Tatyana Chernova, the 6ft 2in Russian who dethroned her at last summer’s World Championships in Daegu, finished a huge 132 points behind in second place, while Nataliya Dobrynska, the Ukrainian Olympic and world indoor champion, was a long way adrift on just 6,311 points in ninth place.
But Ennis said her record-breaking points total was not about sending a message to her rivals but proving to herself that she was capable of a big score.
“I wanted to do it for me, to prove to myself that I can do it, that I am capable of scoring a big score and that I am in good shape,” she said. “That gives me the self-belief and the mental capacity going forward.”
Ennis said the most important aspect of her weekend’s work was that if confirmed that she was in excellent shape just two months out from the Olympics.
The key now was to maintain her physical condition without risking the kind of devastating injury that wrecked her Olympic dreams four years ago when she suffered multiple stress fractures in her right foot at the same Götzis meeting.
“I am going to train sensibly,” she said. “I have done a big block of my work now, so it is freshening up, sharpening up and getting race sharp. It’s nice to be here in Olympic year and not be injured and have a great result as well.”
She said her recent defeats had been an impetus to work harder in training, and the weekend had reassured her that everything was going in the right direction.
Leading overnight on 4,113 after lowering her 200 metres lifetime best by a huge 0.31sec, Ennis knew that if she get could close to her personal bests in her three remaining events, it would be enough to overhaul the record set by Lewis in Talence, France, in 2000.
Her first event of the day, the long jump, provided the perfect platform as she leapt out to 6.51m with her third and final attempt, equalling her lifetime best and, crucially, beating Chernova in the Russian’s specialist event.
But it was the javelin, the event that proved Ennis’s nemesis at last year’s World Championships, that had the Sheffield athlete punching the air in celebration as she opened up with a huge throw of 47.11m — 40cm in excess of her lifetime best.
In the final event, the 800m, Ennis adopted her usual tactic of striking out from the front and crossed the line in 2-09.00 — the third fastest outdoor time of her career — before sinking to the ground in exhaustion.
But, in a telling moment, Chernova put in a desperate effort to catch her in the final straight, and passed her with a couple of strides to go. It was a clear message to the Briton that she has no intention of backing down in August. But there can be now doubt that the pendulum has now swung in Ennis’s direction, and it could not be better timed.
She made her breathrough with with her runaway victory at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. Further multi-events triumphs in 2010 at the World Indoor Championships in Doha and the European Championships in Barcelona served only to cement her status as one of Britain’s outstanding gold-medal prospects for London.
But the first sign that the weight of expectation was beginning to weigh heavily on her shoulders emerged in Daegu last September where her disastrous javelin performance opened the door for Chernova to take her world crown.
Then, in Istanbul three months ago, she displayed more vulnerability under pressure when a misfiring long jump allowed Dobyrnska to walk away with her world indoor pentathlon crown.
That is why Sunday was so important. After losing two world titles, another defeat in her last heptathlon before London would have been a psychological hammer blow.
But, having complained in the past that too many people have been “hanging a gold medal around my neck” before the Olympics have even started, Ennis will not be getting too carried away.
Four years ago, the inconsistent Dobrynksa finished ninth in Götzis before going on to win Olympic gold in Beijing, and she is certain to be in far better shape in London than she was in Austria this weekend.
The Ukrainian admitted before the meeting that she had only been training properly for a month following the death from cancer of her husband and coach, Dmytro Polyakov, in March. Chernova, too, looked undercooked compared to her brilliant performance in Daegu.
Ennis said her next competition would be the Bislett Games in Oslo on June 7, where she would be taking part in the 100 metre hurdles, before she gets ready for the UK Olympic trials in Birmingham.
Ennis may have ensured her place in the history books, but she will need to run, jump and throw like she did over the last couple of days if she is to become Britain’s Olympic golden girl.
Heptathlon results
1. Jessica Ennis, Britain, 6,906 points.
2. Tatyana Chernova, Russia, 6,774.
3. Lyudmyla Yosypenko, Ukraine, 6,501.
4. Austra Skujyte, Lithuania, 6,493.
5. Lilli Schwarzkopf, Germany, 6,461.
6. Jessica Zelinka, Canada, 6,393.*
7. Dafne Schippers, Netherlands, 6,360.
8. Jennifer Oeser, Germany, 6,345.
9. Nataliya Dobrynska, Ukraine, 6,311.
10. Nadine Broersen, Netherlands, 6,298.
BBC London and the mayoral campaign - BBC News
Local politics in the capital, like its national big brother, can be a tough old business. Nowhere does this apply more than in the political rough and tumble around the London Mayor and the city's assembly. To add to the mix, the two mayors to win so far are politicians with a strong national profile in their respective parties, and a sometimes tricky relationship with their respective leaders.
