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london olympics 2012
London Olympics 2012 has hardly even had time to enjoy its success and already Rio is attempting to steal its shine, earlier this week releasing the official theme song for the 2016 Olympics.
As can be expected, the new song and video showcase the typical laid-back, tropical style associated with the South American gem.
The Gods of Olympus Visit Rio de Janeiro, as the song is called, was written by Brazilian composers Arlindo Cruz, Roge and Arlindo Neto, and was performed by well-known Rio de Janeiro natives.
London Olympics 2012 has hardly even had time to enjoy its success and already Rio is attempting to steal its shine, earlier this week releasing the official theme song for the 2016 Olympics
The clip follows several Greek gods as they visit the host city of the next Olympic Games, enjoying its inherent pleasures. As the lyrics reveal, “the gods fell in love with the city and didn’t want to leave.”
The song was released at the beginning of this week after Mayor Eduardo Paes, Governor Sergio Cabral, President of the Brazilian Olympic Committee Carlos Arthur Nuzma and several Brazilian athletes returned to the city with the Olympic flag.
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Scientists discovered that green tea can help mask the levels of testosterone in the body.
The study found extracts contained in the beverage, reduced concentrations of the hormone by up to 30%.
Olympic doping officials have now raised concerns that athletes could use tea to hide increased levels of testosterone from standard drugs tests.
Testosterone is one of the oldest illegal steroids used in sports, and it is commonly used to build muscle.
Experts say athletes taking testosterone for doping purposes typically have 200 to 300% more in their bodies than normal.
During the study, researchers added green and white tea extracts – or catechins – to the hormone and discovered that they reduced the concentration by almost a third.
Scientists discovered that green tea can help mask the levels of testosterone in the body
The recent anomaly could now lead to a change in the tests ahead of London Olympics 2012.
Olivier Rabin, scientific director of the World Anti-Doping Agency, or WADA said: “It’s interesting that something as common as tea could have a significant influence on the steroid profile.
“We may need to adjust our steroid (test) to allow us to exclude whether a test is modified by food or training or disease, before we can say that it’s doping.”
The study was conducted in a laboratory so scientists said it was too early to tell what the effect of green tea might be in humans, but similar results have been found in rodent studies.
Other foods and beverages, such as alcohol, are also known to muddle test results and WADA has tight controls on other commonly consumed substances like caffeine.
“There’s no reason to think we just happened to pick the only food in the world that does this,” said Declan Naughton of Kingston University, who published the findings in the journal, Steroids.
Charles Yesalis, a doping expert at Pennsylvania State University, said officials needed to react quickly.
“Athletes will not wait for the clinical trials,” Charles Yesalis said.
“I’ll bet there are already lots of athletes out there drinking loads of green tea,” he added.
However, some experts said the limited effects of foods like green tea on masking illegal drug use would be too small to help doping athletes.
“You would probably need to drink the tea continuously to get any sustained but minor effect,” said Andrew Kicman, head of research and development at the Drug Control Centre at King’s College London, which is providing the anti-doping laboratory for the upcoming Olympics.
“It would be a very foolish athlete who’s thinking of doping with testosterone and thinks he could drink white or green tea to beat a drug test,” he said.
“And I personally wouldn’t want to drink nine cups of tea on the day of a race.”
Aerial shoot: Olympic Park
London Olympics 2012
This summer millions of people will visit London and the UK for the 2012 Olympic Games which promise to be an unforgettable experience. London is a vibrant and exciting city but this summer there will be lots more to enjoy including many free fun and interesting events being held because the Olympics is taking place in and around the city.
World-class sporting action will be taking place not only in London but also in other venues across the UK as part of both the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Visitors will be able to enjoy the sporting action not only t the venues but in some streets and roads in and around the capital where trials in some events will be taking place such as cycling.
The Olympic Games start on 27 July and run until 12 August 2012.
The Paralympic Games begin on 29 August 20012 and close on 9 September 2012.
During the London 2012 Olympic Games top sportsmen and women from across the world will be competing in 26 sports which break down into 39 disciplines. There are 20 sports in the Paralympic schedule in the London 2012 Games. An Olympic Park has been created on 2.5sq km of land in east London from former industrial land that has been rapidly transformed over the last few years in preparation for the Games.
The new parkland contains thousands of trees and plants and is where the main Olympic Stadium has been built. The stadium which has a capacity of 80,000 for the Games is located in the south of the Olympic Park on an ‘island’ site surrounded by waterways on three sides. Spectators reach the venue via five bridges that link the site to the surrounding area.
Sports taking place in the Olympic Park include Athletics, Basketball, Cycling and Hockey. Other sports such as gymnastics, football and beach volleyball will take place in venues around the capital. Some of the venues in London are located near some of the capital’s most famous tourist attractions such as on the Mall opposite Buckingham Palace and on Horse Guards Parade.
Some trials will take place on the roads of stunning landmarks. For example the cycling trials will take place on the roads around the stunning Hampton Court Palace, formerly home to many famous monarchs. There will also be other sports such as football taking place at venues elsewhere in the UK.
