Jump to content

2012 Summer Paralympics

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Naturals (talk | contribs) at 09:14, 13 August 2012 (→‎Broadcasting). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

See also: 2012 Summer Olympics
Summer
Winter
Paralympic agitos
Part of a series on
2012 Summer Paralympics

The 2012 Summer Paralympic Games will be the fourteenth Paralympics and will take place between 29 August and 9 September. They will be held in London, United Kingdom, after the city was successful with its bid for the Paralympics and Summer Olympic Games.

The Games will be first Paralympics in the United Kingdom, although the U.K. did host a direct precursor to the Paralympics, the Stoke Mandeville Games in 1948, which was organised by Dr. Ludwig Guttmann and the Stoke Mandeville Hospital, on the same day as the opening ceremony for the 1948 Summer Olympics.[1]

Bidding process

Main article: Bids for the 2012 Summer Olympics

As has been practice since 1992, the host city of the 2012 Summer Olympics also hosts the Paralympics.[2] After the fourth and final round of voting at the 117th IOC Session in Singapore, the city of London was awarded the right to host the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics with 54 votes, beating Paris's 50.[3][4]

2012 Summer Olympics bidding results
City NOC Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4
London  United Kingdom 22 27 39 54
Paris  France 21 25 33 50
Madrid  Spain 20 32 31 —
New York City  United States 19 16 — —
Moscow  Russia 15 — — —

Development and preparation

Main article: 2012 Summer Olympic development

As with the Olympics, the 2012 Summer Paralympics are overseen by LOCOG and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). LOCOG is responsible for overseeing the staging of the games, while the ODA deals with infastructure and venues.

The Government Olympic Executive (GOE) within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is the lead Government body for coordinating the London 2012 Olympics. The GOE reports through the DCMS Permanent Secretary to the Minister for Sports and the Olympics Hugh Robertson. It focuses on oversight of the Games, cross-programme management and the London 2012 Olympic Legacy that will benefit London and the UK.

Venues and infrastructure

Further information: Venues of the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics
Olympic Stadium in April 2012

The 2012 Paralympic Games will use a mix of new, existing, and temporary facilities. Venues used by the Paralympic events are located within two of the three named zones within Greater London; the Olympic Zone and the River Zone—none of the Central Zone's venues are being used for Paralympic events. In addition to these are venues that, by necessity, are outside Greater London, such as the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy on the Isle of Portland in Dorset that will host sailing events.

Public transport

See also: 2012 Summer Olympics § Public transport

In August 2012, concerns were raised by Transport for London commissioner Peter Hendy that London's transportation system might not be able to adequetely handle the Paralympics; specifically fearing that the end of summer holidays for schools (which falls during the Paralympics) will result in increased traffic, drivers might not pay attention to traffic warnings, and that users of the transport system might not make the necessary behavioural changes that resulted in the smooth operation of London's transportation system during the Olympics.[5]

Financing

Further information: 2012 Summer Olympics § Financing

Lead-up and promotion

Countdown clock in Trafalgar Square

The formal handover ceremony occurred during the closing ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, when Mayor of London Boris Johnson received the Paralympic Flag from Mayor of Beijing Guo Jinlong. The handover featured a cultural presentation similar to that at the Olympics, with urban dance group ZooNation, the Royal Ballet, and Candoco, a physically integrated dance group, all dressed as London commuters and waiting for a bus by a zebra crossing. A double-decker bus drove around the stadium, guided by Ade Adepitan, to music composed by Philip Sheppard. The top of the bus was open and folded down to show a privet hedge featuring London landmarks such as Tower Bridge, The Gherkin and the London Eye. Cherisse Osei, drummer for Mika, and Sam Hegedus then performed, before the top of the bus folded up into its original form, sporting multi-coloured Paralympicc livery.[6] Both the Paralympic and Olympic flags were formally raised outside of London's City Hall on 26 September 2008. British Paralympians Helene Raynsford and Chris Holmes raised the Paralympic flag.[7][8]

In August 2009, Royal Mail commissioned artists and illustrators to create 30 stamps (reflecting the 30th Olympiad) to honour the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games, which were released in batches of ten between 2009 and 2011. Each stamp featured an Olympic or Paralympic sport and the London 2012 logo.[9][10] On 22 July 2011, the last of the stamps was released.[11]

A digital clock in Trafalgar Square commenced a countdown to the Paralympic opening ceremony on 14 March 2011. However less than 24 hours after it was switched on, it suffered a technical failure and stopped—displaying "500 (days) 7 (hours) 06 (minutes) 56 (seconds)." It was quickly repaired.[12]

