The London 2012 Olympic Games were started by the torch relay going across the United Kingdom, lasting 70 days and 8,000 miles, then a highly successful Opening Ceremony directed by Danny Boyle, and after all the events was the great Closing Ceremony, the most watched television show of the year, over 26 million viewers. But the most important events were the sports themselves, 10,500 athletes participating in 302 events in 26 sports over 16 days.
The sports were: Aquatics - Diving, Swimming, Synchronized swimming and Water polo, Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Canoeing - Sprint and Slalom, Cycling - BMX, Mountain biking, Road and Track, Equestrian - Dressage, Eventing and Jumping, Fencing, Field hockey, Football, Gymnastics - Artistic, Rhythmic and Trampoline, Handball, Judo, Modern pentathlon, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Table tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball - Volleyball and Beach volleyball, Weightlifting and Wrestling - Freestyle and Greco-Roman.
The final medals table was: 1) United States of America - 103 medals - 46 Gold, 28 Silver and 29 Bronze, 2) China - 88 medals - 38 Gold, 29 Silver and 21 Bronze, 3) Great Britain - 65 medals - 29 Gold, 17 Silver and 19 Bronze, 4) Russia - 77 medals - 22 Gold, 23 Silver and 32 Bronze, 5) South Korea - 28 medals - 13 Gold, 8 Silver and 7 Bronze, 6) Germany - 44 medals - 11 Gold, 19 Silver and 14 Bronze, 7) France - 34 medals - 11 Gold, 11 Silver and 12 Bronze, 8) Australia - 35 medals - 8 Gold, 15 Silver and 12 Bronze, 9) Italy - 28 medals - 8 Gold, 9 Silver and 11 Bronze, and 10) Hungary - 18 medals - 8 Gold, 4 Silver and 6 Bronze.
Athletics winners included: Usain Bolt (Jamaica - 3 Golds), David Rudisha (Kenya - Gold), Mo Farah (Great Britain - 2 Golds), Greg Rutherford (Great Britain - Gold), Christine Ohuruogu (Great Britain - Silver), Caster Semenya (South Africa - Silver), and Jessica Ennis (Great Britain - Heptathlon - Gold). Boxing winners included: Luke Campbell (Great Britain - Gold), Fred Evans (Great Britain - Silver), Anthony Joshua (Great Britain - Gold), and Nicola Adams (Great Britain Gold). Canoeing winners included: Timothy Baillie and Etienne Stott (Great Britain - Gold), David Florence and Richard Hounslow (Great Britain - Silver), Ed McKeever (Great Britain - Gold), and Liam Heath and Jon Schofield (Great Britain - Bronze). Cycling winners included: Lizzie Armitstead (Great Britain - Silver), Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain - Gold), Chris Froome (Great Britain - Bronze), Jason Kenny (Great Britain - 2 Golds), Victoria Pendleton (Great Britain - Gold and Silver), Philip Hindes (Great Britain - Gold), Sir Chris Hoy (Great Britain - 2 Golds), Steven Burke (Great Britain - Gold), Ed Clancy (Great Britain - Gold and Bronze), Peter Kennaugh and Geraint Thomas (Great Britain - Gold), Laura Trott (Great Britain - 2 Golds), and Danielle King and Joanna Rowsell (Great Britain - Gold). Diving included: Tom Daley (Great Britain - Bronze). Equestrian winners included: Charlotte Dujardin (Great Britain - 2 Golds), Laura Bechtolsheimer (Great Britain - Gold and Bronze), Carl Hester (Great Britain - Gold); William Fox- Pitt, Nicola Wilson, Zara Phillips, Mary King and Kristina Cook (Great Britain - Silver), and Scott Brash, Peter Charles, Ben Maher and Nick Skelton (Great Britain - Gold). Gymnastics winners included: Louis Smith (Silver and Bronze), Max Whitlock (Great Britain - 2 Bronzes); Sam Oldham, Daniel Purvis and Kristian Thomas (Great Britain - Bronze), and Beth Tweddle (Great Britain - Bronze). Rowing winners included: Alan Campbell (Great Britain - Bronze), George Nash and William Satch (Great Britain - Bronze), Helen Glover and Heather Stanning (Great Britain - Gold), Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins (Great Britain - Gold), Mark Hunter and Zac Purchase (Great Britain - Silver), Katherine Copeland and Sophie Hosking (Great Britain - Gold); Alex Gregory, Tom James, Pete Reed and Andrew Triggs Hodge (Great Britain - Gold); Chris Bartley, Peter Chambers, Richard Chambers and Rob Williams (Great Britain - Gold), and Richard Egington, James Foad, Phelan Hill, Matthew Langridge, Constantine Louloudis, Alex Partridge, Tom Ransley, Greg Searle and Mohamed Sbihi (Great Britain - Bronze). Sailing winners included: Nick Dempsey (Great Britain - Silver), Ben Ainslie (Great Britain - Gold), Stuart Bithell and Luke Patience (Great Britain - Silver), Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson (Great Britain - Silver), and Saskia Clark and Hannah Mills (Great Britain - Silver). Shooting included: Peter Wilson (Great Britain - Gold). Swimming winners included: Michael Phelps (United States - 4 Golds and 1 Silver), and Rebecca Adlington (Great Britain - 2 Bronzes). Taekwondo included: Jade Jones (Great Britain - Gold). Tennis included: Andy Murray (Great Britain - Gold and Silver), Serena Williams (United States - 2 Golds), Venus Williams (United States - Gold), and Laura Robson (Great Britain - Silver). Triathlon winners included: Alistair Brownlee (Great Britain - Gold) and Jonathan Brownlee (Great Britain - Bronze). Presenters, reporters and commentators throughout the Olympics included Matt Baker, Clare Balding, Sue Barker, Tim Henman, Jake Humphrey, Hazel Irvine, Colin Jackson, Michael Johnson, Phil Jones, Denise Lewis, Gary Linekar, Gabby Logan, John McEnroe, Matthew Pinsent, Shirley Robertson, Michael Vaughn and Rob Walker.
Throughout the 16 days, 54 of the countries competing won at least one gold medal, world records were broken, it became the most talked about event of the time in Great Britain, and around the world millions watched the triumphs and hardships of the thousands of sporting stars, it was a brilliant series of major international multi-sport events. It was nominated the BAFTA for Best Director: Multi-Camera for "Super Saturday". Very good!
The sports were: Aquatics - Diving, Swimming, Synchronized swimming and Water polo, Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Canoeing - Sprint and Slalom, Cycling - BMX, Mountain biking, Road and Track, Equestrian - Dressage, Eventing and Jumping, Fencing, Field hockey, Football, Gymnastics - Artistic, Rhythmic and Trampoline, Handball, Judo, Modern pentathlon, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Table tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball - Volleyball and Beach volleyball, Weightlifting and Wrestling - Freestyle and Greco-Roman.
The final medals table was: 1) United States of America - 103 medals - 46 Gold, 28 Silver and 29 Bronze, 2) China - 88 medals - 38 Gold, 29 Silver and 21 Bronze, 3) Great Britain - 65 medals - 29 Gold, 17 Silver and 19 Bronze, 4) Russia - 77 medals - 22 Gold, 23 Silver and 32 Bronze, 5) South Korea - 28 medals - 13 Gold, 8 Silver and 7 Bronze, 6) Germany - 44 medals - 11 Gold, 19 Silver and 14 Bronze, 7) France - 34 medals - 11 Gold, 11 Silver and 12 Bronze, 8) Australia - 35 medals - 8 Gold, 15 Silver and 12 Bronze, 9) Italy - 28 medals - 8 Gold, 9 Silver and 11 Bronze, and 10) Hungary - 18 medals - 8 Gold, 4 Silver and 6 Bronze.
