2012 Summer Paralympics

The 2012 London Summer Paralympic Games will be the fourteenth Paralympics and will take place between 29 August 2012 and 9 September 2012.

The Paralympic Games are a multi-sport event for athletes with physical, mental and sensorial disabilities. The Paralympic Games are held every four years, following the Olympic Games, and are governed by the International Paralympic Committee.

In 2010 the Games will be held in London, United Kingdom after the city was successful with its bid for the Paralympics and Summer Olympic Games. There will currently be 1.6 million tickets available for the various events with a predicted sell-out rate of 63%.

Even though 2012 will be London's third Olympic Games, it will be the first Paralympic Games to be staged there, as the event was created after the last time the city hosted in 1948.

The bulk of the Paralympic venues are set in two zones

The Olympic Park Zone and the River Zone. The two zones are within 15 minutes of each other, minimising travel times and disruption for Paralympians.

The Olympic Park will contain the main athletics stadium where the athletics and opening and closing ceremonies will take place. The Hockey Center will host seven-a-side and five-a-side football, and the Velopark will host track cycling. In the north of the Park, at Eton Manor, will be the archery and wheelchair tennis venue.

Three indoor arenas will host wheelchair rugby, goalball, wheelchair basketball, judo, and wheelchair fencing. The Aquatics Centre will host swimming. The athletes' village is also set within the Park, as are the Main Press Centre and the International Broadcast Centre. The River Zone will see a lot of action. ExCeL will host boccia, powerlifting, wheelchair basketball and table tennis. The Greenwich temporary arena will host sitting volleyball, Greenwich Park will host equestrian, providing a stunning backdrop. The Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich will host shooting.

The 2012 Paralympic Games in London will have 11 events at the main Olympic Park in Stratford including athletics, wheelchair rugby, goalball, wheelchair fencing, archery, swimming, table tennis, 7 a side and 5 a side football, track cycling plus wheelchair tennis.  Powerlifting, judo, wheelchair basketball, boccia, sitting volleyball will all take place at the nearby ExCeL Center venue, equestrian events will be at Greenwich Park and shooting events will be held at the Royal Artillery Barracks.

The UK is busy preparing for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, including plans for the Olympic Park, transportation, sustainability, ceremonies, technology, security, ticketing and accommodation.

The London Olympic Stadium will be the center piece of the 2012 Summer Olympics. The stadium will be located at Marshgate Lane in Stratford in the Lower Lea Valley and will have a capacity for the Games of approximately 80,000. Land preparation for the stadium began in mid-2007, with construction beginning in mid-2008 and completion scheduled for mid-2011.

The International Olympic Committee says that London 2012 will enable England to provide facilities and services for elite athletes, as well as encouraging participation in sport after the 2012 Games are over. The Olympic Park in East London "will become a model of social inclusion, opening up opportunities for education, cultural and skills development and jobs for people across London and Great Britain"

London 2012 will encourage active participation involving people in a whole range of Games activities from community activities and volunteering to sporting and cultural events. It will inspire young people and connect them to sport by putting the inspirational values of the Olympic and Paralympic Games on the school curriculum.

The purpose of London 2012 is to deliver accessible and inclusive designs for all facilities, maximize media coverage and strengthen the Paralympic Movement. The Olympic and Paralympic Games are the pinnacle of every athlete’s career. London 2012 will strive to provide conditions that enable the athletes to compete in an environment of excellence, friendship and enjoyment.

The 2010 London Paralympics will also be the first Games since the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney in which athletes with intellectual disabilities will be authorized to compete, following a decision by the International Paralympic Committee in 2008.

Twenty sports are on the program:

World class venues and a world class transport system will be essential to the success of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

More information on this event will be posted on Disabled World as details come to hand.

Further Information Regarding 2012 Summer Paralympics

Princess Royal Unveils New Home of British Olympic and Paralympic Sport
An exciting new chapter in the history of British sport officially commenced today as British Olympic Association President Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal officially opened the new home of British Olympic and Paralympic sport in a ceremony attended by representatives from British Olympic and Paralympic sport, athletes and London 2012 partners.

2012 London Paralympic Games Lead Up News
British teams in eight Olympics sports had their funding slashed on Thursday, raising fears that the host nation will be unable to field a team in every sport at the 2012 London Olympics. Four Paralympics sports also had their funding cut for the 2012 Games due to a budget shortfall of 50 million pounds.

London Olympics and Paralympics Readiness
Building an Olympic and Paralympic Games is no mean feat. It's not just a matter of erecting a few stadia and swimming pools. There are all sorts of infrastructure and transport facilities to create, as well as a legacy to leave for underprivileged areas. And a lot of the London Olympics site is on contaminated land which has first to be cleaned up before any building work can begin.

2012 London Paralympics and Olympics Information
Shropshire is already experiencing the benefits of the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics and more are on the way. The Games are creating a real difference not only in London but also across the country.

London Gears Up for 2012 Olympics
The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will use a mixture of new venues, existing venues and historic facilities as well as temporary facilities. In the wake of the problems that plagued the Millennium Dome, the intention of the London Olympic Committee is too ensure there are no "white elephants" (where the cost of keeping a facility amounts to more than its usefulness) after the Games.