites the world.'
The opinion poll shows that 87 per cent of Londoners say that the capital's mixture of cultures, languages and ethnicities is a good thing. Just nine per cent disagree.
When asked why they support the bid, most people say that it will be good for London's economy. Supporters also say that an Olympic Games in London will be good for Britain generally, will increase employment and tourism and be good for national pride.
Nelson Mandela endorses London as city to host 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games
April 6, 2005
Games in London would inspire athletes and young people and leave lasting legacy to Olympic movement and world sport, said Mandela.
Nelson Mandela, one of the world's most respected and revered individuals, today endorsed London as the city to host the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2012, citing the diversity of London's communities as providing the ideal setting for the Olympic Games.
"There is no city like London. It is a wonderfully diverse and open city providing a home to hundreds of different nationalities from all over the world. I can't think of a better place than London to hold an event that unites the world," Mandela said.
The 1993 Nobel Peace Prize winner, who inspired the world through his campaign against apartheid, said that Olympic Games in London would demonstrate the power of the Olympic Movement to change people's lives.
"The Games in London will inspire athletes as well as young people around the world and ensure that the Olympic Games remain the dream for future generations," Mandela said in a statement released today.
"London would offer something very special to the Olympic Movement, including great new sporting facilities and a legacy for generations to come," Mandela said in the statement of support for the London 2012 Olympic Games Bid.
At a press conference at UK Trade and Investment offices in Johannesburg to formally announce Mandela's support for the bid, Minister for Sport, Richard Caborn said: "It is an honour to have such a respected international figure supporting our 2012 Olympic and Paralympic bid. The recent history of South Africa shows the power of sport to bring communities together. This is our aim for a London Games, to help unite the nations of the world in one of its most diverse cities."
"Nelson Mandela's backing for London 2012 is a powerful indication of the breadth of support that our bid is receiving all over the world - and a recognition of the special qualities and values we think a London Games would bring to the Olympic Movement."
London 2012 Bid Chairman, Sebastian Coe, said that Nelson Mandela's support would inspire London and the United Kingdom to work closely with the international community to deliver the best ever Olympic Games if London is selected by the IOC in July to stage the 2012 Games.
"It is indeed a very special honour for London 2012 to have the support of Nelson Mandela, who is one of the world's most admired and inspirational figures," Coe said.
"Nelson Mandela understands the powerful role that sport can play in changing people's lives - both on and off the sporting field. The London 2012 Olympic Games shares the same vision. The Games in London will help to build new bridges of understanding between cultures and nations and leave a legacy of much needed new sporting venues and facilities that will continue to change people's lives for generations to come," Coe said.
The London 2012 Bid includes a new Olympic Park in which key Olympic venues such as the Olympic Village, Olympic stadium for athletics, Aquatics Centre, Velodrome, Hockey Centre and an indoor sports arena all located on the same site, providing Olympic athletes with important security, accommodation and transportation benefits.
The new Olympic Park will also leave London with new sports facilities in which to host international sporting events and increase participation in Olympic sports after the Games.
The new Olympic Park would create one of the biggest new parks in Europe for 150 years and would leave a power social legacy for the communities in the area - thousands of new jobs, new skills, affordable housing and new business opportunities.
"Bringing the Olympic Games to London would provide a powerful demonstration of how people's lives can be transformed through sport," Mandela said.
Mandela has won worldwide acclaim and admiration for his stand against apartheid and has played a leading role in the struggle for peace in other areas of conflict.
He has also focussed world attention on important social and human rights issues including AIDS and poverty.
Mandela has also been a strong advocate of using sport to bring people together in peace.
"Sport has the power to change the world, the power to inspire, the power to unite people in a way that little else can... sport can create hope... it is an instrument for peace," he once wrote.
In addition to building a new Olympic Park, London will use an extensive range of world familiar landmarks - including the new Wembley, Wimbledon, Lords, Hyde Park, the Millennium Dome, Horse Guards Parade (adjacent to Number 10 Downing Street, the centre of British Government) and others venues and settings as Olympic venues to contain the cost of staging the Olympic Games.
Mick Jagger and Elton John lead international names backing London 2012
February 18, 2005
International stars of sport and entertainment today came out in support of London's Bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The news comes during a visit to London of a team from the International Olympic Committee to review London's plans.
