London 2012: A guide to the Olympic and Paralympic venues

It will also mark the beginning of crowded streets, stuffy Tube rides and over-priced souvenirs of the rather strange Olympic mascots Wenlock and Mandeville (above). Expect the Queen to be greeted at the entrance of the Olympic Stadium by President of the International Olympic Committee and the Chair of the Organising Committee – hopefully they don’t forget to bow! 

Here’s our complete list of London 2012 Olympic venues hosting the Games next year:

Aquatics Centre

Where: Olympic Park, Stratford, east London.
What: Diving, swimming, synchronised swimming, Paralympic swimming, modern pentathlon.
About: This new, permanent structure features a wave-like roof longer than Heathrow Terminal 5. It has a bridge over the top where two thirds of the spectators are expected to clamber into the Olympic Park. Just make sure you don’t take a topple – your dive will look childish in comparison to the athletes.
When: Diving, Jul 29-Aug 11; swimming, Jul 28-Aug 4; synchronised swimming, Aug 5-10; modern pentathlon, Aug 11-12; Paralympic swimming, Aug 30-Sep 8.

Basketball Arena

Where: Olympic Park, Stratford, east London.
What: Basketball, wheelchair basketball and rugby, handball. 
About: This arena is one of the largest temporary Olympic venues ever built. Workers will need to transform it quickly, removing basketball equipment and installing handball goals to accommodate the variety of events during the Games.
When: Basketball, Jul 28-Aug 12; wheelchair basketball, Aug 30-Sep 8; wheelchair rugby, Sep 5-9; handball, Jul 28-Aug 12. 

BMX Track

Where:  Olympic Park, Stratford, east London.
What: BMX cycling.
About: This new 400m track will be reconfigured after the Games for community use as a part of the new VeloPark.
When: Aug 8-10.

Brands Hatch

Where: Kent.
What: Paralympic road cycling.
About: Brands Hatch is an internationally renowned motor racing circuit that has hosted the British Grand Prix with great success for two decades. 
When: Sep 5-8.

City of Coventry Stadium

Where: Coventry, Midlands.
What: Football.
About: Usually home to the Coventry City football club, the stadium will be a London 2012 Live Site venue, with a large screen installed at the city centre screening live events.
When: Jul 25-Aug 11. 

Earls Court

Where: Earls Court, west London.
What: Volleyball.
About: An existing exhibition centre first opened in 1937.
When: Jul 28-Aug 12. 

Eton Dorney

Where: London.
What: Rowing, paralympic rowing, canoe sprint.
About: Dorney Lake features a 2,200m, eight-lane rowing course built to international standards. This will be the first year the canoe sprint event is featured in the Olympic Games.
When: Rowing, Jul 28-Aug 4; Paralympic rowing, canoe sprint, Aug 6-11; Paralympic rowing, Aug 31-Sep 2. 

Eton Manor

Where: Olympic Park, Stratford, east London.
What: Wheelchair tennis.
About: A new sporting facility now stands on the site of the old Eton Manor Sports Club, unused since 2001. The versatile venue will have temporary training pools during the Olympics, and will host wheelchair tennis during the Paralympic Games. Wheelchair tennis has the same rules as able-bodied tennis, with the exception that the wheelchair tennis player is allowed two bounces of the ball.
When: Sep 1-8.

ExCel

Where: East London.
What: Boxing, fencing, judo, table tennis, taekwondo,
weightlifting, wrestling, boccia, paralymic table tennis, paralympic judo, paralympic powerlifting, sitting volleyball, wheelchair fencing.
About: One of Europe’s largest exhibition spaces down by London’s famous docks.
When: Jul 28-Aug 12; fencing, Jul 28-Aug 5; judo, Jul 28-Aug 3; table tennis, Jul 28-Aug 8; taekwondo, August 8-11; weightlifting, Jul 28-Aug 7; wrestling, Aug 5-12; boccia, Sep 2-8; Paralympic table tennis, Aug 30-Sep 8; Paralympic judo, Aug 30-Sep 1; Paralympic powerlifting, Aug 30-Sep 5; sitting volleyball, Aug 30-Sep 8; wheelchair fencing, Sep 4-8.

