Countdown to the Olympics!
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| With less than 50 days to go until the start of London 2012, Weymouth and Portland, and Dorset, is on track to welcome the Olympic and Paralympic Sailing competitions. Road closures and restrictions have been announced for the period of the Olympics. Weymouth and Portland is the largest Olympic and Paralympic venue outside London and up to 60,000 spectators and visitors are expected to visit per day. The Sailing competitions which will see 380 athletes take part are set to be a great sporting spectacle with strong chances of British medals on the UK’s best sailing waters. The area will also be a hive of activity, with up to 15,000 people at any time able to enjoy the action from a free live site with two giant screens on Weymouth beach. The 4,600 spectators each day with tickets for the Olympic Sailing will watch the competition from the Nothe Gardens*, an excellent vantage point sitting above Weymouth and Portland bays. This will be the first time Sailing has been ticketed during an Olympic Games and by ticketing the Nothe Gardens, event organisers will be able to manage spectators in the area safely and accommodate them in terms of transport, catering and other facilities. Visitors will be welcomed to Weymouth esplanade and sea front which has undergone significant regeneration including the restoration of Victorian shelters, pavement widening, new highway lighting, new refreshment kiosks and bus shelters with real time bus information. There will also be many free activities for visitors and residents alike taking place across the county as part of the London 2012 Festival and Cultural Olympiad. Weymouth and Portland will be playing host to ‘Maritime Mix – London 2012 Cultural Olympiad by the Sea’, the biggest cultural festival the region has ever seen. This will include the Battle for the Winds, a spectacular three day theatrical celebration, open-air mass choral performances and the Jurassic Coast Earth Festival. There is also the Bayside Festival which will host hundreds of bands and stalls with a Dorset flavour and the Olympic Flame coming to Weymouth and Portland on 13 July. Over £120million has been invested in transport improvements in the local area. Dorset roads will be open and kept moving through a number of measures including traffic monitoring through the Dorset Traffic Control Centre and five dedicated park and ride sites. A designated Olympic Route Network will keep traffic flowing. Sections of the A354 will be a no stopping, waiting or parking zone but Games lanes which are being used in London to transport athletes and officials are not planned in Dorset or on the roads between London and Weymouth and Portland. Although access by cars in the town centre will be restricted, the town is fully accessible on foot and a team of ambassadors will be on hand to help visitors find their way around. Paul Deighton, Chief Executive at LOCOG said: “We have been working hard with our partners in Weymouth and Portland to ensure we are on track to host the hundreds of athletes, thousands of visitors and of course local residents to the Olympic and Paralympic Sailing competitions. We are confident that visitors to the area will experience more than just top level sport, they will have a wider Olympic experience as they enjoy the huge amount of activities on offer in the area.” Angus Campbell , Dorset Olympic Board Chairman said: “Hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Sailing competitions is a unique opportunity for Dorset and Weymouth and Portland in particular. Ensuring visitors, residents and businesses are able to move around the county is a priority for us and we have invested heavily in the transport network. “Dorset a wonderful place to be and the investment and improvements that we have made offer a splendid legacy and great business opportunities in the county.” Olympic Sailing will run from Sunday 29 July to Saturday 11 August with 10 medal events. 380 athletes will take part. Paralympic Sailing will run from Saturday 1 September to Thursday 6 September with 3 medal events. 80 athletes will take part. |
Useful information
How can local people become involved?
The Weymouth and Portland Ambassador programme is aimed at recruiting local people to be 'the welcoming face' of Weymouth and Portland, providing help, advice, marshalling and assistance to visitors and enabling them to access different locations around the Borough.
Volunteers are asked to be available for 10x6 hour sessions between the end of July and middle of September 2012. To apply CLICK HERE
Parking Permits for Weymouth Town Centre/seafront
During the Olympic Games period, it is proposed that part of Weymouth Esplanade will be closed to traffic from the George III Statue to the Pavilion. Anyone with a parking permit within this area will not be able to use it. However, proposals are being developed to enable existing permit holders to use other car parks and areas within the town. The full details will be publicised in the coming months.
How will we see the races?
Although the races are taking place well out in Weymouth Bay, the plan is to have a free 'Live Site' on Weymouth Beach, where large screens will show the races bringing them to life and enhancing the experience for the spectators.
To see a map of where the races are taking place CLICK HERE
(Courtesy of The Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy)
The Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy
Picture courtesy of Geoff Moore Dorset Media Service
Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour will host 10 sailing events at the 2012 Olympics between 29th July and 11th August. 380 athletes (237 men, 143 women) will compete in the testing waters of Weymouth Bay.
The Paralympic events are being held between 30th August and 9th September.
How the Events Work
The 10 different Olympic Sailing events (six for men, four for women) will feature a variety of craft, from dinghies and keelboats to windsurfing boards.