Two of the world's most flamboyant musicians and knights of the realm were unequivocal in their desire to see London host the Games in 2012. Sir Elton John and Sir Mick Jagger, global ambassadors for British music, feel London will provide the perfect venue for the world's greatest sporting event. London last held the Games in 1948.
Sir Mick Jagger hoped to continue a family tradition in bringing the games to the capital. He said: "I think London is perfectly placed to host a global event such as the Olympics. We have some fantastic state of the art venues including the new Wembley and a wide range of natural venues such as Hyde Park and Horseguards Parade. London is one of the most vibrant capital cities in the world and I am personally proud to lend my support to the bid." Jagger went on to explain how the bid was personally important to him; "My own father Joe, who is now 93 worked as a judge in '48 London Olympics so there is a family tradition of backing the Olympics."
Sir Elton John was keen to point out what London had to offer above and beyond the world class sporting facilities. "London is a fantastic city with lots of entertainment and life about it. Music, theatre and the arts are key in making a city come to life and will also be key to making an Olympic Games more than just the world's greatest sports event. As a nation we are passionate we can bring the Games to London and we can show the world that British people can really put on the greatest show on earth."
Other stars whose support is announced today include Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart, Lord of the Rings star Sir Ian McKellen, actress Elizabeth Hurley, cricketer Graham Gooch, football legend Sir Bobby Charlton and golfer Colin Montgomerie. International support comes from Chelsea coach Jose Mourhino, South African legend Morne Du Plessis, former All Black Captain Sean Fitzpatrick and South African silver medallist Ezekiel Sepeng. Sir Roger Moore KBE, who has already starred in a promotional film for London 2012, has also formally voiced his support.
Stewart and McKellen, two of the finest internationally acclaimed British actors of both stage and screen saw a 2012 Games as a cause for celebration.
Patrick Stewart is most famous for his role as the Captain of the Enterprise in Star Trek and the leader of the XMen. Whilst on the stage, Stewart enjoyed acclaim for a number of productions, particularly A Christmas Carol, which he performed both on Broadway and the London Stage, winning a 1993 New York Theatre Critics Drama Desk Award and a 1994 Olivier Award. He said: "I was fortunate enough to see first hand in Sydney the impact of the Olympics on civic pride and unity. The Olympics is not just a sporting extravaganza but a unique opportunity to bring the rest of the world to our doorstep and proudly show our doorstep to the rest of the world. It is a chance to celebrate youth, personal commitment and the wonderful diversity of nations and cultures; let's make it happen here."
Stewart was joined by Sir Ian McKellen, star of the recent Lord of the Rings trilogy. McKellen, who was knighted in 1991 for his services to the performing arts, is the most acclaimed actor of his generation. He has been honoured with more than forty international awards for his performances on stage and screen. He commented: "I really hope London gets its chance to throw a fantastic party for the world; in the theatres, in the streets, on the river, as well as of course, in the arenas and sports fields."
The worlds of entertainment and sport have united to support bringing the Games to London, as a host of sporting stars, past and present, clamoured to join those who have already lent their support. Sir Bobby Charlton, who was instrumental in helping to bring the Commonwealth Games to Manchester in 2002, said: "I saw first hand what a major championships can do for a city. The atmosphere around the games was fantastic the whole city lived the experience. Manchester now has some of Britain's finest sports facilities a great legacy for the people of the city and its surrounding area. A London Olympics will be great for the whole of Britain, I also think one of the truly great things about London is that it is a really happy place visitors to London will get the warmest welcome and will have the greatest time they can possibly imagine."
Ex-England Cricket Captain Graham Gooch is from east London, where London will build its Olympic Park. He said: "The area and the local residents in particular will benefit enormously from the proposed regeneration that is linked to Olympic bid a city like London should have state-of-the-art facilities and the plans for the main Olympic site in Stratford are amazing, London is a great city capable of making people from all over the world welcome."
Gooch was joined in his support by Ryder Cup Hero Colin Montgomerie who commented: "London would make an excellent host of the biggest sporting event in the world and will ultimately provide world class facilities for the future champions of British sport."
Today's supporters of the Bid follow some other great names from the world of sport and entertainment who have already signed up, alongside hundreds of thousands of members of the British public. So far, more than 675,000 people have now registered their support. You can join them by logging on at london2012.com, or by texting LONDON to 82012.
