London 2012 - A Review of the Summer Olympic Games
As the 30th Olympic Summer Games in London come to an end the United States turned out to be the most successful Olympic team with a total of over a hundred medals, almost half of them in gold. China was the second most successful country. Host Great Britain came in a surprising third in the rankings.
The London Games produced many superstars. The most successful was Michael Phelps, who won six medals and raised his Olympic total to 22. Usain Bolt won both Olympic sprint competitions, the 100-meter and 200-meter dash and helped set a new world record in the Jamaican 4 X 100 meter relay team.
The Olympics also produced major upsets. The United States have long dominated amateur boxing. In the 1984 Los Angeles games the US boxing team won gold in almost all of the weight classes, however, in London they failed to win even one single medal.
The crowds at the events were fantastic, creating a unique atmosphere at each of the Olympic venues: the Olympic Stadium where there was not a single free seat at the athletics competitions, the Aquatics Center, where the world’s fastest swimmers competed in front of roaring crowds or the Velodrome, home of world class cyclists.
The games will also be remembered for many firsts. Women’s boxing was Olympic for the first time. South African Oscar Pistorius, called the “Blade Runner” became the first athlete to run at track events with artificial legs.
On the closing day of the Olympic Games the USA’s basketball dream team won its 5th gold medal since NBA professionals were allowed in 1992.
Spectators from around the world as well as Britons themselves welcomed the flawless organization in a city of over 8 million. Throughout London there were signs and info centers telling visitors how to get around. International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge praised the organization committee for its nearly perfect planning. It apologized for the chaos that emerged during the first two days when many empty seats were found in various places.
The organizers of London 2012 have also ensured that the Olympic sites will be used in the future. The Olympic Village will be turned into apartments. The Olympic Stadium will be used for athletics events; local clubs and the general public will be able to use the other venues. Only a few are scheduled to be dismantled completely.
Now the world is looking forward to Rio de Janeiro, where the next summer Olympics will be staged in 2016.
Related Topics
- The Olympic Games
- Jamaican Athletes are the World's Best Sprinters
- Golden Future for London's Olympic Park
- Olympic Winter Games 2018 Go To Pyeongchang, South Korea
- Michael Phelps - Most Successful Swimmer of All Times
Words
- apologize = to say that you are sorry
- artificial = not natural; here: made out of metal
- athlete = sportsman
- competition = an event in which teams or athletes try to be better than others
- completely = wholly, entirely
- crowd = people who watch events in a stadium
- dash = sprint, short race
- dismantle = take apart
- dominate = to be the best
- emerge = come up
- ensure = to make sure
- fail = not succeed
- flawless = without a mistake, perfect
- general public = all the people; the whole population
- host = here : the country that organized the games
- major = very big
- NBA = National Basketball Association ; league of professional basketball players in the United States
- praise = to say that something is good
- produce = create, bring forward
- raise = increase, improve up
- relay = here: four athletes run one after the other
- roar = scream very loudly
- schedule =plan
- spectator = person who watches an event
- stage = where something is held
- throughout = all across; in all of
- unique = only one of its kind
- upset = when an athlete or a team loses against someone who is thought to be much weaker
- various = different
- venue = stadium or site where something takes place
- weight = how heavy something is