In these circumstances it is the job of the BBC to analyse as impartially as possible what is going on - and that can ruffle feathers.
The Guardian on Monday carried a story about how Guto Harri, the recently departed director of communications for Boris Johnson, tried to influence the screening of an interview on the Politics Show with the Mayor's biographer Sonia Purnell.
It is part and parcel of any political campaigning that the BBC comes under pressure from one side or another about their treatment, and Mr Harri's intervention was by no means unusual. It's pressure we resisted robustly at the time.
BBC London is not alone in focussing on the details of London politics, but we do have a responsibility to try to get it right. Boris Johnson is a larger than life character who is viewed by some of the papers, and some in his party, as a potential leader-in-waiting. He attracts acres of coverage in the national media, little of which concerns the detail of his day job. This means that BBC London sometimes finds that it is asking uncomfortable questions that go into a level of detail that the mayor and his advisers, like many other politicians, may find inconvenient.
It was one such question - a perfectly legitimate inquiry about the approach Mr Johnson took to commercial sponsorship - which caused the mayor to use the F-word on air about our political editor Tim Donovan.
Donovan was asking the question not because he had a hidden political agenda but because he rightly believed it was a matter of genuine public interest. The commercial deal in question happened to involve News International at a time when that that company's activities were coming under increasing police scrutiny. The mayor has to ride many horses: as well as batting for the city, he is charged with holding the Metropolitan Police to account.
Equally, Ms Purnell's biography raised some pertinent points about the mayor's style and when it was published last October it was reasonable to offer her an interview on the regional section of the Politics Show.
But it is ridiculous to suggest that BBC London takes a view one way or the other about which politician holds the mayoralty. We asked tough questions of Ken Livingstone during his term in office, many of which he didn't like either. That does not mean it was wrong to ask them. As you would expect of a political editor, Donovan broke a number of stories (including the existence of Ken Livingstone's three additional children, and allegations of corruption against one of his aides) that the Livingstone team would have preferred did not see the light of day.
Our audience research suggests that the BBC is the most trusted of all sources news and that trust - which we value above all else - is born from being independent, impartial and accurate.
The BBC is owned by all its viewers, listeners and online readers. Their opinions cover the whole political spectrum and BBC News has a duty to pose the questions they want answering. Politicians are passionate and for the most part honest public servants.
But those who represent political parties have, almost by definition, the most committed point of view, and it is they who tend to shout loudest when confronted with the reality of impartiality.
London 2012 camping initiative offers budget sleeping under the stars - The Guardian
Very few things connected to the Olympics could conceivably be called a bargain. In the circumstances then, a night's accommodation for £10 – albeit under canvas and well into London's suburbs – might just about qualify.
That is the deal offered by a company, Camping at the Games, which has teamed up with a series of sports clubs around London and further afield to offer Olympic spectators an alternative to the wallet-lightening rates currently available at the capital's few remaining hotel rooms.
With a nightly charge of £10 an adult and £5 a child, more if you use one of their pre-erected tents, the company will have 3,000 pitches available each night, enough for up to 10,000 people.
Despite a launch photocall on Monday near Tower Bridge none of the six sports grounds-turned campsites are not quite so central. Dotted around east, south-east and north-east London, as far as Enfield, they all, however, promise straightforward travel connections. One, in Waltham Forest, is billed as being just a 15 minute bus ride from the Olympic Park. Outside the capital, one is in Reading, close to the rowing lake, one further north of London is close to the canoeing venue, while there are two in Weymouth for sailing fans.
All but two of the 10 sites are also open for the Paralympics.
The company is particularly targeting Olympic volunteers – some of whom are working fairly erratic and last-minute shifts – offering the chance to change their accommodation date and venue at no extra cost. There are dedicated volunteer-only sections as well.
One of the company's founders, Rhian Evans, said Monday's popup campsite in Potters Field Park, near Tower Bridge, was intended to "show people who were put off by accommodation prices that there is an affordable alternative".
