Coventry City Council

A co-Host City for London 2012

The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games provided a once in a lifetime opportunity for Coventry and Warwickshire to join in and be part of the biggest sporting events in the World.

 

Coventry is immensely proud to have the honour of being an Olympic co-host City after being selected to be the new Midlands Venue for Olympic Football in 2010. Our vision to be part of London 2012 was to maximise this once in a life time opportunity and provide everyone in Coventry & Warwickshire with their own Olympic experience.

 

London 2012 was more than just a sporting event and more than just a Games for the capital. London 2012 was Everyone's Games and outside of London, Coventry and Warwickshire led the way to be part of and join in with the greatest show on earth.

 

As an Olympic co-host City, 2012 has been a special year for Coventry as we welcomed the world to the region and people from across the UK. Arguably, no other sub-region outside London was the focus of so much Olympic related activity through:

 

• Hosting Olympic Football at the Ricoh Arena from July 25 - 9 August, 2012 (to be renamed the City of Coventry Stadium for the Games) 12 matches over 8 days culminating in the Women's bronze medal match

• One of 66 Evening Celebration locations for the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay on Sunday July 1 and Monday 2 July , 2012 (Days 44 & 45)

• Hosting world-class athletes and visiting teams as training camps at the University of Warwick

• Staging community events and screening the 2012 Games live on our London 2012 Live Site, a big screen in Millennium Place and one of 22 screens across the UK

• Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the consecration of Coventry Cathedral - a key event in the city's history, and one which will also attract national and international interest

• Showcasing the very best of Coventry's creativity through Godiva Awakes, the West Midlands winner of the Legacy Trusts Artists Taking the Lead Cultural Olympiad project

• Celebrating the London 2012 Paralympic Torch Relay as one of 36 communities across the country to host a Flame Celebration event on August 25, 2012

• Celebrating Shakespeare through the London 2012 World Shakespeare Festival

• Looking and Feeling like an Olympic host City through the London 2012 Look and Feel street dressing programme

• Hosting the Olympic Football Test Event, the last Men's Qualifying Play-Off match as part of the London Prepares test event series

In 2012, we encouraged everyone to have their own Olympic Moment, uniting Coventry & Warwickshire and making our region come alive in this national celebration. 

 

We aimed to capture the inspiration of the Games and use it to encourage individuals, sports clubs, schools, businesses and any organisation to challenge themselves to be the best they can be, and to be part of the greatest sporting events in the world, making the most of this once in a life time opportunity.

 

Thank you Coventry, we did it right.