The transport infrastructure of London is alsobeing overhauled. London 2012 is aiming for allspectators to get to the Games by public transport, or by walking or cycling. "London saw that the Games could help them toachieve their goal of regenerating one of the poorestareas in the UK and, thanks to the Games, they havebeen able to achieve that, with the great majority ofevery pound spent on infrastructure being used forlegacy purposes," Coe adds.Craig Reedie, the chairman of the British OlympicAssociation from 1992 to 2005, says redevelopingeast London was a big part of the city's bid. "We first started to talk about this way back in1993 or 1994. Right from the word go, the computerimages of the East End of London were staggeringand we almost thought 'Can we really pull this off?',"he says. "All credit to London and successivegovernments for delivering on promises that theysigned up to."As the Games draw closer, the level of interestacross the country has been unprecedented. Nearlytwo million fans in the UK applied for tickets in the first sales window, but London's international status means the 2012 celebrations will have a far wider reach.The excitement among young people is intense,and many have been able to connect to the OlympicMovement through social media. One of the keychallenges for the IOC is to make sure that the widestpossible audience, and particularly young people, canget access to the Games. It's worth noting that the IOC has over four millionfans on Facebook and about 135,000 followers on Twitter, and London 2012 has nearly 100,000 onTwitter, while just under 150,000 have joined theLondon 2012 Facebook group.Asked what he would like young people in the East End to remember from the Games, Reedie says: "I want them to see great sport. I want them to knowthe eyes of the world are being centred on their part of the world. And I want them to enjoy the mostwonderful of parties." In addition to the support of the British public,major UK and international companies have lent their backing to the Games, enabling LOCOG togenerate more than £690 million in domesticsponsorship."They play a key part in helping stage the Gamesin 2012," says Coe. "We have some fantasticsponsors and partners on board and they are reallyhelping spread the London 2012 message."President Rogge puts the success down to gettinginto the market place early. He adds that commercialinterest across the globe -11 Worldwide OlympicPartners are signed up for the Games -shows justhow popular the Games are turning out to be. London 2012 will also create a new chapter inbroadcast innovation: digital coverage of the Games is expected to reach unprecedented levels, with morepeople than ever watching live footage on mobilephones and handheld tablets in particular.The IOC is on track to provide coverage of the Games to all 204 National Olympic Committee(NOC) territories and, working with the OlympicBroadcasting Services, it will produce over 3,000hours of live sports coverage. As well as providing a celebration of sport andculture, the Games also have the environment at theircore. Sustainability, which is at the heart of everyaspect of planning, is about so much more than justbeing green. To host sustainable Olympic Games, London2012 has made five key commitments: to minimisethe carbon cost and ensure that facilities can copewith the long-term impacts of climate change; todeliver zero-waste Games and inspire new wastemanagement practices in the events and construction sectors; to minimise the impact onwildlife, conserve biodiversity and create new urbangreen spaces; to promote access for all, celebrate the diversity of London and the UK, and create newemployment, training and business opportunities; andto inspire people across the country to take up sportand develop active, healthy and sustainable lifestyles."We want to use the Games to send a strongmessage that we can run big projects in anenvironmentally friendly way," says Coe. TheCommission for a Sustainable London 2012, anindependent body which monitors the sustainability of the Games, has backed progress to date. "Not only have they [the Olympic DeliveryAuthority] delivered wonderful facilities they have also delivered unprecedented sustainability standards through a rigorous approach involving the on-site teams and management," the group'schair, Shaun McCarthy, said in April.But while the Games will be green, that won't bethe only colour on show thanks to the eye-catching"look of the Games" that has been created for London2012. At the forefront of this look are Wenlock andMandeville, the two London 2012 mascots who will ?44OLYMPIC REVIEWLondon 2012OVERVIEW34OLYMPIC The Games would not happen without volunteersand the process is well underway to find the70,000 people who will give up their time to help.Some 250,000 people applied to become part ofthe London 2012 Games Maker programme andCoe feels that choosing those who take part is key."Volunteers can make the difference between agood and a great Games," he says. "It's vital thatwe find the right people to carry out the wide rangeof roles needed, from collecting tickets towelcoming athletes at the airport. From theathletes to organisers, from the media to thepublic, we rely on the volunteers to deliversuccessful sporting events."VOLUNTEERSTHE'GAMES MAKERS'Below MichaelJohnson joinsforces withHackney's kids tolaunch theGames Makerprogramme

OLYMPIC REVIEW35OVERVIEWLondon 2012"THE TORCH THAT CARRIES THEOLYMPIC FLAME IS ONE OF THEMOST RECOGNISABLE AND SIGNIFICANT SYMBOLS OF ANOLYMPIC GAMES"The highly anticipated London 2012 Olympic Torchwas unveiled in June. It features 8,000 perforatedcircles to represent the 8,000 torchbearers who willcarry it around the country during the Olympic torchrelay, which begins on 19 May, before it arrives atthe Olympic stadium on 27 July for the lighting ofthe cauldron during the Opening Ceremony. Thethree-sided torch reflects that this will be London'sthird Olympic Games, while the triangular shape isalso a tribute to the three Olympic values:excellence, friendship and respect. At 80cm high it isone of the longest Olympic torches ever used, butweighing just 800g it is also one of the lightest. The8,000 holes help keep the weight down and alsoallow onlookers to see the flame shining through thesides of the torch, as well as rising from the top."The torch that carries the Olympic flame duringthe torch relay is one of the most recognisable andsignificant symbols of an Olympic Games," saysLOCOG chairman Seb Coe. "Members of the publicright across the UK are busy nominating inspiringpeople to be torchbearers and I am thrilled we havea beautifully designed, engineered and crafted torchfor them to carry."The Olympic flame will arrive from Greece on 18 May and the torch relay will start at Land's End in Cornwall - the most westerly point of mainlandBritain. It will travel as far as Scotland's OuterHebrides on an 8,000-mile (12,875-kilometre)journey, lasting for 70 days. LOCOG say the torch willcome within an hour's travelling time of 95% of theUK population and thousands of people are expectedto celebrate along the route, with shows andconcerts planned on 66 of the 70 days."The torch relay is one of the most iconicmoments of any Games," says former Olympic triplejump champion Jonathan Edwards. "When it startsits journey at Land's End the eyes of the world willbe watching it and I think it is something we can bevery proud of."TORCH RELAYSHININGLIGHT