He said: "The price of staying in London over the summer is extortionate but on our campsites a family of four can stay for £30 a night. Even staying in a budget hotel will cost a lot of money this summer and our campsites will have an Olympic atmosphere.
"We're also helping sports clubs by setting up these campsites on club grounds which will help raise funds for them. The grounds provide lots of space so people won't be crammed in, like in a festival."
Many lessons to learn about London in weeks leading up to the Games - CNN Sports Illustrated
Three days to the hour after the Olympic flame alighted in Cornwall, England, I arrived in London from Cornwall, Vt.
Though it beat me to the United Kingdom, the flame was immediately diverted on its 70-day hegira around the country. I, on the other hand, was free to burrow into the host city, from which I'll report for SI until the 2012 Games begin on July 27. I'll file to SI.com every Monday, following preparations, writing up previews and trying generally to tap into a vein of the British sporting circulatory system.
After pulling our two kids out of elementary school, and moving into a flat carved from half of a refurbished Georgian terrace house in the London borough of Islington, Job One for my wife and me has been to get a better fix on our location. We seem to live -- no one seems quite sure -- in either East Bloomsbury, or North Clerkenwell, or West Finsbury, or Amwell, which is easiest to remember given the eponymous high street steps from our door.
In light of that nomenclatural uncertainty, it's probably best to lay down some markers of a sporting nature. So:
• Our local pub is Filthy MacNasty's Whiskey Caf, a.k.a. "McFilthy's," and while you won't find Rick Mahorn or Bill Laimbeer behind the bar, you may find Arsenal fan and chronicler Nick Hornby, a longtime regular, holding forth.
• Just down the gentle hill from McFilthy's sits the studio of Zaha Hadid, the architect who designed the Olympic Park Aquatics Centre, which looks like a butterflyer in competition. Because of cost overruns, the "arms" are composed of temporary stands, which means that post-Games, alas, her structure will suffer architectural amputations.
• Our tube stop, Angel, is festooned with signs directing passengers on foot to the Gunners' football ground. The Angel station is home to the longest escalator in the London Underground, which may take the gold for altius, but I can attest leaves lots to be desired in the citius department.
• Just behind that tube stop, the Regent's Canal begins its run east toward Olympic Park. The Islington borough council is petrified that during the Games hordes of ticket holders freaked by the crowds on public transport might mount bikes and ride the towpath to the Games, thereby dunking very old and very young pedestrians into some of the filthiest water in the city.
• Our local Marks & Spencer -- whenever I visit, I want to take the Target logo, replace one red ring with RAF blue, and slap the result on the faade -- is getting into the Olympic spirit by selling Eddie the Eagle T-shirts. Which is a reminder that Eric (The Eel) Moussamboui, the swimming sensation of the 2000 Games, will be in London as coach of the Equatorial Guinea swim team.
• At the nearest Waterstone's, on Islington Green, you can find The Secret Olympian, a new book by an anonymous former British athlete who confirms in its pages that, yes, the athletes' village in Sydney did indeed run out of condoms a dozen years ago -- but as a result of an instinct much more prosaic than lust, for the packs, graced with the logo of the 2000 Games, were free and coveted as souvenirs.
• It's a short stroll to Virgina Woolf's old haunts around Russell Square, where my colleagues in the media will be lodged come the Games. They write, they drink, they have complicated marital arrangements, they engage in disputatious conversation: Meet the international press corps, a latter-day Bloomsbury Group.
• The nearest betting shops huddle to the northwest around King's Cross Station, home to the most famous train platform in children's lit. As of this morning I could get down a bet at Ladbrokes on the host city for the 2020 Olympics (Tokyo at 4-6, with both Istanbul and Madrid at 3-1); at William Hill on British heptathlete Jessica Ennis to win gold (even money); and at Jennings on Usain Bolt to take the men's 100 (8-15).
• A pleasant 15 minutes' amble west sits the most wondrous urban oasis, a charitably supported park with three turf pitches called Coram's Fields. It features one overriding rule: No adults unless accompanied by a child. Every late afternoon for a week my wife and I -- accompanied majors? -- have taken our children, ages 10 and 9, there to play field hockey, tag rugby and all sorts of pick-up soccer, with black and white and brown kids who have in common two things, the English language and a jones for play.