On 8 September 2011, Trafalgar Square hosted International Paralympic Day, an event hosted by Rick Edwards, Ade Adepitan and Iwan Thomas, to coincide with a visit to London by representatives of the IPC. The event celebrated the Paralympic Games, showcasing and demonstrating the 20 sports which would be featured during the Games (with some sessions also made inclusive to people with hearing disabilities), and also featured appearances by the Paralympic athletes Oscar Pistorius (of which a bronze statue of his likeness by Ben Dearnley was also unveiled), Ellie Simmonds and Sascha Kindred. Prime Minister David Cameron and Mayor Boris Johnson also made appearances during the event, [13].[14] Two days later on 10 September 2011, supermarket chain Sainsbury's and Channel 4 presented a family concert at Clapham Common, Sainsbury's Super Saturday. The event featured showcases of Paralympic sports, and featured performances by pop music acts such as Nicola Roberts, The Wanted, and The Saturdays.[15][16]

Channel 4, the official television broadcaster of the 2012 Summer Paralympics in the United Kingdom, produced a television advertisement entitled "Meet the Superhumans" to promote its coverage of the games. The advert, produced by in-house director Tom Tagholm with input from British Paralympic Association's Tim Hollingsworth, was intended to help bring more exposure to the Paralympics as an "event in its own right" rather than just an afterthought to the Summer Olympics. Set to Public Enemy's song "Harder Than You Think", the advert focused on the competitive and "superhuman" aspects of Paralympic sport, whilst non-sentimentally bringing attention to the personal stories that reflect every athlete's participation in the games. "Meet the Superhumans" premiered on 17 July 2012, and aired simultaneously as a "roadblock" advert on 78 different commercial television channels in the UK.[17] [18]

Additionally, as it did during the Olympics, Royal Mail will also honour British gold medalists in the Paralympics by painting gold a post box in their hometown, and featuring them on a series of commemorative stamps. However Royal Mail faced allegations of discrimination after it revealed that it would feature Britain's Paralympic gold medalists in group portraits on a series of six stamps, rather than releasing individual stamps for each gold medalist as it did during the Summer Olympics. Royal Mail soon released a statement clarifying its decision; due to its anticipation of the British Paralympic team matching or exceeding its medal performance from Beijing (where it won 42 medals), Royal Mail felt it would be "logistically and practically impossible" to release individual stamps for each Paralympic gold medalist.[19]

Ticketing

Over 2.5 million tickets were made available for the 2012 Summer Paralympics. Ticket sales for the Games have broken Paralympic records: 1.4 million were sold before the Summer Olympics opened (the period during the preceeding Olympics had previously been the busiest sales period), already surpassing the number sold in Sydney.[20] On 8 August 2012 LOCOG announced that 2.1 million Paralympic tickets had been sold (600,000 in the previous month alone), breaking the record of 1.8 million in total sold for Beijing. IPC president Sir Philip Craven congratulated London for this achievement, crediting it to "the insatiable appetite the public has for top class elite sport", and noted it would be fitting for a Paralympics held in its spiritual birthplace to have sold-out events.[20] The success of Great Britain's performance in the Olympics and fan interest in South African runner Oscar Pistorius (who, in London, became the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics) contributed to the spike in ticket sales in the weeks leading up to the Games.[21]

See also: 2012 Summer Olympics § Logo

The 2012 Summer Payalympics will, for the first time ever, use a logo sharing a common design with the Summer Olympics.[22] The logo, designed by Wolff Olins, was unveiled on 4 June 2007, and is a representation of the number 2012.[23] The Paralympic version had its own colour scheme and substitutes the Olympic Rings with the International Paralympic Committee's logo.[24]

The Paralympics logo (far left) and the different official colour combinations of the 2012 Summer Olympics logo.
An editor has nominated the above file for discussion of its purpose and/or potential deletion. You are welcome to participate in the discussion and help reach a consensus.