Each event consists of a series of races. Points in each race are awarded according to position: the winner gets one point, second place scores two etc. The final race is called the medal race, for which points are doubled. Following the medal race, the individual or crew with the fewest total points will be declared the winner.
Sailing Terms:
Fleet race: Three or more competitors racing against each other.
Match race: Two competitors racing head to head, with slightly different racing rules that allow aggressive tactics.
Port: When looking forwards, the left-hand side of the craft.
Starboard: When looking forwards, the right-hand side of the craft.
Tacking: When a boat passes through the eye of the wind in order to change direction. Because it is impossible to sail directly into the wind, sailing boats must zig-zag.
Picture courtesy of Geoff Moore Dorset Media Service
Meet some of our Olympians
Ben Ainslie, Lymington: Regularly trains in the borough and is defending champion in the Finn heavyweight dinghy.
Paul Goodison, Wyke Regis: Defending champion in the Laser dinghy.
Bryony Shaw, former Budmouth College student: RSX women's windsurfing.
Nick Dempsey, Wyke Regis: RSX men's windsurfing, competing in his 4th Olympic Games.
Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson, Emsworth and Sherborne: Defending champions in the Star men's keelboat.
Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark, Rodwell and Wyke Regis: Women's 470 dinghy event.
Lucy Macgregor, Kate Mcgregor and Annie Lush, Poole: Elliott 6m keelboat, Women's Match Racing.
The British Paralympic Association have selected 5 Portland Sailors for the Sonar 3 person keelboat and Skud 2 person keelboat competitions.
John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Stephen Thomas will be the Sonar trio while Alex Rickham and Niki Birrell are the Skud duo. The 5 sailors were the first official athletes to be chosen for either Paralympics GB or Team GB.
What is it?
The Team Dorset Challenge makes it easier for you to take up those things you’ve always wanted to try, or to do the things you know you should do but never have the time for. It might also inspire you to do things you didn’t even know you wanted to do!
Weymouth & Portland are hosting the sailing events at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and all kinds of exciting things will be happening in Dorset as a result.
By joining the Team Dorset Challenge, you too can be part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Inspired by such Olympic ideals as courage, inspiration, determination, friendship and excellence, the Team Dorset Challenge encourages you to step out of your comfort zone (as much as you dare!) and do new things.
What’s a Challenge?
It can be anything, so long as it’s a challenge to you; anything that you
don’t already do on a daily basis that you would like to.
You can choose challenge ideas from 5 categories (representing the 5 Olympic rings), Physical Activity, Healthy Lifestyle, Community, Environment and Culture & Learn-ing - or simply create your own!
How long does it last?
Again, it’s up to you. It might be a good idea to put a time limit on your challenge so you have something to aim for. For example, you might want to set a challenge such as: ‘I will do/learn/try ???, 3 x a week for the next 2 months’. Once you have completed your challenge you can always re-take it, or take a dif-ferent challenge.
Does it cost anything?
No it is completely free of charge to enter and do – unless the activity you choose has a cost associated with it such as swimming or
gym membership etc.
Do I do it on my own or in a group?
Whatever you prefer, do it on your own, or get together with friends, work colleagues, family members, villages, club members – you may find it easier if there is a group of you to keep everyone motivated. Don’t forget that great team celebration at the end!
Who checks that I have completed my Challenge?
You do. In the true spirit of the
Olympics only you know whether you completed your Challenge or whether you didn’t. All the good things you can get from the Challenge come from being honest with yourself, and you know that when you’re tempted to exaggerate, it’s just not the same buzz.
For more information on Team Dorset Challenge CLICK HERE
The first group of Olympic torchbearers in Dorset for the 2012 games have found out if they've got a conditional place.
Two-thirds of the 8 thousand people needed to carry the flame 8-thousand miles around the UK have been contacted by the organising committee.
Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG, said: 'Thank you to everyone in the South West who took the time to nominate a friend, a colleague or a family member through one of the four campaigns. Today we are one step closer to giving hundreds of people across the South West their moment to shine during the Olympic Torch Relay next summer. The sum of the individual stories of our Torchbearers will show the world that the Olympic spirit is alive and well right across the South West.'
An average of 115 people a day will take centre stage next summer by carrying the Olympic Flame on its 8,000 mile journey around the UK before it arrives at the Olympic Stadium on 27 July 2012 for the lighting of the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony, signifying the official start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Among the first people to be offered a place today include Alice Tai, 12 at school in Bournemouth, nominated through LOCOG's public nomination campaign who was born with severe bilateral talipes and has endured 13 operations to date however she was recently selected to swim at the Junior Nationals for GB disabled swimmers and has also been selected for the GB Talent Squad.
Have you been chosen? If you have, we would like to hear from you.
Call the news team on 01305 250333 or email news@wessexfm.com