This is, writ small, London Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) chairman Sebastian Coe's gauzy vision for these Olympics: all the world gathered in London for games, with the next generation taking inspiration.
But this city has much to negotiate before the cauldron is lit. First there's the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II's rule, set for this weekend. (Every active member of the royal family will join her on the barge for the float down the Thames, except granddaughter Zara Phillips, a three-day eventer who'll be busy trying to qualify for the Olympics with her horse, High Kingdom.) There's Wimbledon in early July, before it pulls double duty as the Olympic tennis venue. And slotted between the two there's soccer's Euro 2012 tournament, which in London will mean drunken yobs in pubs watching the action from Poland and Ukraine on the telly.
Every time I come to England I'm struck by how the lowbrow mingles with the high, especially when it comes to the media. There's the guttersnipe vulgarity on display at every newsagent's shop: Yes, retired footballer Paul Gascoigne confesses, I've done botox; no, avers Jess Ennis, I'm not bothered that some unnamed British track official suggested I'm "fat." When will.i.am whipped out his mobile in the midst of a shamble with the torch on Day Three of the relay, misspelling in his tweet the name of the town he was in (Taunton, not "Taurton"), he got ripped by journos of every stripe. It took Marina Hyde in The Guardian to highlight the Black Eyed Peas' frontman's lone redeeming quality: "He seems to have been punctuated specifically to enrage the Queen's English Society."
At the same time the Brits' Etonian attitude toward sport, and their reflexive defense of the purity of things like the Olympics, reminds me why there will always be an England. The British Olympic Association is unrepentant about having lost an arbitration case, after trying to enforce tougher anti-doping rules than the World Anti-Doping Agency's own. A stage version of Chariots of Fire has opened in the West End, with a documentary based on the entire story dropping in early July. And then there's LOCOG, which doesn't have a "director of security," but rather a "director of security and resilience." This Churchillian character is Ian Johnston --sorry, Sir Ian Johnston -- and he sits behind a desk no doubt graced by a KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON coffee mug.
So I'm settling into a London that's reassuringly familiar at both ends of its well-stretched spectrum. In light of the Diamond Jubilee someone thought to ask, and the British people last week obligingly answered: Only 22 percent would like to see the monarchy done away with, the lowest figure in 15 years of such polling. That news broke along with the latest economic figures, which reconfirm that Britain is mired in a double-dip recession. It may indeed be the case, as Monty Python put it so memorably in The Holy Grail, that "supreme executive power is derived from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony," but civilian rule isn't winning itself many fans in the U.K. these days.
One expat family, however, has found after a week that the borough of Islington functions well enough. We were issued library cards. If we get sick, we'll get health care. And once a week someone comes to collect the garbage.
Or rubbish, rather. Our London orientation wasn't complete until the evening we were to leave out our trash bags for collection the next morning. Before we took the bags out, Harriet, the tenant in the downstairs flat, advised us not to do so too early. It seems that tens of thousands of foxes roam the city at night, itching to feast on rubbish left prematurely on stoops. Already, out at the Royal Artillery Barracks shooting venue in Woolwich, foxes have chewed through fiber-optic cable, destroyed microphones and -- oh, sacrilege! -- fouled the podium.
Who knew? We left rural Vermont, accustomed to bears having their way with our bird feeders, for the depredations of ... urban foxes!
Let slip the hounds, I say. The Olympics are coming.
London 2012 providing boost to ‘Brand Britain’ - sportbusiness.com
A survey of 6,000 consumers by Deloitte, the official professional services provider to London 2012, found that around 80% of respondents from China and India are more likely to want to visit Britain in light of the publicity surrounding the Games. More than 60% say they would like to buy more British products, whilst 77% want to learn more about the UK as a whole. The research also shows that 76% of respondents in China and India associate the Olympic Games with the UK, a higher proportion than consumers elsewhere in Europe or the United States. Only the UK’s history, universities and London itself are attributes more closely associated with the UK in the minds of Chinese and Indian consumers.
“London 2012 clearly provides a direct and immediate opportunity for consumer businesses,” said Nigel Wixcey, UK head of consumer business at Deloitte. “However, our research shows the potential is there for a longer term benefit too, but only if companies are prepared to exploit the opportunity. As the global population is evolving, so consumer spending power is shifting. The emerging middle classes of China and India are increasingly powerful consumers of Western goods – both as visiting tourists and increasingly as strong consumer markets develop in their home countries. This trend will continue to accelerate over the next few years.”
