OLYMPICS WITHOUT TICKETS - YOU CAN STILL HAVE THE EXPERIENCE
If you didnt manage to get tickets for the Olympics in the UK then why not visit some of the venues and stadia that will be hosting the events along with some of Britains great iconic and historical sporting locations
Olympic Park Tours
Work is well underway at the Olympic Park in East London. You can see the dramatic transformation in progress with a tour of the site.
Tour Guides Ltd – 2012 Olympics Tour
The ‘2012 Olympic Sites Tour’ starts in Stratford in East London, where you can see the construction work in progress on the Olympic Park. You will also hear the history of London's Royal Docks, as you travel to the Boxing, Judo, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Table Tennis and Taekwondo venue. Other London landmarks on the tour include the Millennium Dome, Thames Barrier Park and University of East London.
Go East London
This ‘View the Sporting Vision’ tour takes place on a traditional, red London Routemaster bus. The tour starts at the Olympic Park site, where the regeneration plans will be explained. Travelling to the Royal Docks, you can see the Excel Centre where martial arts, weightlifting and boxing events are planned. After a lunch break in Stratford the tour moves south of the river courtesy of the Woolwich Ferry. After seeing the Royal Artillery Barracks on Woolwich Common, it moves on to Greenwich where the Millennium Dome will play host to basketball and gymnastics. The tour finishes in Greenwich where the park, once a royal hunting ground, is now the proposed scene of equestrian events.
Olympic venues you can visit now
Many of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games competitions will be taking place at the new Olympic Park venues. But some events and competitions will be happening at venues around Britain. Here are the Olympic venues that you can visit before the 2012 games commence
Earls Court
2012 sport: Indoor Volleyball
The Earls Court Exhibition Centre in West London will be turned into a 15,000 seat arena, where the Indoor Volleyball competition will take place. Earls Court was also the venue for the boxing preliminaries, wrestling, weightlifting and gymnastics at the 1948 London Olympics.
Dorney Lake, Eton Dorney
2012 sport: Rowing and Flatwater Canoe/Kayak, Paralympic Rowing
Eton Dorney, near Windsor Castle, will be the venue for the Rowing and Flatwater Canoe/Kayak and Paralympic Rowing in the 2012 games. Dorney Lake is a 2,200m, 8 lane course with a separate return lane recently constructed to international standards by Eton College.
ExCeL London
2012 sport: Boxing, Fencing, Judo, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Boccia, Paralympic Table Tennis, Paralympic Powerlifting, Wheelchair Basketball
ExCeL London is one of Europe’s largest and most versatile exhibition spaces, and in 2012, the various competitions will take place throughout 4 arenas.
Football stadiums
2012 sport: Football
The London 2012 Football competitions will be held at stadiums throughout the country. Catch the games at Hampden Park in Glasgow; Millennium Stadium in Cardiff; Old Trafford in Manchester; St James’ Park in Newcastle; Villa Park in Birmingham and Wembley Stadium in London, where the finals will take place.
Lord’s Cricket Ground
2012 sport: Archery
Lord’s Cricket Ground in North West London will be transformed into an Archery range for 2012. Crowds of 6,500 will enjoy the Archery competition of the Olympic Games, with two fields of play inside the stadium.
North Greenwich Arena
2012 sport: Gymnastics, Basketball
You probably know the North Greenwich Arena as the Millennium Dome. During the Games, the North Greenwich Arena will host Gymnastics and the finals of the Basketball competition. The arena will seat 20,000 spectators for the Basketball final and 16,500 for the Gymnastics.
Regent’s Park
2012 sport: Road Cycling
Regent’s Park, one of London’s Royal Parks, will host the conclusion of the Road Cycling course in 2012. The course will take in some of London’s premier locations including Hampstead Heath, before reaching its conclusion in Regent’s Park in front of 3,000 seated spectators.
