The sporting action is taking place across the whole UK. The 11 sporting venues outside London include improved facilities for Sailing at Weymouth and Portland on the south coast of England and the new Lee Valley White Water Centre for Canoe Slalom. Six of the UK’s world-famous stadia will host the Olympic Football Tournament, including Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland; Old Trafford, home of Manchester United FC; and the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Out of London venues 68 69 Out of London venues The Mountain Bike competition will be held at Hadleigh Farm, Essex, while the brand new Lee Valley White Water Centre in Hertfordshire will be the venue for Canoe Slalom. Eton Dorney, near Windsor in Berkshire, is an existing international-standard rowing venue that has been enhanced to stage Rowing and Canoe Sprint at the Games. Sailing will be held at Weymouth and Portland in Dorset. Road cycling events will take place at Box Hill, Surrey, and Brands Hatch, Kent. The Football competition will be staged at existing world-class stadiums in co-Host Cities around the UK: Hampden Park, Glasgow; Millennium Stadium, Cardiff; Old Trafford, Manchester; St James’ Park, Newcastle; and City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry. ●A Lee Valley White Water Centre, Hertfordshire Canoe Slalom ●B Eton Dorney, Berkshire Rowing, Canoe Sprint ●C Hampden Park, Glasgow Football ●D Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Football ●E Hadleigh Farm, Essex Cycling – Mountain Bike ●F Old Trafford, Manchester Football ●G St James’ Park, Newcastle Football ●H Weymouth and Portland, Dorset Sailing ●I City of Coventry Stadium, Coventry Football ●J Brands Hatch, Kent Paralympic Road Cycling ●K Box Hill, Surrey Road Cycling Time Trial 70 71 Box Hill Brands Hatch Venue facts Box Hill, in the North Downs in Surrey, around 30km south-west of London, is famous for its sweeping panoramic views of the south of England and has been popular with visitors since Victorian times. The area will feature Venue facts prominently in the Cycling The choice of Brands Hatch Olympic Games Road Races, with the men pays homage to the history Road Cycling Time Trial completing nine laps of of the venue, which was fi rst the Box Hill circuit and developed in the 1920s for the women two laps. grass track cycle racing. The viewing areas within The former Formula 1 Grand the venue have been Prix circuit will be used for selected in cooperation around half the course, with the National Trust and including the start and fi nish, Natural England to minimise with the remaining race taking the impact on the rare and Paralympic Games place on local roads nearby. beautiful plants and animals Road Cycling that live on the slopes of Requirements for Paralympic Box Hill. Road Cycling are very precise as the course has to be suitable and challenging for a wide variety of disability groups: approximately 25 per cent of the course is uphill sections of not more than six per cent gradient. Brands Hatch has hosted motor racing’s British Grand Prix 12 times between 1964 and 1986, the fi rst won by Jim Clark, the last by Nigel Mansell. 72 73 Eton Dorney Venue facts Olympic Games Set in a 400-acre park within An additional cut-through has Rowing, Canoe Sprint a nature conservation area, been created at the 1,400m Eton Dorney Rowing Centre mark to allow competitors to Paralympic Games at Dorney Lake is acclaimed get from the return lane to the Rowing as one of the fi nest rowing competition course. Previously After the Games venues in the world. the only cut-through was at Continues as a the 600m mark. It hosted the Rowing World world-class training and Championships in 2006 and Two bridges have also been competition facility the FISA World Rowing Junior installed: the fi rst spans Capacity Championships in 2011. the new cut-through, while 30,000 (including 10,000 the other has replaced the The venue has a 2,200m, along the bank) existing fi nish line bridge eight-lane rowing course, with a wider one. Construction warm-up lanes and Improvements to venue competition facilities. facilities, September 2009 – Each competition lane in March 2010 the lake is 13.5m wide. 74 75 Regional Football stadia City of Coventry Stadium It is home to Queen’s Park, Old Trafford, Manchester Capacity: 32,000 the oldest club in Scotland, Capacity: 76,000 now playing in the Scottish League’s Third Division. Olympic Games Football For