The London 2012 Games

The  2012 Summer Olympics are upon us, officially known as the Games of the XXX Olympiad or London 2012, the games will take place in the United Kingdom. It's motto: "Inspire a Generation" with over 10,000 athletes from 204 nations  are expected to participate in 26 different sports.

The London games will last until August 12th, and in the next 16 days it's expected that one billion of the world's citizens will tune in this summer. London, as of today will become the first city to host the modern Olympics three times, having done so in 1908 and 1984. London won the right to stage the 2012 Olympics after competing against strong bids from New York, Madrid, Paris and Moscow. People from all over the world are visiting London for the Olympics, and they’ll be among over 500,000 spectators expected to attend. Over 9,000,000 seating tickets have been sold, with prices ranging from around $30 for standard seats at regular events to around $3,000 for the best seats at the July 27 Opening Ceremony. 

The Opening Ceremony begins tonight, with thousands of athletes marching into the Olympic Stadium behind their national flags. The Olympic games officially begins with the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron. For the next 16 days it will remain lighting as athletes compete for over 4,000 Olympic medals. The Closing Ceremony on August 12,  the flame in the Olympic Cauldron will finally be extinguished, and the games will be over. Shortly after the London games, the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games will begin. The Opening Ceremony will be held on August 29 and the competition will continue for the next eleven days, until the Closing Ceremony on September 9.