Deloitte has noted that the impact of the publicity surrounding the Games has not been so pronounced in Europe and the US. However, despite this around half of consumers surveyed in France, Germany and the US said they are more interested in visiting Britain as a result of publicity surrounding the Games, whilst roughly a fifth would like to buy more British products.
Simon Oaten, director in the consumer business industry at Deloitte, added: “There has always been a strong underlying demand to visit Britain, but London 2012 is giving the UK a shot in the arm. Given the UK economy’s growth prospects, it is important for consumer businesses to develop relationships with overseas customers, particularly from markets such as India and China. Retailers and hospitality operators in the UK who understand the shifting global demographics will reap the rewards. London 2012 provides the UK with a unique moment, a unique competitive edge over other countries.”
GM's Vauxhall announces new Astra at UK plant - Yahoo Finance
LONDON (AP) -- General Motors' Vauxhall plant in northern England will build the company's top-selling Astra vehicles, the automaker said Thursday — a relief for U.K. politicians who had lobbied its American owner to keep the plant open.
The announcement comes after workers at the Ellesmere Port plant, near Liverpool, overwhelmingly backed a job deal which turned the factory into a 24-hour-a-day operation, a key cost-cutting measure pursued by parent company GM Europe.
GM Europe lost $700 million in 2011 and has been struggling to turn around its Opel and Vauxhall brands. It had been feared the company would close the Ellesmere Port facility in favor of consolidating production elsewhere — such as its headquarters in Ruesselsheim in Germany or Gliwice in Poland.
In a separate announcement, Opel said that the Ruesselsheim plant would switch to producing other models.
GM's announcement — which comes with a 125 million pound (nearly $200 million) investment and 700 extra jobs — is a break for leaders such as British Business Secretary Vince Cable, who fought to keep the British plant open.
Prime Minister David Cameron, speaking from the northern city of Manchester, called the decision "a fantastic vote of confidence."
"The U.K. government gave this its full backing. The unions supported the necessary changes. The workforce has responded magnificently. It is a British success story," he said.
Cable, who at one point traveled to the U.S. to plead the plant's case, told BBC television that no financial inducements were offered to General Motors Corp. to keep the U.K. facility open, saying the move underlined that Britain is "a good business environment for the motor industry."
Production of the new car is due to begin in 2015, with at least 160,000 vehicles scheduled to be produced every year.
London 2012 Olympics: venue guide - Daily Telegraph
6) Venue: Greenwich Park
Location: In south-east London on the south bank of the river Thames.
Hosting: Equestrian- Jumping, Dressage, Eventing and Paralympic Equestrian. Also Modern Pentathlon.
Capacity: 23,000.
About: Existing venue, which is an enclosed royal park, with the Old Royal Naval College and the National Maritime Museum also within its grounds.
Fact: Henry VIII introduced deer to Greenwich Park in the 16th Century for him to be able to hunt them. He did not catch them all however, and some still remain in the park today.
Post Games: The temporary structures will be taken down and the park will return to the way it was.
7) Venue: Hadleigh Farm
Location: East of London in Essex
Hosting: Mountain Bike
Capacity: 3,000, not including standing around the course
About: It is a new, 550 acre venue, which is the alternative site to the original Weald County Park which was deemed not challenging enough.
Fact: Hadleigh Farm is owned by the Salvation Army
Post Games: The temporary structures will be taken down.
8) Venue: Handball Arena
Location: In the west of the Olympic Park
Hosting: Handball, Goalball, Modern Pentathlon.
Capacity: 7,000
About: New, permanent venue which will host the handball games up to the quarter-final, but the semis and the finals will be played in the larger Basketball Arena.
Fact: Rainwater collected from the venue’s roof will be used to flush lavatories and reduce water usage by 40%.
Post Games: It will be adapted to become a multi-use sports centre for the community to use, as well a training centre for athletes and a venue for small to medium sized competitions.
9) Venue: Hockey Centre
Location: Olympic Park
Hosting: Hockey, Paralympic 5-a-side Football, Paralympic 7-a-side Football.
Capacity: 15,000
About: New venue, composed of two pitches, the main pitch with a capacity of 15,000 and the second pitch with a capacity of 5,000.
