London 2012 Celebrates 50 Days to Go with 50 Ways

London 2012 Celebrates 50 Days to Go with 50 Ways to ‘Join In’ with the Games

With 50 days to go until the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) today unveiled 50 ways for people across the UK and around the world to join in with the Games.

(PRWEB) June 07, 2012

With 50 days to go until the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) today unveiled 50 ways for people across the UK and around the world to join in with the Games.

Following the great community spirit demonstrated by the weekend’s Jubilee celebrations, and the hundreds of thousands of people who are lining the streets to welcome the Olympic Flame, LOCOG wants to ensure no one misses the opportunity of a lifetime to be involved with the London 2012 Games.

With suggestions of free ways to get involved with London 2012, activities to organise with friends and family, London 2012 Festival events to attend and ways to get involved without leaving the comfort of your home, there is something out there for everybody. There are suggestions for everybody including schools, sports fans, and culture lovers – both here in the UK and around the world.

Anyone who would like to find out about events happening near them can search the database which can be found here: http://www.london2012.com/join-in/. A broadcast quality film showcasing some of the 50 ways to Join In is available to download from here.

For those who want to see the action live, there are still tickets available for the London 2012 Games, with ticket prices starting from £20 for the Olympic Games and £10 for the Paralympic Games. All tickets are available at tickets.london2012.com.

Last November LOCOG launched a grassroots programme inviting the UK’s Local Leaders to step forward and start planning local celebrations to celebrate the spirit of the Games. There are currently over 14,000 Local Leaders for London 2012 who have already hosted or are busy planning events to celebrate the London 2012 Games.

Whether it’s holding an Opening Night In and inviting family and friends round to watch the Opening Ceremony on TV, sending a message of support to Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes or lining the streets to cheer on Torchbearers as they carry the Flame, people across the country are coming together to join in and get involved in the Games in their own special way.

As the countdown to the Games continues, London 2012 is encouraging anyone who is looking to celebrate the London 2012 Games to sign up to be a Local Leader at london2012.com/localleaders

Today also marks the 20th day of the Torch Relay. To date, the Olympic Flame has travelled 2182 miles by land, wind and sea and has been carried by 2238 Torchbearers. Almost 2.5 million of people have lined the streets to welcome the Flame to their neighbourhood or attended Evening Celebrations. Images of people celebrating the 50 Days to Go moment can be downloaded from here from 1pm.

22 towns and cities across the UK now have a Live Site fully dedicated to London 2012. Live Sites will be a focal point for communities to come together and cheer on athletes from the UK and around the world. Up to 500,000 people per day are expected to celebrate the Games at Live Sites throughout the country, and watch the sporting action on the big screens. The sites are run in partnership between London 2012, the BBC and local authorities and supported by the National Lottery through the Olympic Lottery Distributor, partners BT and Lloyds TSB, and supporters Cisco and Cadbury.

Seb Coe, Chair of LOCOG said: “The Jubilee celebrations and the incredible welcome given to the Olympic Torch Relay have shown the great community spirit of British people and their enthusiasm to get involved with big events. By releasing this list, we want to demonstrate that whatever your interests, there is a way for you to be part of London 2012. We are urging the UK public to join in, and to keep their bunting and flags ready to mark what will be an unrivalled summer of sport, culture and celebration.”

Minister for Sport and the Olympics Hugh Robertson said: “Following on from the fantastic jubilee celebrations, we now stand ready to welcome the world at London 2012. With the torch relay, the cultural Olympiad taking place across the country and world-class sport there is something for everyone. London 2012 will showcase the best of Britain in what will be a summer we’ll never forget.”

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “With a mere 50 days to go, we are keeping our foot on the pedal to make sure everything is in place for a smooth and successful Games. We will learn any lessons from the spectacular celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee and will make sure the capital is buzzing as we roll out a huge programme of events and festivities for everyone to enjoy.

“So whether it's watching the sporting spectacle at our live sites or being inspired to take up a new sport, joining in the free arts extravaganzas going on across the city or just enjoying the shopping, theatre and restaurants that make this the best big city in world, London is the place to be.”

