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| Travel to London 2012 with the Specialists |
are the biggest events in the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games. At Spyns we get a lot of clients requesting tours for a range of events. Everyone’s preferences are different but most people want to see the Opening or Closing Ceremony, and Athletics, Cycling, or Swimming. Other popular sport are Gymnastics, Beach Volleyball, and Equestrian. With over a year to go to the Olympics, we are surprised at the amount of tours flying out the door. I recommend booking early rather than later as London 2012 gets set to be the biggest Olympic Games yet. If you would like more information/detailed itineraries on our luxury 5, 7, and 10-Day tours feel free to contact me at henry@london-olympiad.com.
The undeniable "big three" of the 2012 Games will be the athletics, cycling and aquatics. Athletics remains the number one draw, despite the fact that Team GB won just one gold medal in Beijing in 2008, courtesy of Christine Ohuruogu, and four medals in all.
Ohuruogu will be back to defend her 400m title, while Jessica Ennis and Phillips Idowu will be among our other leading contenders.
Expectations will be higher elsewhere - Britain is currently ranked the top track cycling nation.
Last time, British riders won seven of the 10 golds. But it is not just in the velodrome where Britain could shine, with a talented line-up going for gold in the road races, BMX and mountain biking events.
The Aquatics Centre will see swimming's top two nations, the US and Australia, pitched against each other but Britain should feature heavily with a much-improved squad, among them double gold-winner Becky Adlington. World champion diver Tom Daley is also a real prospect for gold.
Cycling
When: Track: August 2-7; Road: July 28-29; BMX: August 8-10; Mountain biking: August 11-12
Where: Track: Velodrome, Olympic Park; Road: The Mall/Hampton Court Palace; BMX: BMX Circuit, Olympic Park; Mountain biking: Hadleigh Farm, Essex
The stars: Beijing triple gold medal winner Chris Hoy and Individual Sprint champion Victoria Pendleton. Australian Cameron Meyer could be a potential star who could ruin British hopes.
The expected drama: because of new qualification rules British cycling boss Dave Brailsford has made it clear that Team GB will not emulate its previous Olympic heroics but the drama will still be about the rest of the world trying to topple the British contingent.
Records to be beaten: perhaps the most prestigious record in track cycling is the 4,000m individual pursuit, which Britain's Chris Boardman used to hold until his time was recently broken by Australian Jack Bobridge. Sadly the event has been scrapped so the main records up for grabs are in both team sprints - the men's record is currently held by Team GB while the women's is in the hands of the Australians.
The highlights: Hoy's bid to retain the triple sprint gold, but he could be matched by Victoria Pendleton.
British hopefuls: there is no shortage of British medal prospects, ranging from experienced names like Bradley Wiggins and Pendleton to up-and-coming stars Lizzie Armitstead and Becky James. The road race is always wide open but in the men's event Mark Cavendish is a potential winner while Armitstead will be among the stars in the women's race along with defending champion Nicole Cooke.
Cost of tickets: £20-£325
Athletics
When: August 3-11
Where: Olympic Stadium, Olympic Park
The stars: on current form, there is just one undoubted star of the athletics, Jamaican sprint sensation Usain Bolt, who won gold in both the 100m and 200m in Beijing and is the world record holder over both distances.
The expected drama: that will come as Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell try to topple Bolt from his position as the world's fastest man. In the women's event, the spotlight will be on Caster Semenya, the South African 800m runner caught up in a gender row at the 2009 World Championships.
Records to be beaten: Bolt's times of 9.58 seconds and 19.19 in the 100m and 200m. In the women's events, all the current sprint records date back to the 1980s so there is plenty of scope there too. The three fastest male 110m hurdlers of all time, American duo Dayron Robles and David Oliver, as well as China's Liu Xiang, look set to break Robles's current best of 12.87 seconds. Over the longer distances, Tirunesh Dibaba, of Ethiopia, will be hoping to beat her own 5,000m mark while pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva is aiming to jump higher than her previous best of 5.06m.
The highlights: the men's 100m on the final Saturday, August 11. The two days of the heptathlon should also keep spectators on the edge of their seats with home interest high in that particular event.
British hopefuls: heptathlete Jessica Ennis is a gold possibility - she missed the last Olympics due to injury but is the current world and European champion. Londoner Christine Ohuruogu will be hoping to retain her 400m crown while, of the field athletes, Phillips Idowu will be among the favourites in the triple jump.
Cost of tickets: £20-£725
Aquatics
When: Swimming: July 28-August 4; Diving: July 29-August 1/August 3-11; Synchronised swimming: August 5-7/August 9-10; Water polo: July 29-August 10/August 12
Where: Aquatics Centre, Olympic Park; Water Polo Arena, Olympic Park
The stars: Michael Phelps of the US will be the swimmer to watch, having clinched a staggering eight gold medals four years ago. But Australian Ian Thorpe's decision to come out of retirement for 2012 adds an exciting twist to proceedings.
The expected drama: Thorpe insists his focus is on making the Australian relay team but there is a potentially electric duel with Phelps in the 200m freestyle. In the diving, Tom Daley will be up against the might of China and Australia's Matthew Mitcham as he goes for gold off the 10m platform.
Records to be beaten: in a 50m pool, not a single world record has fallen since world swimming body FINA banned swimmers from using bodysuits or suits made from polyurethane or non-textile materials.
The highlights: the Phelps v Thorpe showdown plus any other race involving Phelps.
British hopefuls: public expectation will be high for Becky Adlington after her double gold in 2008, but other medal contenders are backstroke specialist and Standard columnist Liam Tancock and freestyle/butterfly specialist Fran Halsall. On the diving board, Daley will be targeting medals in the individual 10m platform and the synchronised event with new partner Peter Waterfield.
Cost of tickets: £20-£450
Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720. www.spyns.com.
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