There was a time when Olympic Games were seen as the biggest sporting extravaganza, these still are, but now these are also the most watched in the whole world. Beijing Olympic Games of 2008 were watched by more than 1 billion people. With London Olympics, the figure is expected to go up. The games are still a year away, but London has already embraced the mood of a gracious host for athletes who would be coming to the city next year from 205 nations.

The finance marathon

The initial cost for organizing the games was estimated to be around $6.5 billion, the actual cost turned out to be $15.2 billion. The organizing committee will raise around £2 billion through private funding. In the aftermath of the economic recession and the wide ranging cuts implemented by the government, the organizers are hoping to raise as much as $820 million from ticket sales.

Tickets

The planning and execution for the sale of game tickets have come under heavy criticism from the local media. According to the British broadsheet Guardian, only 30,000 of the 80,000 seats available for 100m race were on offer to the British public. The organizers are facing severe criticism for taking money out of people’s account even before they were allocated with the tickets.

Transport

London has made significant improvement in its transport network in run up to the games. A tube route by the name of ‘jubilee line’ has been opened between London and Stratford. As a tribute to the spirit of the games, an Olympic javelin service is also under construction. For those who would be driving their way to the games, a special route out of London has been created that will be connected to the javelin service.

The venues

Most of the games related construction is on track. A new Olympic park which was earlier the sight of industrial wasteland is being regenerated in Stratford. This Olympic stadium will be the host to opening and closing ceremonies and a range of other track and field events. Several other games are spread throughout the city, beach volleyball will take place at horse guard’s parade near 10 Drowning Street, a cycle time trial at Hampton court palace etc., the legendary site of Wembley stadium, now transformed into a sporting arena, will host men’s and women’s football.

Legacy

This is good news for Londoners; most of the Olympic specific venues will be donated for public use after the final ceremony on 12 August 2012. The move has created some controversy regarding land distribution, but overall it has been applauded by the environmentalists.

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About the author: Amanda Kidd is a blogger whose passion is to explore new places around the world. Amongst all, she loves beaches and her favorite has been the Virginia Beach. She enjoys blogging on travel related topics that also include frugal tips to travel and best honeymoon packages.