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August 2008

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August 2008
Tony, Athletes Villages Manager

Huge strides made in transformation for the Paralympic Games

Tony, Athletes Villages Manager, 30 August 2008

As reported a couple of days ago, the speed and scope of transition from Olympic to Paralympic operations is phenomenal. Nobody, including me, believed that the 36 hours BOCOG had given itself would be achieved. At the Chefs de Mission meeting this morning (the heads of each country's team) it was announced that 65 National Paralympic Committees had already completed their registration covering 3,000 athletes: that’s 75% of the total. This afternoon at 2pm the Paralympic Village officially opens to the athletes – but as the last few Olympic athletes creep out (late!), a few early Paralympic arrivals have appeared....

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Michael, Sport and Youth worker

Macpro get in The Mix

Michael, Sport and Youth worker, 29 August 2008

The Macpro basketball team was down at the Get Set London Roadshow at The Mix festival in Burgess Park, Southwark on August 17.

It was a great day and provided us with a really great opportunity to engage with the local community, teaching fundamental basketball skills to members of the public.

Peace Boyle and Jo Sarjant340
We find that workshops of this nature really help to encourage inner city interest and involvement. Plus we had Jo Sarjant (bronze medallist at the Commonwealth games, 2006) on hand offering advice throughout the day about how to get involved in basketball and...

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Gurpreet, London 2012 Young Ambassador

Presenting the flag at the Handover celebrations

Gurpreet, London 2012 Young Ambassador, 29 August 2008

I am a Youth Ambassador for London 2012. I had the honour of travelling with other young people to Singapore when London’s successful bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games was announced back in 2005.

I was invited to the Visa London 2012 Handover Party on Sunday 24 August to take part in the handover celebrations on stage with three other Young Ambassadors. I was asked if I would like to present the London 2012 flag to the Deputy Mayor of Westminster and Leader of Westminster Council. I was grateful to the London 2012 team for asking me to do this...

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Meeting sporting heroes - an amazing experience in Beijing

Steven, McDonald's Champion Kid, 29 August 2008

I'm 14 years old and come from Christchurch in Dorset. I won the chance to be a McDonald's Champion Kid through a competition launched by Newsquest and McDonald's. To win the competition I wrote a short article on my favourite Olympic athlete, the incredible American swimmer, Michael Phelps.

As a McDonald's Champion Kid I’ve had the chance to do some brilliant things, the climax being a trip to the Olympic Games in Beijing. We’ve also visited LOCOG where we met and interviewed Sebastian Coe...(I'm front left)

McDonalds Champion Kids with Seb Coe 340x185

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One very proud dad!

Mike, Team Stadium, 28 August 2008

I just wanted to thank you all ever so much for all of the support and good wishes - my daughter Lisa went into the Beijing 2008 Olympics with an aim of getting to the final of the 1,500m and she did it.

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Ensuring travel for London 2012 runs smoothly

James, London Underground, 28 August 2008

Last week I visited the Olympic Park with my colleagues from London Underground's Stakeholder Communications team, to take a look at how progress on the sporting venues is shaping up.

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Reece, Beijing Games junior reporter

Loved the Olympic Games...can't wait to get out to Beijing

Reece, Beijing Games junior reporter, 27 August 2008

Hi Friends,

Hope you've been watching the Games in Beijing like I have, it's been brilliant. We came 4th in the world which isn't bad at all for a small country is it? Me and my family watched the Cycle Racing, Gymnastics and Boxing mostly - which was a bit scary as they were punching each other very hard at times. Earlier in the day I watched a man on Newsround who went to have a lesson with a famous boxer to show him a few moves and tell him what punches were illegal. He said you have to punch your...

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Alex, Head of New Media at London 2012

Using new media to create everyone's Games

Alex, Head of New Media at London 2012, 27 August 2008

As our 8 minute handover show marked the official handover of the Olympic Games to London on Sunday a similar shift of attention was taking place online.

Since the start of the Beijing games traffic levels on london2012.com have increased sixfold. Since Sunday our traffic has shot up to twenty times the norm. 500,000 unique users have visited the site and we have recorded in excess of 3.5 million page views. Around 75,000 new subscribers have signed up to London 2012 updates this month.

