The venue of the Olympiad is selected by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) among the candidate cities that have submitted applications in advance. This process is long and complex, and even gambling for outside observers. In two years (2003-2005), the IOC eliminated five candidates out of 9, and then in four voting rounds with a difference of only 4 points out of 104 chose London as the host city for the 2012 Summer Olympics. It happened on July 6, 2005, a day before a series of terrorist attacks in the capital of England.
The British capital will be the main city of the Olympics - it will host almost all the competitions, as well as various ceremonial events of the XXX Summer Games. The organizers have divided London into three sports zones - "Olympic", "River" and "Central". The Olympic Park will host the main ceremonies - the opening and closing of the games, and will also house two “Olympic villages”, in which athletes will live for two and a half summer weeks - from July 25 to August 12. Water sports competitions will be held at the London Aquatics Center - an ultra-modern aquatic center with three swimming pools and 17.5 thousand spectators. Athletics competitions will be held at the Olympic stadium, which has a capacity of 80 thousand spectators. In the same area, competitions will be held at the basketball and handball arenas, the Olympic Hockey Center and the London Bike Park.
The River Zone is located on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London and includes the London Exhibition Center, Greenwich Park and Stadium, and the O₂ arena. They will be used for the Olympic competitions and the barracks of the royal artillery - there, of course, there will be shooting competitions.
The "Central Zone" includes the famous Wembley Stadium (90 thousand seats), an equally famous venue for the annual Wimbledon tournament - the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, as well as Hyde Park, which is not famous for sports. Earls Court in this area will host volleyball competitions, and Horse Gards Pared is dedicated to the beach version of this sport. Cyclists will compete in Regent's Park, and archers will compete in Lords Cricket Ground.
In addition to London, the Olympic competitions will be held in Essex (mountain biking), Portland (sailing) and Broxburn (rowing). Five more cities - Glasgow, Cardiff, Manchester, Newcastle, Birmingham - will host the preliminary matches of the football tournament.
