London will host the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2012. The 608-acre Olympic Park will be situated in the vicinity of Stratford, in the Lower Lea Valley. The park will stretch from Temple Mills in the north to Pudding Mill Lane in the south, on the edge of Mill Meads.

World-class venues elsewhere in London will also accommodate Olympic events. These will include tennis at Wimbledon, archery at Lord’s, the triathlon in Hyde Park, road cycling in Regent’s Park, volleyball at Earls Court, beach volleyball on Horse Guards Parade, football at Wembley Stadium, rhythmic gymnastics and badminton at Wembley Arena and shooting at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich. The ExCel exhibition centre will host six events and several others will take place across the river in Greenwich.

An 80,000-seat Olympic stadium in west Stratford will be the centrepiece of the purpose-built development. After the games the capacity of the stadium will be scaled down and it is likely to retain its athletics role. West Ham United harbour hopes that the stadium may become the club’s new home, though their chances presently look no better than 50/50.