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Tony, Athletes Villages Manager

Transformation for the Paralympic Games begins

Tony, Athletes Villages Manager, 27 August 2008

Today the Village closes for the Olympic residents (although a few are in hiding for a few days more) and 'Paralympic DRMs' (the formal process of final registration of the team) begins. All of us who have been in past Games at transition time have been nervous from the outset. There are three main aspects to transition –

- the physical alterations to the venues and infrastructure
- the change from Olympic 'look' to Paralympic
- the refreshing of the staff resource

As early as the morning after the Closing Ceremony and three days before the official closing of the Olympic...

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Neil, Community team

And the excitement continues

Neil, Community team, 27 August 2008

What a great weekend. I spent Sunday travelling around the east London live sites, seeing Londoners enjoy their new status as the next (rather than next but one) host of the Summer Olympic Games - and if the 1948 street party in Hoxton is anything to go by, the world is going to have a great time in London in 2012.

handover_hackney 1948 tea party with programme web

And then back to reality, or so I thought at least. But my first meeting of the week was about planning with the London Borough of Merton - a necessary step as we prepare...

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Amanda, LOCOG Sustainability team

Trying to make an event for 40,000 in the Mall sustainable

Amanda, LOCOG Sustainability team, 26 August 2008

Putting on a free ticketed event for 40,000 people to celebrate the Handover of the Olympic Games from Beijing to London was no small feat. To organise this against the iconic backdrop of Buckingham Palace and along the Mall, within St James's Park and ensuring sustainability was considered every step of the way takes it to a whole new level.

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Adrian, work experience

Learning new skills during work experience at the ODA

Adrian, work experience, 26 August 2008

A typical summer’s morning is non-existent for an 18 year old, for a typical summer’s morning begins at 1pm!

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Time-lapse video shows the Olympic Stadium coming out of the ground

Anthony, ODA Filming Manager, 26 August 2008

One of our new time-lapse cameras has been hard at work capturing the rapid changes on the Olympic Stadium site.

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Mike, Head of Live Sites

Tea and flags - Handover celebrations enjoyed around the UK

Mike, Head of Live Sites, 25 August 2008

Yesterday the UK proved just how excited we all are to become the official hosts of the Summer Olympic Games. Hundreds of thousands of people enjoyed sporting and cultural events, watching the Handover Ceremony and Visa London 2012 party on giant screens or raising our special Handover Flag.

The pictures are coming in and will no doubt continue to do so over the next week or so - here are just a few for you to get a taste...

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Handover Ceremony opening clip

The 2012 Editor, 25 August 2008


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Morag, Web Producer

Next stop London

Morag, Web Producer, 25 August 2008

The emotion I normally feel while waiting for a London bus is impatience.

But watching a red London bus make a lap of the National Stadium at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Games last night – following in the mighty footsteps of Usain Bolt – gave me an intense rush of pride.

With our medal-winning cyclists dodging around dancing pedestrians, it created an uncanny glimpse of home – instantly familiar to anyone who’s ever lived in or visited London.

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Competition winner joins Handover Talent

The 2012 Editor, 24 August 2008

A young Blue Peter competition winner joined David Beckham, Leona Lewis and Jimmy Page last night at a photocall above the rooftops of Beijing.

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Celebrating success in Beijing

Godric, ODA staff, 23 August 2008

The Beijing 2008 Games have seen amazing scenes of celebration and moments of heartache for athletes of all countries.

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Morag, Web Producer

Counting down to curtain-up

Morag, Web Producer, 23 August 2008

A couple of nights ago I caught a sneak preview of the cast rehearsing the London 2012 show in tomorrow's closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games.

At least, a dress rehearsal was the intention. About 30 miles from the cast's top-secret rehearsal venue, 90 minutes outside Beijing, the skies opened and gave way to a phenomenal storm. It was a complete grey-out, with lashing rain, rollicking thunder and lightning flashing like a strobe.

Although we were tantalisingly close to the Great Wall, we could only make it out as black shadows.

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Live sites prove the perfect place to enjoy the action

The 2012 Editor, 22 August 2008

Thousands of people been getting together to enjoy the sporting action from Beijing at on giant screens across the UK, including Trafalgar Square: 

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