Her Majesty The Queen greets Torchbearer Phillip Wells. Her Majesty The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh observe as Phillip Wells holds the Olympic Flame outside Windsor Castle. LOCOG
The first team officials have started moving in to the Olympic and Paralympic Village ahead of athletes’ arrival on 16 July.
Arrivals began last Monday and will continue over the coming days as National Olympic Committees familiarise themselves with essential Games time Village services and facilities.
Coinciding with team arrivals, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has announced its full Olympic Village Mayoral Team. The Olympic Village Mayoral team will consist of:
• Olympic Village Mayor, Charles Allen
• Three Deputy Olympic Village Mayors – Shadow Cabinet Minister Tessa Jowell, Olympic gold medallist Duncan Goodhew and Chair of the Cultural Olympiad, Tony Hall
• A wider Mayoral team including youth representatives from across the UK – Ozzie Clarke-Binns, Ashley Mitchell, Abraham Male, Dilly Newton, Julie Steen and Jodi McGinty who will assist with protocol visits; and Olympic and Paralympic representatives who will assist with Team Welcome Ceremonies
LOCOG Chair, Seb Coe “We’ve worked hard to ensure that everyone who stays in the Athletes Village has all the comfort and convenience they need to prepare for the biggest moment in their sporting careers. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved – the Athletes’ Committee, Village Mayoral team, key partners and our workforce for all their hard work as they prepare to welcome the world’s best athletes on Monday.”
Olympic Village Mayor, Charles Allen said “The arrival of team officials marks the beginning of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games for the Village. The announcement of the Village Mayoral team today is another step towards welcoming athletes on Monday and a fantastic London 2012 experience for all those staying at the Village.”
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said, “The athletes coming to London’s Games have spent years preparing for the competition this summer. We are welcoming them to an Athletes’ Village that is secure, comfortable and well-equipped, so that all they have to worry about is their performance when the big day comes. And after today’s heroes have returned to the four corners of the world, tomorrow’s Londoners will arrive, enjoying a legacy of outstanding homes on the edge of London’s newest Park for generations to come.”
The London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Village is the most compact in recent Games history but will have an expansive feel with the inclusion of a Central Park area along with the proximity of the Olympic Park with its open spaces. It offers athletes excellent links to the entertainment and heritage of London with central London just seven minutes travel from Stratford International Station adjacent to the Village.
Teams will be accommodated in 2,818 ‘gold medal standard’ apartments across 11 residential blocks, each built around a spacious courtyard offering athletes private areas to relax.
For further information about Village services and facilities click here.
After the Games the ODA will make provision for removing temporary Games-time fittings in the apartments and ‘retro-fitting’ them with new kitchens to create a legacy of new homes to be known as East Village. This will offer the best of city living in one place as high-quality home – affordable and private rented or owned – are matched with newly created parklands, public squares and some of the best transport connections in the capital.