Mascots

Main article: Wenlock and Mandeville
The Olympic Mascots, Mandeville (left) and Wenlock (right)

The official mascot of the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games, Mandeville, was unveiled alongside its Olympic counterpart Wenlock on 19 May 2010. As characters, they are portrayed drops of steel from a steelworks in Bolton, and feature singular camera eyes—representing focus, and the cameras being used to capture the Games. Mandeville is named in honour of the village of Stoke Mandeville, the site of a major precursor to the modern Paralympics. Mandeville also wears an aerodynamic helmet emblazoned in the red, green, and blue colors of the Paralympic logo.[25][26]

Test events

Main article: London Prepares series

Several Paralympics-specific events were held during the London Prepares series of test events; these included the London International Goalball Tournament, and the London Disability Grand Prix (the first Paralympic sport to be held at the new Olympic Stadium).[27][28]

The Games

Participating nations

File:2012 Summer Paralympics gold medal.jpg
2012 Paralympic Gold Medals

London 2012 will be the "biggest Paralympic Games ever."[29] San Marino[30] and Solomon Islands[31] will be participating for the first time.

The following National Paralympic Committees are scheduled to send delegations to compete:

Sports

The London Paralympics will be the first Games since the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney in which athletes with intellectual disabilities (ID) will be authorised to compete following a decision by the International Paralympic Committee in 2008.[35] Athletics, swimming and table tennis will include events with an ID classification.[36][37]

Twenty sports are on the programme:[38]

Calendar

On 25 August 2011 official schedule was revealed.[39]


All dates are British Summer Time (UTC+1)

OC Opening ceremony ● Event competitions 1 Gold medal events CC Closing ceremony
August/September 2012 August September Events
29th
Wed 		30th
Thu 		31st
Fri 		1st
Sat 		2nd
Sun 		3rd
Mon 		4th
Tue 		5th
Wed 		6th
Thu 		7th
Fri 		8th
Sat 		9th
Sun
Ceremonies OC CC —
Archery ● ● ● ● 4 3 2 9
Athletics 11 17 20 17 21 20 21 16 23 4 170
Boccia ● ● 3 ● ● ● 4 7
Cycling Road cycling 18 4 6 4 50
Track cycling 5 5 5 3
Equestrian ● ● 2 3 2 4 11
Football 5-a-side ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 1 2
7-a-side ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 1
Goalball ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 2 2
Judo 4 4 5 13
Powerlifting 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 20
Rowing ● ● 4 4
Sailing ● ● ● ● ● 3 3
Shooting 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 2 12
Swimming 15 15 15 14 14 15 15 15 15 15 148
Table tennis ● ● ● 11 10 ● ● ● 4 4 29
Volleyball ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 1 1 2
Wheelchair basketball ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 1 1 2
Wheelchair fencing 4 4 2 1 1 12
Wheelchair rugby ● ● ● ● 1 1
Wheelchair tennis ● ● ● ● 1 ● 2 3 6
Daily medal events 28 40 49 59 51 54 64 47 48 57 6 503
Cumulative total 28 68 117 176 227 281 345 392 440 497 503
August/September 2012 29th
Wed 		30th
Thu 		31st
Fri 		1st
Sat 		2nd
Sun 		3rd
Mon 		4th
Tue 		5th
Wed 		6th
Thu 		7th
Fri 		8th
Sat 		9th
Sun 		Total events
August September

Broadcasting

The IPC will webcast approximately 580 hours on their website.[53]