The list of 50 ways to ‘Join In’:

1. Line the streets and dress up your area to celebrate the Olympic Torch Relay.

2. Follow the Olympic Flame and watch the Relay live as it journeys around the UK, giving inspirational Torchbearers their moment to shine.

3. Garden for the Games: Run window boxes down your street in red, white and blue. Plant golden marigolds or get the neighbours talking and plant the Olympic Rings.

4. Hold a sports quiz with your friends and family to find the brains of the Games. You can download everything you need to get started, including quizzes and answer sheets, when you sign up as a Local Leader.

5. Gather friends and family to watch the Olympic Opening Ceremony on 27 July. Sign up to be a Local Leader for everything you need to get you started – including party invites, recipes and Opening Night In party games.

6. Host a Super Saturday party on 4 August, when 25 gold medals will be won. A perfect day to host an Olympic BBQ. Sign up to be a Local Leader for everything you need to get you started including invites, recipes and party games.

7. Grab a bell and ring it on the morning of the opening day of the London 2012 Olympic Games for 'Work No.1197: All the bells in a country rung as quickly and as loudly as possible for three minutes' by Turner Prize-winning artist and musician Martin Creed. The UK is invited to ring thousands of bells at the same time, whether schools bells, church bells, town hall bells, bicycle bells or door bells.

8. Join Our Greatest Team – send a message of support to Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

9. Download the Official London 2012 Join In App – a mobile guide to help you plan, enjoy and share your Games experience.

10. Get a ticket to watch the Olympic Football Tournament around the UK. Tickets from £20 for adults, with special prices for young people and seniors.

11. Buy Olympic tickets, with prices starting from £20, at the London 2012 ticketing website

12. Join in the free Big Dance – the UK's biggest ever celebration of dance. Thousands of events will take place in all sorts of locations and in all dance styles, open to absolutely anyone.

13. Buy Paralympic Games tickets and witness sport like never before. Tickets from £10 for adults, £5 for young people and seniors.

14. Make sure your local school celebrates the athletes and cultures of the world on London 2012 World Sport Day on 25 June.

15. Encourage your local school to learn the official London 2012 mascot dance

16. Make Flame hats and shakers in your school to celebrate the Olympic Torch Relay.

17. Get your school to enter the ‘Get Set for Team GB and ParalympicsGB’ schools competition, pledging their support to our greatest team as they prepare for the Games

18. Attend one of the Paralympic Games ‘Light a Lantern’ events.

19. Plan Paralympic Games activities for the start of the new school year in September.

20. Download the final mascot film from the Get Set website and host a special school assembly to see how their journey ends.

21. Bake a Mount Olympus Pudding for your Olympic celebrations, an dessert of Olympic ambitions created by the Baker Brothers. Download the recipe from the Local Leaders website

22. Watch all the sport and enjoy other entertainment at Live Sites with giant screens around the UK.

23. Go and get your photo taken with the giant Olympic Rings situated around the UK including including London, Cardiff, Glasgow, Belfast and Birmingham.

24. Try a new Olympic sport. Learn all about the sports on the London 2012 programme

25. Sign up to receive advice about attending one of the nine free road events during the Games, including the Marathon and Cycling Road Race.

26. Find out about athletes born in your area hoping to compete at London 2012. Find out about their sport and get ready to follow their journey.

27. Learn more about the nations and cultures of the athletes who will be based at a Pre-Games Training Camp near you.

28. Buy your flags and banners to line the streets for Olympic Torch Relay from £5 from the Online Shop and in the official London 2012 Shop at John Lewis.

29. Find out how to train to become a referee, official or coach in a sport that interests you.

30. Take part in the London 2012 Festival – over 10 million free opportunities for a huge range of arts and culture events.

31. Enjoy The Big Concert – Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, on 21 June, broadcast live from Stirling on BBC Four and at 22 London 2012 Live Sites across the UK.

32. Join the 100,000 people on Hackney Marshes by listening to the BBC Radio 1 Hackney Weekend on BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra and on BBC Three.