Royal Artillery Barracks
2012 sport: Shooting, Paralympic Shooting
The Royal Artillery Barracks on the edge of Woolwich Common in South East London is the 2012 venue for the Shooting and Paralympic Shooting competitions. Several temporary shooting ranges will be built at the existing venue, and crowds of 7,500 will be able to enjoy the action.
Weymouth and Portland Harbour
2012 sport: Sailing, Paralympic Sailing
Weymouth & Portland Harbour in Dorset, on England’s South East coast, will be the venue for the 2012 Sailing and Paralympic Sailing competitions. Weymouth and Portland Harbour provides some of the best natural sailing waters in Britain. The Sailing and Paralympic Sailing events will be free for spectators to watch.
White Water Canoe Centre
2012 Sport: Canoe Slalom
Broxbourne, in Hertfordshire will be the venue for the Olympic Slalom events during the 2012 games. Two Canoe Slalom courses will be created, including a permanent 300m competition course and a 160m warm-up course. A lake measuring 10,000 hectares will feed a system of pumps which will provide the Olympic course with 15 cubic metres of water per second – enough to fill an Olympic swimming pool every minute.
Wimbledon
2012 sport: Tennis
Wimbledon in South East London will be used for the Tennis competition of the 2012 Games. Up to 30,000 people will be able to watch the players compete. After the Olympics, Wimbledon will continue to host the Championships every summer.
Sporting heritage sites in Britain
Britain has a very proud sporting heritage and is home to some of the world’s greatest sporting events and sites.
Wembley Stadium
Where: Wembley, London
Wembley Stadium is the home of English football. The stadium, with its iconic arch, has recently undergone an £800 million renovation. The stadium now has 90,000 seats with no obstructed views, and has already hosted great sports and music events.
Wimbledon
Where: Wimbledon, London
The All England Lawn Tennis Club is the home of the world’s most famous tennis tournament. As well as holding the annual Wimbledon Championships, the club will also be the venue for the tennis competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Millennium Stadium
Where: Cardiff , Wales
The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff is the national stadium of Wales, and is mainly used for rugby union and football home international games. The Millennium Stadium will be one of the venues for the football competitions in 2012.
Lords Cricket Ground
Where: Marylebone, London
Lords is the home of cricket, and holds a special place in the heart of cricket fans everywhere. Lords hosts Npower Test matches and 1-day internationals, plus most of Middlesex Cricket Club's home games, historic fixtures and a number of village and club finals.
St Andrews Golf Course
Where: St Andrews, Scotland
St Andrews is where the game of golf as we know it, was invented. The Open Championship was first played on the Old Course in 1873. And with the 27th championship played there in 2005, St Andrews has held the event more times than anywhere else.
Silverstone racetrack
Where: Northamptonshire, England
Silverstone, in Northamptonshire, is the home of the British Grand Prix, and the home of British motor racing. Silverstone also stages some of the largest motorsport series in the world, including the British Superbike Championship and World Superbikes.
Twickenham Rugby Stadium
Where: Twickenham, London
Twickenham is the largest rugby union stadium in Britain, and after its recent renovation, is now the second largest stadium in Britain after Wembley. An icon of English rugby, Twickenham is the home of the Rugby Football Union and hosts England’s home test matches.
Newmarket Racecourse
Where: Newmarket, England
Newmarket is the home of British horseracing and the National Stud. The 2 courses – the Rowley Mile course and the July course – are used for flat racing only. Every year, Newmarket hosts the Stan James Guineas Festival and the Natwest Rowley Mile race.
Old Trafford
Where: Manchester , England
Old Trafford is the home of Manchester United Football Club – the most successful team in Premier League history. The ‘Theatre of Dreams’ is the second largest football stadium in England, and will be one of the venues for the football competitions in 2012.
Queen’s Club
Where: London
The Queen’s Club in West London is one of the best lawn tennis and racquet clubs in the world. It’s also the national headquarters of real tennis (the original racquet game), and hosts the British Open, Stella Artois Championships and the World Rackets Championships.