Greenwich Park

Where: South-east London.
What: Equestrian events – jumping, dressage and eventing, paralympic equestrian, modern pentathalon.
About: Greenwich Park is London’s oldest Royal Park and a World Heritage site, dating back to 1433. More than 200 athletes will compete for six gold medals in the equestrian sports, the only Olympic sport in which men and women compete against each other on equal terms.
When: Jumping, Aug 4-8; dressage, Aug 2-9; eventing, Jul 28-31; Aug 11-12, modern pentathlon, Paralympic equestrian, Aug 30-Sep 4.

Hadleigh Farm

Where: Essex.
What: Mountain biking.
About: The farm is owned by the Salvation Army and contains hilly open grass land with spectator viewing areas. A temporary course has been constructed against the backdrop of Hadleigh Castle.
When: Aug 11-12.

Hampden Park

Where: Near Glasgow, Scotland
What: Football.
About: Men’s and women’s competitions will take place here.
When: Jul 25-Aug 11.

Hampton Court Palace

Where: Richmond, London.
What: Road cycling time trial.
About: A stunning royal palace, once home to King Henry VIII. These are free events. 
When: Jul 28-Aug 1.

Handball Arena

Where: Olympic Park, Stratford, east London.
What: Handball, goalball, modern pentathlon.
About: The modern pentathlon – quite a quirky event – consists of fencing, swimming, riding and combined run-shoot event.
When: Handball, Jul 28-Aug 12; goalball, Aug 30-Sep 7; modern pentathlon, Aug 11-12.

Hockey Centre

Where: Olympic Park, London.
What: Hockey, paralympic five-a-side-football, paralympic seven-a-side football.
About: This temporary structure will be relocated after the Games to the north of the park as a part of the Eton Manor sports facilities.
When: Hockey, Jul 29-Aug 11; Paralympic five-a-side, Aug 31-Sep 8; Paralympic seven-a-side, Sep1-9.

Horse Guards Parade

Where: At the heart of Whitehall, close to Downing Street and Buckingham Palace
What: Beach volleyball.
About: The parade ground dates from 1745 and hosts a ceremony on the Queen’s official birthday each year. Sand will be brought in to create a temporary beach. 
When: Jul 28-Aug 9. 

Hyde Park

Where: London’s West End
What: Triathlon, marathon swimming.
About: Open to the public since 1637, the park is expected to be home to music, theatre, film and cultural events in the summer. A temporary grandstand and course will be constructed for the Games.
When: Triathlon Aug 4-7; marathon swimming, Aug 10.

Lee Valley White Water Centre

Where: Hertfordshire, 30 km north of the Olympic Park.
What: Canoe slalom.
About: A new course with two canoe slaloms was constructed for the Games. A 10,000m² lake is also being constructed, complete with pumps to create white water and obstacles in the course.
When: Jul 29-Aug 2. 

Lord’s Cricket Ground

Where: Near Regent’s Park in north-west London.
What: Archery.
About: Normally home to the Middlesex County Cricket Club. 
When: Jul 27-Aug 3.

The Mall

Where: From Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square, London.
What: Athletics (marathon and race walk), Paralympic athletics (marathon) and road cycling.
About: Usually the backdrop to major sporting events such as the London Marathon, the smaller Olympic and Paralympic marathons seem small potatoes with just 80 athletes in each race.
When: Athletics, Aug 3-12; road cycling, Jul 28-Aug 1; Paralympic athletics, Aug 31-Sep 9.

Millennium Stadium

Where: Cardiff, Wales.
What: Football.
About: The stadium has already played host to many top sporting events including a Rugby World Cup final. 
When: Jul 25-Aug 11.

