Aerial view of the Olympic Park looking south. Picture taken on 16 April 2012, courtesy EG Focus.
Today is the last day of the London 2012 Olympics. The games, which began the last 27 July, will close today with a spectacular closing ceremony.
After seven years of preparation, the last couple of weeks have been considered a success. Construction in preparation for the games involved considerable redevelopment, particularly themed towards sustainability. The main focus has been a new 200-hectare (490-acre) Olympic Park, constructed on a former industrial site at Stratford, East London, but the games have also used some venues which were already in place.
During the games, the American swimmer Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time. Great Britain achieved its highest tally of medals (more than 60) since 1908. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei entered female athletes for the first time, and women’s boxing was included as an event.