There is a wide range of services and facilities in the Park, around the Olympic Stadium including plenty of cafes, food and drink stands, toilets and baby-changing facilities.
Aerial shoot: Olympic Park
Tickets
It is very unlikely that you can get a ticket for the Olympics on arrival in the City as they will all have been sold prior to the big even but there may be a kiosk set up outside the stadium for ticket re-sales although that has not been confirmed at the moment. And beware of scams and unauthorized websites fraudulently pretending to sell official tickets
There will be huge screens set up in several major parks in the city such as Hyde Park where visitors will be able to watch the Olympics live, for free. The trials for some events will be taking place on the capitals roads so you are likely to be able to action some of the world class action just from being in the right place at the right time.
Traveling to the venues
If you are one of the lucky ticket holders make sure you plan your travel well in advance of the event you are going to watch. Often the organizers are asking people to arrive up to two and a half hours before their session starts especially if it’s at the Olympic stadium so that they will have plenty of time to get through security which will be similar to that at airports. At other venues such as at Horse Guards Parade, 90 minutes in advance.
One soft-sided bag is allowed per person – for example, a medium-sized handbag or small backpack (maximum 25 liters). The bag should be small enough to fit under your seat or on your lap. There is no place to store your luggage.
Accommodation
Like any other major city, London has a vast range of accommodation to cater all budgets, from luxury hotels to budget rooms. For some visitors their accommodation is secondary to the place and the purpose of their visit for others they love home furnishings and home accessories, but it is important to book your accommodation sooner rather than later because hundreds of thousands of people will be visiting the capital during the Games.
London Festival
There will also be what’s called the London Festival held throughout the summer for ever visitor to enjoy, ticket holders and those who just want to soak up the atmosphere. The Festival will be packed with entertaining events, from theater performances, comedy and music both pop and classical to kids and family events as well as carnivals to get you into the party spirit
The White House has announced today that First Lady Michelle Obama will lead the official U.S. delegation to the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.
It has become somewhat of a tradition for first ladies to lead the U.S. delegation.
Laura Bush performed the duty at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, and Hillary Rodham Clinton headed up the delegation at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.
First Lady Michelle Obama will lead the official U.S. delegation to the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London
The announcement comes during a three-day visit to the U.S. by Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha Cameron, in which he and President Barack Obama intend to focus on foreign policy issues.
Michelle Obama will host a mini-Olympic competition with physical activities for D.C.-area children at American University today.
The competition is part of her “Let’s Move!” initiative promoting fitness and healthy eating.
Michelle Obama will be joined by Samantha Cameron.
Olympians and Paralympians expected to attend the event include: Kortney Clemons, Dominique Dawes, April Holmes, Lisa Leslie, Lori Ann Lindsey, Dan O’Brien, Becky Sauerbrunn and David Wagner.
The Olympics opening ceremony will take place in London on July 27.
Visitors to London in 2012 will pay twice as much to stay in the city as last year, according to an annual survey of hotel room prices.
The new study ran by Hotels.com found prices for booking in March this year for August are 102% higher than for the same months last year.
The website, which is part of the Expedia group of companies, says the average price of a hotel room in London will be £213 ($337) this summer.
Between 2010 and 2011 room prices worldwide rose 4%.
UK travelers generally saw rises in prices in more than two thirds of popular destinations, with increases in 69 of the 88 city or resort locations analyzed across the world, one of the main reasons for the rise was currency movements.
The survey, of 142,000 properties in almost 20,000 locations found political events had a marked impact.
Visitors to London will find hotel prices higher this year thanks to the 2012 Olympics
Greece’s economic woes led to a 10% fall in the price of a hotel room in Athens.
Elsewhere there were sharp movements in accommodation prices as a result of the Arab Spring and prices in Japan were affected by the earthquake.
Japan’s earthquake and subsequent tsunami in March 2011 saw price cuts in Hiroshima by 16% to $106 and in Kyoto by 11% to $144.
The Arab Spring protests and war in Libya hit prices across the Middle East and North Africa with average rates falling in Egypt by 22%, in Tunisia by 9%, in Lebanon, which borders Syria, by 21% and in Qatar by 27%.
Last year, prices fell 2% in Asia year-on-year but rose in all other areas: 8% in the Pacific, 5% in North America, 4% in Latin America, 3% in the Caribbean and 2% in Europe and the Middle East.
The average hotel price in Australia rose 13% to $171 reflecting the country’s strong currency and robust economy and other fast-growing economies registered similar rises, with Rio de Janeiro in Brazil up 13% and Hong Kong up 18% thanks to growth within China’s economy.
David Roche, president of Hotels.com, said: “Price volatility in 2011 meant UK travelers found it more expensive to stay in the majority of their favorite destinations abroad.
“A variety of factors, including currency movements and a growth in corporate travel, pushed up prices at a time when many consumers were already struggling to pay their bills at home.”
David Roche added though that room rates were still generally lower than they were in 2005.
