Sports and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games
East London offers a wide variety of sports activities for the very active and those that prefer to watch. London is also the host city for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with the focus on east London.
Stratford
The Olympic Park in east London, lies at the heart of London's plans for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The 500-acre site in the Lower Lea Valley in Stratford will provide a compact, secure and easily accessible home for the Games, seven minutes from central London.
Nine new venues will be situated within easy walking distance of each other, allowing competitors and spectators alike to experience the unique atmosphere of an Olympic Games. The main 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium will host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, as well as the Athletics events.
The park will feature a world-class Aquatics Centre, which will include two 50m swimming pools and a diving pool. The Hockey Centre will comprise two stadia with different capacities, plus a warm up pitch. The Velopark will include the Velodome and a BMX track, while the four multi-sport arenas will be the setting for Fencing, Volleyball, Basketball and Handball. The Park will also house the Olympic Village, providing accommodation for every competitor and official, with 80 per cent within 20 minutes of their event venues.
Local Information: www.newham.com/2012games www.london2012.com
London’s sporting heritage has its roots in east London
East London can claim a sporting heritage that dates back to the Gladiators slogging it out in the amphitheatre which once occupied the site where the historic Guildhall now stands in the City of London. London’s sporting heritage has shaped so much modern sport, its rules and new games. Today, our sport is a lot less bloody, but no less exciting;
1. Greyhound racing can trace its roots back to when Knut, the Danish king of England, decreed in 1016 that common folk should not be allowed to keep greyhounds. It wasn’t until the 1920’s that greyhound racing became legal and the track at Walthamstow Stadium has to be the testament to the huge ongoing popularity of this sport. www.wsgreyhound.co.uk
2. In 1886 workers at the Royal Arsenal formed a football club initially known as Dial Square after the workshops in the heart of the huge munitions complex. They won their first game, winning a 6-0 victory over Eastern Wanderers on the Isle of Dogs. Renamed Royal Arsenal two weeks later the club entered the professional football league as Woolwich Arsenal in 1893. Today it is known simply as Arsenal F.C., having moved to north London in 1913. www.arsenal.com
3. Daniel Mendoza, the world’s first sporting superstar, was born and raised in east London. His first recorded fight was a victory over “Harry the Coal heaver”, and after he defeated Sam “The Bath Butcher” Martin in 1787, Mendoza established a reputation as a fighter of the first rank.
4. Writing around 1173, William Fitzstephen, the first Londoner to write about London, praised the manly vigour with which the city’s youth wrestled, ran and cudgelled, and how in winter strapped animal bones to their feet to skim over the icy marshes of Moorfields, just north of the City of London.
5. King James 1 brought golf to Blackheath from his native Scotland when he took up residence at the nearby Royal Palace at Greenwich in 1604. Now recognised as the oldest gold club in the world, the Royal Blackheath Golf Club has a small museum which can be visited by prior arrangement. Contact jan@rbgc.com www.royalblackheath.com
6. The bowling alley at the Royal Naval College in Greenwich dates back to the 1860’s and is situated in the restored Chalk Walk beneath the Queen Mary quarter of the former Greenwich Seaman’s hospital. Built to entertain the many sailors who lived out their final years there, it is said to be haunted! www.oldroyalnavalcollege.org
7. In 1895 Arnold Hills, Managing Director of Thames Ironworks, gave permission and then largely funded the formation of a football club for workers in his ship-building company. In 1900 Thames Ironworks FC disbanded and the Club reformed as West Ham United FC. They have been at their grounds in Green Street, Upton Park since 1904. www.whufc.com
8. London Fields Lido, situated in west Hackney, was opened in 1932 and served the locals well until closure in 1986. Now restored to its former glory, this art deco icon is certainly worth a plunge for residents and visitors.
9. What do the Thames Vikings, Thames Taniwha and the Thames Titans have in common? They are all Dragonboat racing teams based in the Docklands. Originating in China, this sport is very popular, with regular races held. The most challenging London's 22-mile Great River Race between Richmond and Greenwich, held in September each year.
10. London will be hosting the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games for the third time, a unique feat for a host city. Although this is an international sporting event, this great occasion also has much resonance with London and east Londoners especially, as the new stadium will be built at Stratford.
www.london2012.com
Messing about with boats down at the Royal Victoria Docks is
fun for all the family. Visit www.newham.gov.uk
or www.dswc.org for sailing
or dragon boat racing in the Docklands.
Stroll or cycle along the Thames Path, from the London Eye to the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, passing the Pool of London, Docklands, Greenwich and the Thames Barrier. There are plenty
of watering holes to stop at along the way. Take your camera, as the views
are something special.
If you prefer something completely different, learn how to be a circus acrobat
at Circus Space www.circusspace.co.uk.
There is a lot for football fans, with four clubs, including West
Ham United, Charlton
and Millwall Football
Club. West Ham United also have their own museum and hotel,
from which you can enjoy spectaular views of the pitch.
Quad Club
Leisure facilities at Crowne Plaza London-Docklands offer the Quad Club Health & Fitness Suite, with a 14-metre swimming pool, sauna and gymnasium featuring a range of state-of-the-art equipment. Quad Club is endorsed by 4-time Olympic gold medallist Matthew Pinsent, and offers a great place to relax or work up a sweat.
Crowne Plaza London - Docklands
Western Gateway
Royal Victoria Docks
London E16 1XL
T: +44 (0)870 990 9692
E: sales@crowneplazadocklands.co.uk
To check out your nearest leisure centre, visit...
www.newham.gov.uk
www.greenwich.gov.uk
www.lewisham.gov.uk
www.towerhamlets.gov.uk
