The London 2012 Olympic Games will be the tenth Olympic Games (counting both Summer and Winter Games) where Panasonic's digital technologies will be used as the official recording format, dating since the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games.

1. London 2012 Olympic Games
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Dominic Patric de Neuville
Broadcasting
The London 2012 Olympic Games will be the tenth Olympic Games (counting
both Summer and Winter Games) where Panasonic's digital technologies will
be used as the official recording format, dating since the Barcelona 1992
Olympic Games. The official international video will be produced and
distributed from the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) in London Olympic
Park, in 1080/50i High-Definition (HD) format.[209] Panasonic announced that
DVCPRO HD will be the official recording format for capturing the Games.
Olympic Broadcasting Services London (OBSL), the Host Broadcaster, will use
P2 HD series equipment to support the broadcast of the competition. The
cameras that will be used are the AG-HPX250, the company’s first P2 HD
handheld camcorder with AVC-Intra recording and two new AVCCAM HD
handheld camcorders, the AG-AC160 and AG-AC130, with Full HD imagers
and a new, wider 21X HD zoom lens.[210]
According to the IOC's claim to providing over-the-air television coverage to as
broad a worldwide audience as possible, London 2012 is scheduled to be
broadcast by a number of regional broadcasters. The British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC) is the home broadcaster for the Olympics and Channel 4
the home broadcaster for the Paralympics. The BBC aims to broadcast by
various channels all 5,000 hours of the Olympic Games. [211] Much of the actual
broadcasting is originated by the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS). The
United States television rights currently owned by NBC account for over half
the rights revenue for the IOC.[book 1] Many television broadcasters granted
rights to the games have bureaux and studios in London, but since at least the
1988 Olympic Winter Games in Calgary, rights-holder operations are hosted in
the dedicated International Broadcast Centre (IBC). London's IBC is planned
to be inside the security cordon of the Olympic Park.
YouTube will live stream the games to countries all over the world as part of
an IOC deal.

2. Environmental policy
The Olympic Park will incorporate 45 hectares of wildlife habitat, with a total of
525 bird boxes, and 150 bat boxes. Local waterways and riverbanks are to be
enhanced as part of the process.[214]
Renewable energy will also feature at the Olympics. It was originally planned
to provide 20% of the energy for the Olympic Park and Village from renewable
technologies; however, this may now be as little as 9%.[215] Proposals to meet
the original target included large-scale on-site wind turbines and hydroelectric
generators in the River Thames. However, these plans were scrapped for
safety reasons.[216] The focus has since moved to installing solar panels on
some buildings, and providing the opportunity to recover energy from waste.
Food packaging at the Olympics will be made from compostable materials –
like starch and cellulose-based bioplastics – where it cannot be re-used or re-
cycled. This will include fast food wrappers, sandwich boxes and drink cartons.
After they have been used many of these materials will be suitable for
anaerobic digestion (AD), allowing them to be made into renewable energy.[217]
Tourism and the 2012 Games
The 2012 Games park near Stratford is attracting new tourists to the area. [218]
The upgraded Greenway cycle and walking path provides an ideal viewing
point for the park while the site remains closed to the public.
In 2011, a new initiative to bring tourists and visitors into the area will involve a
public waterbus "hop-on hop-off" route, from Limehouse Basin to waterways
near the Olympic Park.[219]
Cultural Olympiad
Main article: 2012 Cultural Olympiad
The Olympic Charter, the set of rules and guidelines for the organization of the
Olympic Games and for governing the Olympic Movement, states that "The
OCOG shall organise a programme of cultural events which must cover at
least the entire period during which the Olympic Village is open."[220]
The Cultural Olympiad comprises many programs with over 500 events spread
over four years over the whole of the United Kingdom, and culminating in the
London 2012 Festival.[221][222]

3. Stamps
In August 2009 the Royal Mail commissoned artists and illustrators to create
30 stamps which were released in batches of 10 during 2009 to 2011. The 30
stamps symbolise that the Games take place during the 30th Olympiad. Each
stamp featured an Olympic or Paralympic sport and in addition carried the
London 2012 logo.[223] The Royal Mail had initially approached photographers
to be included as well but this was abandoned as the photos would have to be
of dead people as the only living person allowed to feature on stamps in the
United Kingdom is the Queen.[224] Stamps with an Olympic theme go back to
the very first games in Athens in 1890 when the organisers commissioned the
sale of stamps in order to balance the books and construct the last four
venues. When London first held the Games in 1908 no stamps were
commissioned. That occasion and 1912 are the only times when stamps were
not issued. When London last held the Games in 1948, just four stamps were
issued.[225] On 22 July 2011 the last of the 30 stamps were released.[226]
Merchandise
On 21 July 2009 the LOCOG announced that Hornby had won the license to
develop and market a range associated with the Games. The license allowed
the company to sell products across its Corgi, Hornby, Scalextric and Airfix
brands. Airfix will have model kits for all of the main venues,[227] including a
1:500 scale Olympic Stadium.[228] The centre-piece of the Scalextric collection
will be a cycling Velodrome set.[227] The collection was launched by British
cyclist Lizzie Armitstead in Hamleys toy store in June 2011.[229] In March 2011
the LOCOG commissioned and published a series of training guides.[230] The
merchandise was sold online and in five shops known as "The London 2012
Shop" in London Heathrow Airport, London Stansted Airport, St Pancras
International Station, Paddington Station and in John Lewis on Oxford Street.
In addition Adidas sold its London 2012 range in its flagship store on Oxford
Street and selected Next stores sold their 2012 range.[231] Sainsburys as
official sponsors of the Paralympics also sold merchandise within their
stores.[232] As with other Olympics since 1952, the Royal Mint will strike a set of
commemorative one-kilogram gold and silver coins.[233] The striking of such
large coins necessitated a new Act of Parliament, the Coinage (Measurement)
Act 2011.
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Dominic Patric de Neuville