Fact: The first Olympic Hockey final was played in 1908 in London, where England defeated Ireland 8-1.
Post Games: The hockey pitches will relocate to the north of the Olympic Park, joining a collection of facilities in a place known as Eton Manor.
10) Venue: Horse Guards Parade
Location: In Whitehall, in the heart of London next to Downing Street and Buckingham Palace
Hosting: Beach Volleyball
Capacity: 15,000
About: The venue will be new, however the Parade has a long history, hosting the Queen’s official birthday celebration each year with the Trooping of the Colour.
Fact: At the 1996 Olympics, The USA men's side were so good that they had two teams playing each other in the final.
Post Games: The temporary facility will be taken down.
11) Venue: Hyde Park
Location: In the West End of London
Hosting: Triathlon, 10k Open Water Swim.
Capacity: 3,000
About: Hyde Park is the largest of London’s Royal Parks and has been open to the public since 1637. The seating will be a new but temporary addition to the park.
Fact: Queen played a concert here in 1976 with an estimated audience of between 150-200,000 people turning up.
Post Games: The course and the grandstand will be removed.
12) Venue: Lee Valley White Water Centre
Location: 30km north of the Olympic Park
Hosting: Canoe Slalom
Capacity: Up to 12,000
About: The centre will be a new, permanent venue which is made up of two courses, one for training, one for competition.
Fact: 15 cubic metres of water per second will flow into the 300m competition course – enough to fill a 50m swimming pool every minute.
Post Games: The venue will remain a Canoe centre open to the public as well as elite athletes, but the temporary seats will all be removed.
13) Venue: Lord’s Cricket Ground
Location: North-west London near Regent’s Park
Hosting: Archery
Capacity: 6,500
About: Lord’s is an existing venue and in sporting terms, is the ‘home of cricket’ and has been since 1814, hosting international matches on a regular basis.
Fact: The ground slopes 8ft 8in from one square boundary to the other.
Post Games: The ground will go back to being home for the Marylebone Cricket Club and Middlesex County Cricket Club. Archery equipment from the Games will be given to schools across the country.
14) Venue: North Greenwich Arena
Location: Right at the point of the Greenwich peninsular in East London near Canary Wharf
Hosting: Artistic Gymnastics, Trampoline, Basketball, Wheelchair Basketball
Capacity: 20,000
About: The Arena (also known as the O2 Arena), is an existing venue which currently hosts hundreds of concerts a year as well as sporting events such as tennis. It is widely regarded as one of the best venues in the world, attracting the biggest names in entertainment.
Fact: If the Eiffel Tower was laid on its side, it would still fit inside the arena.
Post Games: It will remain an entertainments venue, attracting people from all over the world.
15) Venue: Olympic Stadium
Location: In the south of the Olympic Park
Hosting: Athletics, Paralympic Athletics
Capacity: 80,000
About: The Stadium is being built from scratch and aims to be constructed by next year. 55,000 of the 80,000 capacity is removable, which apparently has never been attempted before.
Fact: 10,000 tonnes of steel are being used to build the venue, compared to the 42,000 used by Beijing for their ‘Bird’s Nest’.
Post Games: Negotiations are still ongoing as to what exactly will happen to the Stadium, with various sporting clubs in London all expressing interest in using or leasing it.
16) Venue: Olympic Village
Location: In the Olympic Park
Hosting: All athletes and officials.
Capacity: 17,000
About: As well as residential apartments, the village will comprise of shops, restaurants, medical, media and leisure facilities. There will also be a ‘Plaza’, where athletes can meet up with friends and families.
Fact: The plan of the village has been based around London’s tradition of building homes around communal squares and courtyards.
Post Games: The village will become housing for new residents in east London, transforming into 2800 homes.
17) Venue: The Royal Artillery Barracks
Location: On the edge of Woolwich Common in south-east London.
Hosting: Shooting, Paralympic Shooting, Paralympic Archery
Capacity: 7,500
About: The artillery barracks were constructed in the 18th century and it only seems fitting that the shooting events take place here. Four temporary indoor ranges will be built for Pistol and Rifle shooting, with outdoor ranges for Trap and Skeet events.
Fact: Hungarian shooter Karoly Takac, taught himself to shoot left-handed after a grenade blew off his right arm in 1938. 10 years later, he won two gold medals at the London 1948 Games.