North Greenwich Arena

Where: Across the Thames from the Olympic Park.
What: Artistic gymnastics, trampoline, basketball, wheelchair basketball.
About: Originally built for the millennium celebrations, the arena has been transformed into a sports and entertainment arena. 
When: Artistic gymnastics, Jul 28-Aug 7; trampoline, Aug 3-4; basketball, Jul 28-Aug 12; wheelchair basketball, Aug 30-

Sep 8.

Old Trafford

Where: Near Manchester, north-west England.
What: Football – two events.
About: Home to Manchester United Football Club, the venue was expanded to 76,000 making it the second-largest football ground in the UK. 
When: Jul 25-Aug 11.

Olympic Stadium

Where: Olympic Park, Stratford.
What: The stadium will host 208 events, athletics and paralympic athletics as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.
About: The new permanent structure is its own modern-day fortress, surrounded on three sides by water. Fans and spectators will enter the stadium via five bridges. Some 80,000 people can fit into the stadium. After the Games, it will continue to hold sporting and cultural community events.
When: Athletics, Aug 3-12; Paralympic athletics Aug 31-Sep 9.

Olympic Village

Where: Olympic Park, Stratford.
What: Home for athletes and officials during the Games.
About: The village will comprise residential apartments for some 17,000 athletes and officials. After the Olympics, the village will provide essential new housing for east London with 2,800 homes.

The Royal Artillery Barracks

Where: South-east London.
What: Shooting, paralympic shooting, paralympic archery.
About: The venue is part of the port of Woolwich, with a military history beginning with the barracks’ construction in 1776. 
When: Shooting, Jul 28-Aug 6; paralympic shooting, Aug 30-Sep 6; paralympic archery, Aug 30-Sep 5.

St James’ Park

Where: Newcaste-upon-Tyne, north-east England.
What: Football.
About: Newcastle United have given up their stadium for the quarter-finals of the men’s and women’s competitions.
When: Jul 25-Aug 11.

Velodrome

Where: Olympic Park, Stratford.
What: Track cycling, paralympic track cycling.
About: The Velodrome is the most sustainable venue in the Olympic Park in design and construction. There’s no air-con inside, as a 100 per cent natural ventilation system was installed. With room for 6,000 spectators.
When: Track cycling, Aug 2-7; Paralympic track cycling, Aug 30-Sep 2.

Water Polo Arena

Where: Olympic Park, alongside the Aquatics Centre, Stratford.
What: Water polo.
About: The arena contains a warm-up pool as well as the competition pool and will be deconstructed after the games.
When: Jul 29-Aug 12.

Wembley Arena

Where: North-west London
What: Badminton, rhythmic gymnastics.
About: About 6,000 spectators are expected to enjoy the thrilling, nail-biting, action-packed events of badminton and rhythmic gymnastics. Ribbon twirling has never been so intense.
When: Badminton, Jul 28-Aug 5; rhythmic gymnastics, Aug 9-12.

Wembley Stadium

Where: North-west London.
What: Football.
About: Each seat in the new stadium has a guaranteed unrestricted view of the pitch. Wembley is the biggest of the six Olympic stadiums, and will host the gold medal events in men’s and women’s football.
When: Jul 25-Aug 11.

Weymouth and Portland

Where: Dorset.
What: Sailing, paralympic sailing.
About: The harbour was the first 2012 Games venue to be finished. Despite the early completion date, there will be no seating for spectators – standing or sitting on the ground will be the only option for sailing enthusiast crowds.
When: Sailing, Jul 29-Aug 11; Paralympic sailing, Sep 1-6.

Wimbledon

Where: South-west London.
What: Tennis.
About: Wimbledon has been home to the world-famous self-named tennis tournament since 1877. It is the only major grass-court tennis venue in the world and will once again host the world’s biggest names. 
When: Jul 28-Aug 5.