THE PARALYMPIC GAMES LONDON 29th AUGUST 9th SEPTEMBER 2012

The Agitos, symbol of Paralympics was suspended from Tower Bridge on 24 August.

In many ways in 2012 the Paralympic Games are coming home. The concept of the Paralympic Games was born in Stoke Mandeville, UK, when a disability sports competition was held at the same time as the London 1948 Olympic Games in London.

Sport for athletes with a disability has existed for more than 100 years but it was not until after the Second World War that it was widely introduced.

Humble beginnings In 1944, German neurologist Dr Ludwig Guttmann opened a spinal injuries centre at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in England. Guttmann transformed the care of Second World War servicemen as he introduced sport to their rehabilitation programme. He encouraged his patients to get involved in wheelchair polo and basketball.

On the day of the Opening Ceremony of the London 1948 Olympic Games, Dr Ludwig Guttmann held the first Archery competition for wheelchair athletes, which was the beginning of the Stoke Mandeville Games.

After this the Games were held annually, and in 1952 competitors from the Netherlands took part as well, and were soon to become the International Stoke Mandeville Games.

The first Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games first took place in Rome 1960 Games and featured 400 athletes from 23 countries. Since then they have taken place every four years. In 1976 the first Paralympic Winter Games were held in Sweden, and as with the Olympic Games, have taken place every four years.

Since the Seoul 1988 Games, the Olympic and Paralympic Games have taken place in the same city.

The Paralympic Games today As the years have gone by the Paralympic Games have grown bigger and become more high profile, and in terms of size and scale they are now the second biggest sporting event on earth, after the Olympic Games.

The London 2012 Paralympic Games will see 4,280 athletes compete – the largest numbers ever to attend a Paralympic Games. More than 503 gold medals will be awarded over the course of 11 days of competition.

To celebrate Stoke Mandeville's history in the Paralympic Games, the Paralympic Flame was created in Stoke Mandeville on 28 August. Find out more about the Paralympic Torch Relay

Read more about the Paralympic movement

NEIL ARMSTRONG, FIRST MAN ON MOON, HAS DIED

Neil Armstrong, who made the “giant leap for mankind” as the first human to set foot on the moon, died on Saturday 25th, August 2012. He was 82.

A quiet, private man, at heart an engineer and crack test pilot, Mr. Armstrong made history on July 20, 1969, as the commander of the Apollo 11 spacecraft on the mission that culminated the Soviet-American space race in the 1960s.

Planting his feet on the lunar surface, he said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

 

 

"And when Neil stepped foot on the surface of the moon for the first time,” the president added, “he delivered a moment of human achievement that will never be forgotten.” Charles F. Bolden Jr., the current NASA administrator, said, “As long as there are history books, Neil Armstrong will be included in them, remembered for taking humankind’s first small step on a world beyond our own.”

TOP MOMENTS OF THE GAMES - LONDON 2012 OLYMPICS

Top moments of the Games - London 2012 Olympics

DON'T STOP ME NOW - SONG

Britain's Olympic athlete's have made their own version of Queen's Don't Stop Me Now to celebrate the success of Team GB at London 2012.

OLYMPICS END WITH A POP PARTY

With a little British pomp and a lot of British pop, London brought the curtain down on a glorious Olympic Games on Sunday 12, in a spectacular, technicolor pageant of landmarks, lightshows and lots of fun with a sensational rock 'n roll nostalgia tour.

LONDON 2012 CLOSING CEREMONY

The London 2012 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony started at 9pm on 12 August 2012 and celebrated the amazing sporting feats of the athletes who have taken part in the Games with the ultimate aftershow party.

  The Ceremony featured more than 4,100 performers, including 3,500 adult volunteers and 380 schoolchildren from the six east London Host Boroughs, and showcased the great creative talent of the UK in a fun, colourful and festive atmosphere.

Following an introduction to daily life in London, the athletes entered the Olympic Stadium and volunteers were thanked. ‘A Symphony of British Music’ followed to celebrate the fact that music has been one of Britain’s strongest cultural exports over the last 50 years.

At the end of the Ceremony, the Olympic Games were handed over to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympic Games, and the Olympic Flame was extinguished, signalling the end of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

THE GREATEST SPANISH OLYMPIAN OF ALL TIME

David Cal became the first Spanish athlete in any sport to win five Olympic medals when he took the silver on Wednesday in the C-1 1,000m category despite trailing right up to the 750m mark. “I don’t feel as if I’ve made history, to be honest. I just want to enjoy the medal,” said the Galician after the race. “I hoped to be further ahead at the start but I saved energy for the final stretch and it served me well in the last few metres.” He had previously won gold in Athens in the same event and silver in the C-1 500m. In Beijing, he took silver in both disciplines.

SPORTS MAZE - GAME

Do you like extreme sports? Practise listening with this maze.

LONDON AT A GLANCE

Here you are lots of London online activities offered by ESOL for you to get to know the city, its people, tourist attractions, traditions and history while practising your English skills.

WORD HURDLES - GAME

How's your knowledge of Olympic sports. Test yourself or play against a friend with this game. Can you win a medal?

THE OLYMPIC GAMES: A SHORT ANIMATED HISTORY

MIREIA WINS TWO MEDALS AT LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC

Mireia Belmonte has won a second medal at the London 2012 Olympics and in just one week has become the best spanish swimmer of all time.

Mireia Belmonte, the young Catalan swimmer from Badalona has won silver in the 200 metres butterfly and 800 metres freestyle events at the Olympic Games in London and has equaled the record held until now by canoeist David Cal and ex cyclist Joan Llaneras to become the only Spaniard to win two medals in a single olympic games.
In just a week, the girl from Badalona can boast of being the best Spanish swimmer of all time. With the silver in the 200 meters butterfly and 800 freestyle events, Belmonte is the only one that has won two medals at an Olympic games in all Spanish swimming history.
Mireia Belmonte still has many challenges ahead of her after the games. For starters, the World Cup 2013 is to be disputed on home soil in Barcelona.

STROLL: DISCOVERY TRAILS - LONDON 2012

Take a stroll along some of London’s most scenic streets with the free Discovery Trails. Six unique walking routes have been put together across the historic city centre that will take you on a journey of discovery to the greatest sights and sounds of London. Keep an eye out for official Games mascots Mandeville and Wenlock, who’ll be bringing the trails to life and highlighting some great photo opportunities. Each will be individually designed, animating the routes in a unique way that captures the spirit of London.

OPENING CEREMONY - LONDON 2012

The London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony took place at 9pm on 27 July 2012. Titled 'Isles of Wonder', the Ceremony welcomed the finest athletes from more than 200 nations for the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games, marking an historic third time the capital has hosted the world’s biggest and most important sporting event. The Opening Ceremony reflected the key themes and priorities of the London 2012 Games, based on sport, inspiration, youth and urban transformation.

It was a Ceremony 'for everyone' and celebrated contributions the UK has made to the world through innovation and revolution, as well as the creativity and exuberance of British people.

The spectacular finale of the event saw the Olympic Cauldron, formed of 205 copper petals representing the competing nations coming together in London for the Games, ignited by seven young Torchbearers nominated by Britain’s past and present Olympic and sporting greats.
Designer Thomas Heatherwick's work was a highlight of the ceremony at the Olympic Stadium, watched by 80,000 spectators.