Ten Amazing Facts About the 2012 Olympics.

On 27 July 2012 more than 15,000 athletes and millions of people will gather in London to be part of an unique sporting and cultural event, the Olympics. For 60 days, the length of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Olympic Park in London will be the centre of the world.

The site of the Olympic Park is located in the Lower Lea Valley. It is 2.5 sq km, which is the equivalent of 357 football pitches. Originally, its main use was for industry, later it was used for landfill and there was even a 100-year old tip on the site where the VeloPark is being built. About 75 per cent of the land was exposed to some form of contamination.

By the summer of 2008, the majority of the site was cleared and cleaned. 'The big build' could now begin. Works on all the permanent venues on the Olympic Park are making good progress: the Olympic Stadium, the Aquatics Centre, the International Broadcast Centre and Main Press Centre (IBC/ MPC), the Velo Park, the Olympic Village and Handball Arena; they are all under construction. The enhanced sailing facilities at Weymouth and Portland are the first London 2012 venue to be finished at this stage.

Athough no medals are won yet, There are many mind blowing records to reveal already about the London 2012 Games. Here are a few interesting facts and figures.

Facts About the Olympic Games in London 2012.

'7.7 million Olympic Games tickets will be available for London 2012.
'2000 newts will be relocated from the Olympic Park to the Waterworks Nature Reserve.
'200 km of cabling will be used for the underground powerlines (this is the equivalent of the distance between London and Nottingham).
'8.35 km of waterways will be within or close to the Olympic Park (this is the equivalent of 167 lengths of a 50 m swimming pool).
'800,000 people are expected to use public transport to travel to the Games on the busiest day. This is more than the entire population of Leeds.
'53m will be the height of the Olympic Stadion. This is three metres taller than Nelson's Column.
'205 Nations will be competing at the London 2012 Games.
'4,000 trees will be planted on the Olympic Park and Olympic Village sites. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth planted the first tree in October 2009 on the Olympic Stadium site.
'90% of material that will be reclaimed from demolition within the Olympic park can be reused or recycled.
'Approximately 260,000 loaves of bread are expected to be consumed at the London 2012 Olympic Games.