Find out more about the British Council's Programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
From their early origins in Ancient Greece, the Olympic Games have developed into one of the most widely covered sporting events in the world. Pierre de Coubertin, inspired by the ‘Much Wenlock Games’ in Shropshire in the UK, founded the International Olympic Committee in 1894 and the first modern Olympic Games took place two years later, fittingly, in Athens.
In 1908 London stood in as Host City for Rome after an eruption on Mount Vesuvius. For the first time, athletes paraded under their national flags at the opening ceremony and the Marathon was fixed at 42.195km; this became the official distance from the 1924 Games onwards. In 1948 London again stepped in at the last minute to host the first Games after World War II; these were the first games to be shown on home television.
The UK also has a strong link to the Paralympic Games. In 1948 Dr Lutwig Guttmann organised a sports competition for soldiers with spinal cord injuries in Stoke Mandeville hospital, and the competition took place between sports clubs and other hospitals on the same day as the Opening Ceremony of the London 1948 Olympic Games. Four years later, athletes from Holland joined in and the Paralympic Games were born.
In 2012 London and the UK will host the event for a third time and will welcome millions of visitors for the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Olympic Park showcases the architectural and engineering talent in the UK today. The design and construction across all buildings, open spaces, parklands, infrastructure and public transport means that the UK will go further than any previous Olympic and Paralympic Games in making the site welcoming and easy to use for everyone.
The London 2012 Games will feature 300 events in 26 sports across an Olympic Park that has been designed with energy efficiency at its core, providing a blue print for sustainable living. 90% of the material from buildings demolished to prepare the site has been channelled back into construction and 20,000 trees have been planted providing a new lung for the city of London, and a new habitat for wildlife
The Games will deliver a strong legacy - not just regenerating a part of East London and creating one of the largest urban parks in Europe, but also inspiring a new generation of young people to participate more actively in sport.
Cultural Olympiad
The London 2012 Cultural Olympiad is the largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Movements. Spread over four years, it is designed to give everyone in the UK a chance to be part of London 2012 and inspire creativity across all forms of culture, especially among young people.
The culmination of the Cultural Olympiad will be the London 2012 Festival, bringing leading artists from all over the world together in the UK’s biggest ever festival – of dance, music, theatre, the visual arts, film and digital innovation. The British Council is supporting the international development of London 2012 Cultural Olympiad projects.
International Inspiration
Delivering the ambitions promised by the London bid team in Singapore, the International Inspiration programme aims to ‘reach young people all around the world and connect them to the inspirational power of the Games so they are inspired to choose sport.’
International Inspiration uses the power of sport to enrich the lives of millions of children and young people of all abilities, in schools and communities across the world, particularly in developing countries, through the power of high quality and inclusive physical education, sport and play. Young people in the UK are also involved in the International Inspiration programme, with 300 schools in the UK being linked with 300 schools across 20 countries supported by the British Council.
The United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.
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