Athletics winners included: Usain Bolt (Jamaica - 3 Golds), David Rudisha (Kenya - Gold), Mo Farah (Great Britain - 2 Golds), Greg Rutherford (Great Britain - Gold), Christine Ohuruogu (Great Britain - Silver), Caster Semenya (South Africa - Silver), and Jessica Ennis (Great Britain - Heptathlon - Gold). Boxing winners included: Luke Campbell (Great Britain - Gold), Fred Evans (Great Britain - Silver), Anthony Joshua (Great Britain - Gold), and Nicola Adams (Great Britain Gold). Canoeing winners included: Timothy Baillie and Etienne Stott (Great Britain - Gold), David Florence and Richard Hounslow (Great Britain - Silver), Ed McKeever (Great Britain - Gold), and Liam Heath and Jon Schofield (Great Britain - Bronze). Cycling winners included: Lizzie Armitstead (Great Britain - Silver), Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain - Gold), Chris Froome (Great Britain - Bronze), Jason Kenny (Great Britain - 2 Golds), Victoria Pendleton (Great Britain - Gold and Silver), Philip Hindes (Great Britain - Gold), Sir Chris Hoy (Great Britain - 2 Golds), Steven Burke (Great Britain - Gold), Ed Clancy (Great Britain - Gold and Bronze), Peter Kennaugh and Geraint Thomas (Great Britain - Gold), Laura Trott (Great Britain - 2 Golds), and Danielle King and Joanna Rowsell (Great Britain - Gold). Diving included: Tom Daley (Great Britain - Bronze). Equestrian winners included: Charlotte Dujardin (Great Britain - 2 Golds), Laura Bechtolsheimer (Great Britain - Gold and Bronze), Carl Hester (Great Britain - Gold); William Fox- Pitt, Nicola Wilson, Zara Phillips, Mary King and Kristina Cook (Great Britain - Silver), and Scott Brash, Peter Charles, Ben Maher and Nick Skelton (Great Britain - Gold). Gymnastics winners included: Louis Smith (Silver and Bronze), Max Whitlock (Great Britain - 2 Bronzes); Sam Oldham, Daniel Purvis and Kristian Thomas (Great Britain - Bronze), and Beth Tweddle (Great Britain - Bronze). Rowing winners included: Alan Campbell (Great Britain - Bronze), George Nash and William Satch (Great Britain - Bronze), Helen Glover and Heather Stanning (Great Britain - Gold), Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins (Great Britain - Gold), Mark Hunter and Zac Purchase (Great Britain - Silver), Katherine Copeland and Sophie Hosking (Great Britain - Gold); Alex Gregory, Tom James, Pete Reed and Andrew Triggs Hodge (Great Britain - Gold); Chris Bartley, Peter Chambers, Richard Chambers and Rob Williams (Great Britain - Gold), and Richard Egington, James Foad, Phelan Hill, Matthew Langridge, Constantine Louloudis, Alex Partridge, Tom Ransley, Greg Searle and Mohamed Sbihi (Great Britain - Bronze). Sailing winners included: Nick Dempsey (Great Britain - Silver), Ben Ainslie (Great Britain - Gold), Stuart Bithell and Luke Patience (Great Britain - Silver), Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson (Great Britain - Silver), and Saskia Clark and Hannah Mills (Great Britain - Silver). Shooting included: Peter Wilson (Great Britain - Gold). Swimming winners included: Michael Phelps (United States - 4 Golds and 1 Silver), and Rebecca Adlington (Great Britain - 2 Bronzes). Taekwondo included: Jade Jones (Great Britain - Gold). Tennis included: Andy Murray (Great Britain - Gold and Silver), Serena Williams (United States - 2 Golds), Venus Williams (United States - Gold), and Laura Robson (Great Britain - Silver). Triathlon winners included: Alistair Brownlee (Great Britain - Gold) and Jonathan Brownlee (Great Britain - Bronze). Presenters, reporters and commentators throughout the Olympics included Matt Baker, Clare Balding, Sue Barker, Tim Henman, Jake Humphrey, Hazel Irvine, Colin Jackson, Michael Johnson, Phil Jones, Denise Lewis, Gary Linekar, Gabby Logan, John McEnroe, Matthew Pinsent, Shirley Robertson, Michael Vaughn and Rob Walker.
Throughout the 16 days, 54 of the countries competing won at least one gold medal, world records were broken, it became the most talked about event of the time in Great Britain, and around the world millions watched the triumphs and hardships of the thousands of sporting stars, it was a brilliant series of major international multi-sport events. It was nominated the BAFTA for Best Director: Multi-Camera for "Super Saturday". Very good!