Post Games: There is still uncertainty as to where elements of the venue and sports equipment could be reused after the Games.
18) Venue: Velodrome
Location: In the North of the Olympic Park
Hosting: Track Cycling, BMX, Paralympic Track Cycling.
Capacity: 6000 in the Velodrome (permanent), 6000 at the BMX track (temporary)
About: Totally new venue with the velodrome having two tiers, with a glass window in between the tiers for a 360-degree view of the Olympic Park.
Fact: Sir Chris Hoy was involved in the design process of the Velodrome.
Post Games: The BMX seating will be removed and the track reconfigured. A new mountain bike course and road cycle circuit will be added to create one venue which will encompass all disciplines of the sport.
19) Venue: Wembley Arena
Location: Northwest London, 6 miles from the city centre.
Hosting: Badminton, Rhythmic Gymnastics
Capacity: 6,000
About: Wembley Arena is one of the most famous concert venues in the world and has been host to many of the biggest names in the music industry. It has also hosted sporting events such as boxing, ice hockey and darts, so very little preparation needs to be done for it to be ready.
Fact: Wembley Stadium was the primary venue the last time the Games were held in London, in 1948. Was built for the equivalent of the Commonwealth Games (The Empire Games) in 1934 by Sir Arthur Elvin, and originally was intended to be a swimming pool.
Post Games: It will return to being a world-class concert venue.
20) Venue: Weymouth and Portland
Location: In Dorset on England’s South Coast
Hosting: Sailing, Paralympic Sailing
Capacity: No seating at venue
About: Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour provide some of the best natural sailing waters anywhere in the UK, along with facilities to match on land. It has already hosted the World Youth Championships which was attended by over 60 nations.
Fact: Great Britain has been the most successful sailing nation at the last three Olympics.
Post Games: The venue will be used predominantly by the National Sailing Academy after the Games, who will no doubt benefit from the improved facilities. Local community use will also be allowed.
21) Venue: All England Lawn Tennis Club
Location: Wimbledon
Hosting: Tennis
Capacity: 30,000
About: Wimbledon is the home of the All England Tennis and Croquet Club and is the setting for arguably the best tennis tournament in the world which takes place every summer. It is famous for being the only major grass-court venue in the world.
Fact: ‘Love’ – the term for ‘no points’ in tennis – is thought to come from the French word ‘l’oeuf’, meaning ‘egg’ – the shape of a zero.
Post Games: Wimbledon will go back to being host of the major tennis tournament.
22) Venue: Water Polo Arena
Location: Olympic Park
Hosting: Water polo
Capacity: 5,000
About: designed to complement the look of the Aquatics Centre, the wedge-shaped arena will rise from 12 metres to 25 metres and feature a rippling roof made of recycled PVC cushions inflated with air to provide extra insulation.
Fact: the Aquatics Centre and Water Polo Arena will be adjacent to each other in one of the most tightly-packed areas of the Olympic Park.
Post Games: the arena will be taken down, although it is expected that materials will be reused or recycled.
23) Venue: Eton Manor
Location: Olympic Park
Hosting: Wheelchair tennis
Capacity: 10,500
About: the formerly disused sports club will house nine competition courts and four warm-up courts, as well as temporary training pools – three 50m pools for swimmers, and smaller pools for synchronised swimmers and Water Polo players.
Fact: Eton Manor acted as a temporary base for the Construction College East London, a training centre for people hoping to work in construction. When the college moved to its permanent base in 2009, many students stayed on to work on the Olympic project.
Post Games: the site will serve as a sports centre for the local and regional communities and will include a tennis centre with four indoor and six outdoor courts, a hockey centre with two competition pitches and five-a-side football pitches. The site will be able to accommodate elite hockey events with up to 15,000 spectators.
24) Venue: Brands Hatch
Location: In Kent, one hour away from the Olympic Park
Hosting: Paralympic road cycling
Capacity: TBC
About: The internationally-renowned motor racing circuit plays host to many British and international racing events throughout the year. The Paralympic course, which passes through Sevenoaks, will start and finish at Brands Hatch.
Fact: The venue was originally a mushroom field, before its potential as a racing track was spotted by a group of cyclists in 1926. The track was used for 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986.
Post Games: The track will revert to its role as one of Europe's leading motor racing venues.
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