the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, After the Games Hampden Park will be Return to being some transformed into an of the UK’s most famous international standard sporting venues athletics venue. Home to League One The ‘Theatre of Dreams’ has football club Coventry City been the home of Manchester Millennium Stadium, Cardiff since it opened in 2005, St James’ Park, Newcastle United since the ground Capacity: 74,60 0 the Stadium is part of a Capacity: 52,000 opened in 1910. multi-purpose complex that hosts sports, business and It was recently expanded entertainment events. to 76,000 seats, making it the second largest football It will be one of the venues stadium in the UK and the for the Rugby Union World third largest London 2012 Cup when it is staged in venue, after Wembley England in 2015. Stadium and the new Olympic Stadium. Wales’s national stadium Football has been played at for rugby union was the fi rst Hampden Park, Glasgow St James’ Park since 1880 It will be one of the venues sports venue in the UK to Capacity: 52,000 and the stadium has been the for the Rugby Union World have a fully retractable roof. home of Newcastle United, Cup when it is staged in one of English football’s most England in 2015. It will host the very fi rst event passionately-followed clubs, of the London 2012 Olympic since 1892. Games, with women’s Football matches starting It will be one of the venues on 25 July, two days before for the Rugby Union World the Opening Ceremony. Cup when it is staged in England in 2015. Scotland’s national stadium opened in 1903, with attendances as high as 149,000 for a football international against England in 1937. 76 77 Hadleigh Farm Venue facts Olympic Games The 550-acre site is The course has been Cycling – Mountain Bike located in Hadleigh specially designed to Country Park and on provide a physical and After the Games land owned by the technical challenge for Essex County Council and Salvation Army. the world’s leading riders, the Salvation Army are with plenty of demanding committed to delivering a It was created with climbs and descents. lasting legacy at Hadleigh 500 tonnes of rock Farm following the London and 3,500 tonnes of Gradients on the course 2012 Games crushed stone. measure 70m from top to bottom. Capacity 20,000 Construction July 2010 – March 2011 78 79 Lee Valley White Water Centre Venue facts Olympic Games The centre is located 30km The 300m competition Canoe Slalom north of the Olympic Park, course drops 5.5m from on the edge of the start to fi nish. After the Games 1,000-acre River Lee Centre returns to being a Enough water fl ows into Country Park – part of the world-class canoeing and the Olympic course to fi ll Lee Valley Regional Park. kayaking facility for use by a 50m-sized swimming pool the community and elite The centre has two in just over three minutes. athletes, as well as a major new courses: a 300m The 2015 Canoe Slalom leisure attraction for white Olympic-standard World Championships will water rafting – owned and competition course with a be held at the Lee Valley managed by Lee Valley 5.5m descent, and a 160m White Water Centre. Regional Park Authority; intermediate/training course reopening September 2012 with a 1.6m descent. Capacity More than 33,000 people 12,000 have rafted and 7,000 canoed or kayaked at the Construction centre since it opened to July 2009 – December 2010 the public in April 2011. 80 81 Weymouth and Portland Venue facts Olympic Games Located in Dorset on the Around 50,000 tonnes Sailing south coast of England, of local Portland stone Weymouth and Portland was used to construct the Paralympic Games provides some of the best slipway at the venue. Paralympic Sailing natural sailing waters in After the Games the UK. The sailing community was Returns to being a benefi ting from the improved state-of-the-art sailing The enhancements to the facilities at WPNSA long facility for elite training, Weymouth and Portland before the Games: the competition and National Sailing Academy Windsurfi ng and Sailing community use, alongside (WPNSA) included a new World Championships were a commercial marina slipway, 70 moorings, boat held there in August 2009. parking and crane piers Capacity 4,800 Alongside the Academy, a new commercial marina Construction provides moorings for 300 Improvements to venue boats and commercial facilities at Academy, March facilities. 2008 – November 2008; commercial marina, March 2007 – April 2009 82 83.