London 2012: Olympics venues christened to mark 200th-day countdown

London 2012 Olympic Park Map / Photo Credit: Credit - LOCOG

To mark the 200 days-to-go countdown, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) today confirmed new Games-time names for selected venues and spectator areas in the Olympic Park.

The naming will help create consistent signage and ‘wayfinding’ for spectators, aiding crowd flows and helping spectators navigate the 500-acre Olympic Park site. New naming includes:
 
  • Riverbank Arena (Formerly Hockey Centre). The venue hosts Hockey events in the Olympic Games along with Paralympic 5-a-side and 7-a-side Football. The new name reflects the venue’s location next to the River Lea in the Olympic Park.
  • Copper Box (Formerly Handball Arena). The venue hosts Olympic Handball and the Fencing discipline of the Modern Pentathlon, then by Goalball during the Paralympic Games. The new name reflects the venue’s boxed-shape and distinct copper cladding, helping create a visual reference for spectators travelling to the venue.
  • Stratford Walk (Formerly F10 / Aquatics Centre bridge). This huge 250m-long land bridge forms the main ‘Gateway to the Games’ taking spectators from Stratford City across the Aquatics Centre and towards the Olympic Stadium. Stratford Walk is expected to carry two-thirds of people visiting the Olympic Park, and will be joined by three other main spectator entrances - ‘Greenway Walk’ in the south of the Olympic Park; ‘Eton Manor Walk’ in the north; and ‘Victoria Walk’ in the west.
  • London Way. The main circulation route for spectators and central ‘spine’ of the Olympic Park, running north-to-south through the middle of the site.  It will be the only 'London Way' within London.
  • Orbit Circus. Located around The Orbit, the 115m high visitor attraction in the south of the Olympic Park between the Olympic Stadium and Aquatics Centre, this spectator area takes the typically London reference to ‘Circus’ meaning a central area where a number of different spaces converge.
 
Cabinet meeting
 
As part of the countdown, LOCOG also hosted the first Cabinet meeting of 2012 on the Olympic Park and Prime Minister David Cameron met British 2012 diving hopefuls in the Aquatics Centre today.
 
Prime Minister David Cameron said: “As we kick off 2012, the year of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Diamond Jubilee, this is the perfect time for the Cabinet to come together and ensure we are doing absolutely everything we can to make the most of this unique opportunity to showcase all the great things the UK has to offer to the rest of the world.
 
"As Ministers visit Olympic venues, businesses, schools and organisations associated with 2012 right across the UK, I want the message to go out loud and clear, from tourism to business, sport to investment, we are determined to maximise the benefits of 2012 for the whole country.”
 
Seb Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee said: “The handover of the Olympic Park sounds the starting pistol in the race to get the site and venues ready to host the two biggest sporting events on the planet."
"In just 200 days time, 200 countries – more than the membership of the United Nations – will be sending 15,000 athletes and 20,000 accredited media to London to create history. There is huge excitement ahead and we want the whole country to start planning their summer, Lord Coe added.”

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