London 2012 Olympic Slogan Announced As 100-day Countdown Begins

As you may have heard, the Olympics are being held in London this year, and today marks the start of the 100-day countdown. As the day of the London 2012 opening ceremony draws nearer and nearer, we look at today's events celebrating the landmark.

Perhaps the most important news to come out today is the revealing of the official London 2012 slogan. And the slogan is...(drum roll please)... "Inspire a generation". Head of the organising committee Lord Seb Coe explained that the typically dull slogan "should come as no surprise as it is the heartbeat and DNA of the London Games".

Flowers and Sandcastles

Lord Coe kicked off the celebrations today from Kew Gardens in west London by welcoming the world's media to "a very wet and windy London". He was there to unveil a set of giant Olympic rings made up of 20,000 flowers and spanning 50m. Purposefully designed to be viewed when arriving by plane into Heathrow Airport, the rings will welcome visitors in the summer.

Another photo opportunity was available at Horse Guards Parade in central London when 250 guards formed the number 100 to mark the day (pictured top). This was matched by a giant sandcastle built on Weymouth beach in Dorset, where the London 2012 sailing competitions will take place.

We have joined in with the festivities, and to mark the occasion, we can reveal our amazing new London Olympics 2012 Guide. It is made specifically with foreign students in mind, and has everything you could ever want to know about the Olympics, from the athletes, to the venues, to the opening ceremonies. Check it out here.    

Top 10 London 2012 Facts

To mark the 100 days a list of 100 top facts about the Gamed was created. Here are our favourite ten:

1. More than one million pieces of sports equipment will be used at the games and donated to charity afterwards
2. Rainwater will be collected from the Handball Arena's roof and then be used to flush the building's toilets, reducing water usage by 40%
3. During the building of the Aquatic Centre, four skeletons dating from a prehistoric settlement were discovered
4. The artist Martin Creed has organised for all the bells in the country to be rung for three minutes on the first day of the Olympics
5. Students from the Royal College of Art have designed the podium for the Victory Ceremonies
6. The London 2012 Games will be the single largest movement of people after the annual pilgrimage to Mecca
7. The shopping list to feed athletes and visitors to the London Olympic Village during the Games includes 25,000 loaves of bread, 232 tonnes of potatoes and 21 tonnes of cheese
8. The biggest McDonald's restaurant in the world is being built in the Olympic Park. It will be 30,000 sq ft and seat 1,500 customers
9. The oldest person in this year's Olympics is 70-year-old Hiroshi Hoketsu, who will be competing in Japan's horse riding team
10. Due to the height of the athletes, every door in the Basketball Arena is required to be at least 2.4 metres high

See all 100 facts here.

Share with friends