33. Get tickets to your local Picturehouse cinema for the simultaneous broadcast of film premieres and a director Q&A event from the Hackney Picturehouse. It's showing four new films commissioned for the London 2012 Festival by BBC Films and Film4: Mike Leigh’s A Running Jump, Lynne Ramsay’s The Swimmer, Asif Kapadia’s The Odyssey and WHAT IF by Max and Dania of StreetDance 3D fame and starring Noel Clarke.

34. Tune into the world-famous BBC Proms – a London 2012 Festival highlight. From Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony to specially-filmed new Wallace and Gromit animations and the ‘Last Night of the Proms’ celebrations. If you can’t make it to the Royal Albert Hall you can enjoy the performances for free on BBC Radio 3, and many will also be screened on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four.

35. Visit some of the Olympic Host Cities and towns given their moment to shine during the Torch Relay. Get 20.12% discount off top attractions along with other fantastic offers.

36. Make your own mascot and play games with Wenlock and Mandeville.

37. Buy your Team GB scarf to support our greatest team.

38. Tune into BBC coverage of the Olympic Games.

39. Follow @London2012 on Twitter and Like the London 2012 Facebook page for all the latest info, photos, competitions and more.

40. Follow @iamWenlock & @iamMandeville on Twitter and Like Wenlock and Mandeville's pages on Facebook.

41. Log on to the London 2012 website from your computer or mobile phone for results, news and information.

42. Download the official results app to keep up with the action – coming soon!

43. Watch new videos uploaded daily on the London 2012 YouTube channel

44. Find London 2012-related events near you using the Join In event listings.

45. Have tickets to a London 2012 Olympic or Paralympic event? Go to the Spectator Guide and start planning your journey.

46. Scour the online schedule to make sure you know when your favourite sport is on.

47. Buy your Team GB replica kit from the London 2012 Shop and cheer on our greatest team.

48. Sign up to ‘Join in’ emails giving you news, videos and exclusive competitions from now right through the Games.

49. Be part of the UK-wide art project 'Peace Camp': glowing encampments at some of the most beautiful and remote coastal locations, from County Antrim to the tip of Cornwall. Explore the artwork live and contribute online.

50. Join A Hansel of Film – Shetland to Southampton and back: a celebration of films made by the public and shown on big screens, curated by film critics Mark Kermode and Linda Ruth Williams.

Notes to editors:
For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office.

The Official London 2012 Join In app is a free mobile guide to help you plan, enjoy and share your Games experience. From the Olympic Torch Relay to the Olympics and Paralympics, the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, plus all the cultural, city and community celebrations happening across the UK, the Official London 2012 Join In App is your essential companion.

About the Torch Relay
Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung are the three Presenting Partners of the Olympic Torch Relay.

About Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB is proud to partner the London 2012 ticketing programme and is supporting communities all over Britain on their journey to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

About Visa
In recognition of Visa’s longstanding support of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, only Visa (debit, credit and prepaid) can be used to purchase tickets.

About Mayor of London
To find out more about all the free family events the Mayor of London has planned this summer go tohttp://www.molpresents.com

London 2012 Games partners:
The Worldwide Olympic Partners who support the London 2012 Olympic Games and the National Olympic Committees around the world are Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos, Dow, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter and Gamble, Samsung and Visa.

LOCOG has seven domestic Tier One Partners - adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF and Lloyds TSB. There are seven domestic Tier Two Supporters – Adecco, ArcelorMittal, Cadbury, Cisco, Deloitte, Thomas Cook and UPS. There are now twenty-eight domestic Tier Three Suppliers and Providers – Aggreko, Airwave, Atkins, Boston Consulting Group, CBS Outdoor, Crystal CG, Eurostar, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, G4S, GSK, Gymnova, Heathrow Airport, Heineken UK, Holiday Inn, John Lewis, McCann Worldgroup, Mondo, NATURE VALLEY, Next, Nielsen, Populous, Rapiscan Systems, Rio Tinto, Technogym, Thames Water, Ticketmaster, Trebor and Westfield.

There is one domestic Tier One Paralympic Games-only Partner, Sainsbury’s and two domestic Tier Three Paralympic Games-only Suppliers, Otto Bock and Panasonic. The London 2012 Paralympic Games also acknowledges the support of the National Lottery.