London is this year’s lucky host of the 2012 Summer Olympics. The events will be held from July 27 to Aug. 12, with 26 sports that athletes will compete in, ranging from archery to wrestling.
A countdown clock is displayed prominently in London’s Trafalgar Square, just outside the National Gallery, marking the number of days left until the opening ceremonies. With fewer than 200 days until its start, people around the globe are eagerly awaiting the spectacle.
Yet many do not realize the amount of preparation involved in planning the famous Games. Ever since London was selected to host the Games in July 2005, the city has been meticulously building, organizing and anticipating. Many venues have already been completed, though construction is still underway. In the midst of the historical buildings around the city, cranes can be seen overhead at all times.
London is committed to being sustainable during this process and is making a great effort to achieve this goal. The city has been closing down certain Tube lines during the weekends to ensure they will operate properly when the events begin in July.
"Having Tube service being worked on over the weekend has been problematic, and there is some concern that the resources going towards providing for the Olympics could have been better served to help the local communities," said Eric Hall, professor at the Elon Centre in London.
Although the amount of preparation being put forth is substantial, visitors to London are not currently seeing evidence of excitement.
“The Olympics don’t seem to be very prevalent right now, except for the fact that Olympic paraphernalia can be found in virtually every store you walk into,” said sophomore Casey Rogers.
As exciting as the Olympics are, for natives of the city, it’s not all fun and games (no pun intended). London’s current population is over 7 million, but with the number of visitors that are anticipated, the urban area is likely to become congested.
“It hasn’t impacted my life in London, but as it gets closer to the Games, it will start to impact my internship because I work with a magazine that displays creativity in advertising, and we will start to feature more commercials dealing with the Olympic games,” said Kelsey O’Connell, a sophomore.
In an effort to control the crowds, businesses are encouraging their employees to work from home during the Olympics. O2, a telecom company, held a trial run of this Feb. 8. Although their offices were closed for the day, 2,500 people managed to continue working as usual.
For those unable to watch the events in person, television stations worldwide will provide full coverage during the two weeks, but those in attendance at the Games are guaranteed to have a great experience.