See also

References

  1. ^ "History of the Paralympics". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  2. ^ "Paralympics 2012: London to host 'first truly global Games'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  3. ^ "London beats Paris to 2012 Games". BBC News. 6 July 2005.
  4. ^ Culf, Andrew (6 July 2005). "The party that never was: capital marks the games at last—Eight weeks after Olympic celebrations were cut short by bombings, London puts on a low-key spectacle to show it means business". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 2 October 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Transport fears as Paralympic ticket sales surge". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  6. ^ "Media guide to the London 2012 Paralympic Games Handover segment, Closing Ceremony, Beijing 2008 Games" (PDF). London 2012. 17 June 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  7. ^ "Mayor of London - Video clips: Olympic and Paralympic flags raised at City Hall". Legacy.london.gov.uk. 26 September 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  8. ^ "1948 Olympians and 2012 hopefuls join Beijing heroes as Olympic and Paralympic flags raised at City Hall". Legacy.london.gov.uk. 26 September 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  9. ^ "Welcome to Royal Mail Group". .royalmailgroup.com. 24 August 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  10. ^ "Royal Mail releases final set of 2012 Olympic stamps | London 2012". insidethegames.biz. 22 July 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  11. ^ "Year-to-go Olympic stamps unveiled by Royal Mail". BBC News. 22 July 2011.
  12. ^ "London 2012 countdown clock stops in Trafalgar Square". BBC News. 15 March 2011. Archived from the original on 18 March 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "International Paralympic Day 2011". London 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  14. ^ "London 2012: David Cameron visits Paralympic Day". BBC News. 8 September 2011.
  15. ^ "Sainsbury's Super Saturday". London 2012. 10 September 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  16. ^ "Sainsbury's Super Saturday - News - Sainbury's Super Saturday". Channel 4. 18 August 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  17. ^ "Ad of the Day: Paralympic Games Forget the Olympics. This is the summer's most stunning sports commercial". Adweek. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  18. ^ "Paralympics: Channel 4's superhuman effort". The Independent. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  19. ^ "Royal Mail defends decision to deny Paralympic gold medallists own stamps". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  20. ^ a b "2.1m Paralympic tickets snapped up". The Independent. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  21. ^ Cecil, Nicholas. "Interest in 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius pushes up London 2012 Paralympic ticket sales". The Independent. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  22. ^ "London 2012 logo to be unveiled". BBC Sport. 4 June 2007. Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 4 June 2007. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "London unveils logo of 2012 Games". BBC Sport. 4 June 2007. Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2007. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ "The new London 2012 brand". London 2012. 4 June 2007. Archived from the original on 6 June 2007. Retrieved 4 June 2007.
  25. ^ "The London 2012 mascots". London 2012. 19 May 2010. Archived from the original on 21 May 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ Farquhar, Gordon (19 May 2010). "London 2012 unveils Games mascots Wenlock & Mandeville". BBC News. Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ "London 2012 test events unveiled". BBC News. 24 February 2011.
  28. ^ "GB goalball hopeful on Paralympic place after test event". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  29. ^ "It's Official – London 2012 to be Biggest Paralympic Games Ever | IPC". Paralympic.org. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  30. ^ Paralimpiadi, Cristian Bernardi: "Sono molto emozionato, farò del mio meglio"
  31. ^ "Paralympics starts trainings this week", Solomon Star, 2 February 2012
  32. ^ Jordan aiming for first Olympic medal. Published by the Jordan Olympic Committee on their website (www.joc.jo) on 2012-05-16; retrieved 2012.
  33. ^ http://ukinlebanon.fco.gov.uk/en/visiting-uk/london-2012-olympics/500-days/
  34. ^ Lithuania Team
  35. ^ "Paralympics to alter entry policy", BBC, 13 September 2008
  36. ^ Intellectual disability ban ends, BBC, 21 November 2009
  37. ^ International Sports Federation for Persons with Intellectual Disability - President's Newsletter July 2010, UK Sports Association for People with Learning Disability, July 2010
  38. ^ Paralympic sports, London 2012
  39. ^ "2012 Paralympic schedule revealed". BBC News. 25 August 2011.
  40. ^ "Channel 4 to be the Paralympic Broadcaster in the UK in 2012". Channel 4. 8 January 2010. p. 3. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  41. ^ "Unprecedented Rolling Coverage for London 2012 | IPC". Paralympic.org. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  42. ^ "Paralympic team reveals Games wear". ABC Online. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  43. ^ "Globo buys Paralympic Games Rights and probably will show events live". UOL. 7 January 2011. p. 3. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  44. ^ "Follow Your Team: Canadian Paralympic Committee Announces London 2012 Paralympic Games Coverage". Canadian Paralympic Committee. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  45. ^ "Record-breaking figures for Paralympic broadcast rights". London 2012 Paralympic Games. 25 April 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  46. ^ "Les Jeux Paralympiques de Londres en direct sur TV8 Mont-Blanc !". tv8montblanc.fr. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  47. ^ "ARD und ZDF stocken Ausstrahlung der Paralympics auf". Digitalfernsehen.De. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  48. ^ "Record-breaking figures for Paralympic broadcast rights". London 2012 Paralympic Games. 25 April 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  49. ^ "Record-breaking figures for Paralympic broadcast rights". London 2012 Paralympic Games. 25 April 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  50. ^ "Record-breaking figures for Paralympic broadcast rights". London 2012 Paralympic Games. 25 April 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  51. ^ "Record-breaking figures for Paralympic broadcast rights". London 2012 Paralympic Games. 25 April 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  52. ^ "NBC: 5,000+ Hours for Olympics, 0 Hours for Paralympics". About.com. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  53. ^ http://www.dbs-npc.de/paralympics-nachrichten/items/ipc-sendet-580-stunden-live-von-den-paralympischen-spielen.html
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2012 Summer Paralympics.
Preceded by Summer Paralympic Games
London
XIV Paralympiad (2012) 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2012_Summer_Paralympics&oldid=507175731"