Approach Direct to support London hosting the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games

June 14, 2012 - PRLog -- Excitement is most definitely in the air at Approach Direct as the 2012 Summer Olympic Games are set to take place in London from the 27th July to 12th August, in what will be an extraordinary 15 days.

Following a bid spear-headed by former Olympic champion Sebastian Coe and the former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, London was selected as the host city, defeating Moscow, New York, Madrid and Paris. London will officially become the first city to host the modern Olympic Games three times, having previously done so in 1908 and 1948.

Some criticism has been made of London’s hosting capabilities due to budgetary conditions. However, like Approach Direct many have welcomed the Games as they should prompt redevelopment in the areas holding events. The majority of these will take place in the new 200 hectare Olympic park, although many of the existing stadiums and venues will also be used in some capacity. London Resident and Managing Director of Approach Direct, Helen Poutakidis, states; 'Winning the bid to host the Olympics is an amazing opportunity for the UK and London. It will bring many visitors and in turn, money to the capital city. I will be attending a couple of the events this summer and look forward to seeing some of the UK’s greatest athletes win medals.’

It's estimated that 8 million tickets were available for the Olympic Games, and 1.5 million tickets for the Paralympic Games. Complimentary tickets were given to military personnel, whilst children were invited to partake in winning tickets. Tickets were also presented free of charge to the survivors and families of those who sadly lost their lives in London’s terrorist attacks on the 7th July 2005.

In total, 4700 medals for the Olympic and Paralympic Games were produced by the Royal Mint. Following on recent tradition, the front of the medal features Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory stepping down from the Parthenon. The reverse side features the Olympic logo, the River Thames, and a series of lines symbolizing the participants’ spirit of energy.
There has also been an ongoing torch relay taking place prior to the games which started in May and ends in July. This involves the participation of 8,000 people to carry the torch a distance of approximately 8,000 miles.

The torch relay came to Liverpool on Friday 1st June where 75 specially selected runners carried it through Merseyside. These included heroic veteran Craig Lundberg, who sadly lost his sight as a result of the Iraq War. He was the final person in Liverpool to carry the prized flame. In the final leg of its Liverpool tour, the torch jubilantly reached and lit the Olympic Caldron. This burnt in unison with a performance from local headlining act, The Wombats, as part of the Pier Celebrations.

Approach Direct Administrator, Angie McCoy states; ‘This is such a great historic event for the UK. For people to have the chance to carry the torch through their home cities is a great achievement. The crowds were out in their hundreds to cheer the torch relay through the city of Liverpool, which I’m sure was replicated throughout the rest of the cities in the UK too.'