Few expected London to become the Host City of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Up against New York, Moscow, Madrid and favourites, Paris, London won the final round of voting over Paris 54 votes to 50 to upset the French. In doing so, it became the first city to host three Summer Olympic Games. Against this backdrop, London 2012 is set to prove that anything is possible.

London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) Chairman, Lord Sebastian Coe and his team are poised to create an Olympic Legacy that extends beyond the weeks of Games (27 July - 12 August) and the Paralympics a few weeks later. The goal is to encourage young people to participate in sport and promote the Olympic spirit throughout the United Kingdom.

Approximately 10,500 Olympic athletes will compete across 26 Olympic sports in 2012. It will be the first Games with the new sports schedule where baseball and softball were voted off the program by the IOC in 2005.

The privately funded London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) is responsible for staging and hosting the Games, while the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) - a public sector body - manages construction and infrastructure for London 2012. The combined budget for staging and hosting the 2012 Games is AUD $16 billion (9.3 billion pounds).

For our Australian Team, London represents the closest equivalent to a home-advantage. Many Australian athletes already use London as a base to compete in European competitions and are excited about the support they will get from Aussies in their ‘home away from home’.

The Australian Team is anticipated to be similar in size to the Beijing 2008 Team, which totalled 435 athletes and 318 officials. John Coates has handed over the role of Chef de Mission to dual rowing gold medallist Nick Green. Olympic swimming gold medallist Chris Fydler and Sydney 2000 Modern Pentathlon Olympian Kitty Chiller are the Deputy Chefs.

The challenge for the 2012 Australian Olympic Team is to place amongst the top five nations on the overall and gold medal tallies in 2012 with more than 14 disciplines winning medals.

The budget for sending the Australian Olympic Team to the Games is $14.2 million. For further detail and breakdown see the Funding Guidelines for 2009-2012 period>>> 

Nomination and Selection Criteria

Relevant documentation for athletes and coaches is now available and further information will continue to be posted regarding nomination and selection across all sport disciplines. To review this documentation click here>>>

The London 2012 venues are a mix of old and new. Iconic venues will be utilised with the major construction as the rejuvenation of Stratford in East London. The Olympic Park has been designed as an environmentally sustainable area that will provide new housing after the Games.

The construction of Olympic Park will regenerate a formerly industrial area of East London into a sustainable green space. Known as the ‘big five’ venues, the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre, International Broadcast Centre, VeloPark and Olympic Village will remain standing after 2012. The transformation of this area is a key feature of the Olympic Legacy.

In all there will be seven new permanent venues, six new temporary venues and 15 existing venues used for the 2012 Olympic Games.

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