London Olympic Games Would Strike Gold for UK Business
January 17, 2005
Prime Minister tells UK businesses that London Games is a prize worth fighting for
Staging the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in London would bring unparalleled opportunities for thousands of businesses across the United Kingdom, a major conference in London was told today.
The 'Olympic Opportunities' conference heard how few events in the world present the business communities of the host city and country with the range of opportunities like those involved in hosting the Olympic Games.
"The development of Olympic Games and Paralympic Games infrastructure and supply of goods and services will provide unique opportunities for businesses across many sectors right around the United Kingdom," said Sebastian Coe, chairman of London 2012.
"Olympic Games business-related opportunities exist in many areas ranging from tourism, manufacturing, retailing, sports, transport, human services, security, environment, administration, hospitality, construction, IT, marketing & communications, logistics, and many other sectors and industries."
The London bid would also investigate how a London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) may be able to help UK businesses win Games contracts through a tender training programme if the London bid is successful.
"We were very keen to show that anyone could tender for Games contracts, large or small," said Coe.
The conference, held at the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre, was endorsed by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and also included presentations from the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Tessa Jowell, British Olympic rowing legend, Sir Steve Redgrave and Jude Kelly OBE, Chair of London 2012's Culture and Education Advisory Committee.
Other speakers included prominent figures from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, UK sport and the British Olympic movement and Patricia Ferguson MSP, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport in the Scottish Parliament.
A letter to all delegates from The Prime Minister said that hosting the Olympic Games could bring unparalleled social and economic benefits to the UK.
The Prime Minister said: "The economic benefits are clear. An Olympic Games hosted in London would create significant opportunities for companies up and down the UK in sectors as diverse as construction, tourism, merchandise, catering, design and IT. Training the workforce to meet those opportunities will reap benefits in years to come, particularly as UK companies develop their own Olympic experience that can be exported across the globe after 2012."
Olympic Games-related opportunities would be immense, from one-person operators to small-to-medium enterprises and big corporations.
"Whether you are a clothing/textile manufacturer in Bolton, a technology company in Cambridge, a sports equipment manufacturer in Swansea, a catering company in Aberdeen, a landscape gardener from Dorset or an entertainment group from Leeds you can benefit from a London Games," said Coe.
"At Games time we need uniforms for at least 70,000 volunteers, branded T-shirts, hundreds of other items of merchandise. We need arts and entertainment people to showcase the vibrancy and diversity of the UK's culture. We need thousands of computers, phones, televisions, handheld radios and the latest technology to wire the Games to the world.
"The Games would also require around 11,500 shuttlecocks, 3,000 table tennis balls, hundreds of thousands of temporary seats, 30,000 beds and 200,000 chairs. In the athletes village alone we need around 100 tonnes of meat, 75,000 litres of milk, 25,000 loaves of bread, 350 tonnes of fruit and vegetables, at least a million bottles of water and at least 15,000 kms of toilet paper," added Coe.
The conference also heard that staging of the Summer and Winter Olympic Games had brought significant economic and other related benefits to former Olympic host cities and communities.
The Hon. Sandra Nori, a Minister with the NSW Government in Australia which financed the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, and a speaker at the London Olympic Opportunities conference said: "The contracts and procurement opportunities for UK companies are enormous The experience from Sydney showed that New South Wales business won the equivalent of £400million in contracts for the Games, over £115million from regional companies with 55,000 people receiving employment related training. And Queensland businesses won the equivalent of £150million worth of Olympic Games related business.
Business opportunities linked to the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games could also span for years, before and after the Games.
"The Olympic Games provide a unique national and international platform for local and regional companies to showcase their products and services to the world and this will help to secure future contracts," said Coe who also gave a keynote address at the conference.
"The potential for long-term business is significant. My message to the UK is start preparing now as we are working hard to win this bid for the UK."
Terry Hodgkinson, Chair, Yorkshire Forward (the Yorkshire & Humber Development Agency) said: "There is everything to play for. By preparing now, everyone wins. In Yorkshire and the Humber over the last twelve months our focus on the Bid has already led to a number of benefits. These include new partnerships, a greater understanding of the possibilities such major events hold, and a more strategic approach to being ready to grasp those opportunities. These are benefits that are unrelated to hosting the Olympic Games but have been inspired by our bid for them."
UK companies providing services for the biggest sporting event in the world will also have the opportunity to forge important new links and relationships with new clients, suppliers and even competitors.
London 2012 press releases courtesy of the London 2012 Press Office.
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