1. The Olympic Park project was a deemed a huge success in construction terms, taking less than three years to build (way ahead of schedule) and coming in £10 million under budget.
2. The Stadium seats 80 000 spectators for sports events.
3. It is the lightest Olympic stadium ever built.
4. The Velodrome is geared to be the fastest indoor cycling track in the world.
5. The wave shaped roof on the Aquatics Centre measures 12 000 square metres – one and a half times bigger than the Wembley football pitch.
6. Olympic park cost £486 million to construct.
7. An estimated 5 200 people were directly involved in the building operations and 320 UK businesses were involved in the project.
8. The International Broadcast Centre at Olympic Park will be a non-stop media hub for approximately 20 000 broadcasters, journalists and photographers.
9. The Games will be broadcast an estimated 4 billion people worldwide.
10. This will be the first Olympic Games with HD freeze-frame.
11. It took 1000 working days to build the stadium.
12. The stadium has 14 lighting towers and 532 individual flood lights
13. The ArcelorMittal Orbit by Anish Kapoor is the centrepiece of London’s Olympic Park, towering 115 metres from the ground, with spectacular views of London’s skyline from special platforms.
14. 5 new bridges were built to increase access to Olympic Park.
15. Before building started, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), assisted by the Museum of London, carried out detailed investigations into the heritage of the site and found more heritage than they bargained for! Several artefacts were unearthed, including a Roman coin dating back to 330-335 AD, several pieces of ancient pottery dating back to the 4th century AD, ancient remains dating right back to the Bronze Age, a 2000 year old hut and an entire cobbled street from around 1850.

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The All Black players have been banned from tweeting in their personal capacity, but you can follow their group twitter account, which seems like it’s going to be pretty accurate.

Catch the Springbok updates with our two favourites SA rugby twitter accounts, one official, one unofficial. We’ve included the Official Wales, Irish and Wallabies accounts and the Russian team’s Twitter account  (since it’s their first World Cup), as well as the Real NZ Festival, official RWC and Auckland pages for good measure!

@irfurugby
The official Irish Rugby page on Twitter.

@allblacks
The official home of the All Blacks and New Zealand Rugby on Twitter.

@rugbyworldcup
The official Twitter site for Rugby World Cup 2011, New Zealand.

@realnzfestival
Welcome to the biggest festival ever held in New Zealand. Celebrate our arts, culture, sport, wine, food & business during Rugby World Cup 2011.

@bokrugby
The Official Twitter page of SA Rugby and the Springboks.

@what_the_ruck
What The Ruck is freelance rugby journalist Ryan Shahin’s blog and Twitter account.

@qantaswallabies
Official home of the Qantas Wallabies on Twitter.

@russiarugby
Rugby Union of Russia. Official English Twitter account. (Твиттер Союза регбистов России на русском языке)

@gwladrugby
Fiercely unofficial Welsh rugby fans’ website and online community of misfits.

@ruggerbits
Rugby Rugby Rugby

@auckland2011
Official Twitter page for Auckland, the hub of Rugby World Cup 2011, with updates on what’s happening, events and activities.

________________________

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Other great prizes on offer such as 2 Tickets to the AFL Grand Final in Australia

Enjoy some ice cold VB’s, BBQ and some high flying Aussie Rules action!

Motspur Park overland (2 stops form Wimbledon, 3 from Clapham Junction + 1 minute walk)

www.afllondon.com

Where:

Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Playing Fields
Marina Avenue, Motspur Park KT3 6NE

Directions:

• Motspur Park overland
• ONLY 3 stops from Clapham Junction
• 2 stops from Wimbledon
• 1 minute walk to ground from Motspur Park station

When:

6 August 2011, 11am – 5.30pm

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1. In contrast to the young Boris Becker, the oldest ever Men’s Single Champion was Arthur Gore of Great Britain who won the title at the ripe (oldish) age of 41.
2. Speaking of age, Jean Borota of France has had the longest Wimbledon career… He won his first Wimbledon title in 1924; was still competing in the main tournament in 1964; and at the very ripe old age of 78, played in the Wimbledon veterans’ doubles in 1977.
3. The last time a married woman won the women’s singles championship was in 1981. The Mrs was Chris Evert Lloyd.
4. The last time anyone played at Wimbledon with a wooden racket was in 1987.
5. In 1931 Spanish player Lili de Alvarez caused quite a stir at Wimbledon by playing in “a divided skirt”, the forerunner to shorts. The sensational outfit was designed by Elsa Schiaparelli – a controversial Italian designer of the time.
6. The first ever black player to win a Wimbledon singles championship was American Althea Gibson who took the title in 1957.
7. Did you know that Wimbledon’s Centre Court was a victim of World War II? 5 bombs hit Centre Court during an air attack in October 1940, totally destroying 1200 seats. It took 9 years for the court to be fully restored.
8. Up until 1968 only “amateur” players were allowed to take part in the tournament. At that stage sports people who were paid to play were considered second-class citizens…  In 1968, Wimbledon first allowed “professionals” and so began what was known as the “open era.”
9. The prize money has certainly increased since then. In 1968, the year of the first “open” championships, the male winner received £2 000 and the female winner £750. In 2011, the prize money for the men’s and women’s singles winners is £1.1 million.
10. The prize money for male and female Wimbledon winners was only “equalized” in 2007, 34 years after Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in 3 sets, to prove that women’s tennis wasn’t “inferior” as Riggs had publicly claimed.
11. A challenge round system (where the defending champion automatically qualified for the next year’s final) was used from 1877 – 1921.
12. Ball girls were first employed at Wimbledon in 1977 and in 1985, they were allowed on Centre Court for the first time.
13. The top-selling item in the Wimbledon gift shop in 2010 was yellow mini tennis ball keyrings – she store sold 18 000 of them!
14. Yellow balls were introduced in 1986 to replace the white balls, which were hard for umpires to see.
15. This year, Slazenger supplied 52 200 tennis balls to Wimbledon!

As we prepare to see if Murray can play his way into Sunday’s final, a last extra piece of trivia – it has in fact been 75 years since a Brit won the Men’s Singles Tournament. But you probably knew that one already…

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The worldwide event is staged for many reasons – it’s a demonstration against oil dependency, a call to protect the environment, a celebration of the human body, a call for safer cycling lanes and facilities and a campaign to encourage more people to use bikes to get around in cities.  

Similar events will take place in Brighton, Manchester, York and Southampton; and further away in Edinburgh and in US cities San Francisco and Chicago.

Although the idea is to be completely naked, you are not obliged to strip off to participate. Bare as much as you dare, try bodypainting or fancy dress if nudity is not your thing!

Come and show your support for the environment, cyclists and nudity by bringing your bike, skates or skateboard to Hyde Park on Saturday the 11^th of June and prepare to set off at 3pm.

For more information, visit http://wiki.worldnakedbikeride.org/wiki/London.

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ANZAC Day is the one true occasion that binds the two great nations of Australia and New Zealand. It is in the spirit of bringing people together in remembrance on this day.

“A sporting event for the community by the sports clubs of the community.”

The event has grown in such popularity and over the past few years and with the 2011 amalgamation of the two oldest ANZAC sports events the ANZAC Rugby Challenge (est 1983) and the AFL ANZAC Cup (est 1995) the event is now named the ANZAC Challenge.

The 2011 ANZAC Challenge will be proudly hosted at Wasps FC and supported by the local antipodean community.  For those new to the event, Australia takes on New Zealand in numerous sports for the day including Rugby League, Rugby Union, Touch Rugby, Tag Rugby and Netball!  The day also features the 22nd AFL ANZAC Cup, the 28th ANZAC Rugby Challenge and the ActiveAntipodean Social Netball competition with some great prizes up for grabs!

Check out www.anzacrugbychallenge.com and for your chance to win double sets of tickets email info@activeantipodean.com

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We did a little investigating and came up with these 5 alternative ways to keep fit – some new, some not so new – all of them invigorating and fun!

1. Slacklining

Slacklining is a fairly new “sport” which is quickly gaining popularity in Australia, the USA and certain European countries. A slackline is basically webbing, which is strung up between two trees or poles. The idea is first to learn to balance on the line, then to walk on it and finally to do awesome tricks, just as you would on a trampoline! It is a fantastic core workout, helps to improve balance, focus and determination and has been shown to have great results among those with ADHD. Did we forget to mention it is also loads of fun and highly addictive!

2. Bikram

Bikram is a specific type of yoga developed by Bikram Choudry in 1974. If you’re thinking yoga is for girls who eat a lot of lentils, you couldn’t be more wrong! Bikram yoga is a 90-minute workout that will have even the fittest, strongest rugby player sweating, shaking and praying for relief! Essentially a series of 26 postures, Bikram yoga is practiced in a room heated to around 40° C to help detoxify the body and facilitate a deeper stretch. Many heated yoga studios also offer flow or vinyasa yoga, which is a more dynamic and (some say) more intense workout. If it’s mental and physical wellbeing you’re after, along with a super-fit, toned body, bikram yoga is your best bet!

3. Bossaball

Described as a mixture between football, trampoline, volleyball and gymnastics, this high-energy game is played on an inflatable court with an integrated trampoline on either side of a volleyball net. Teams consist of 3-5 players, with only one player per team on the trampoline at any given time and the other players on the inflatables. As with volleyball the objective is to spike the ball so that it hits the floor (in this case the trampoline or inflatables) on the other team’s side. A maximum of 8 contacts is allowed before the ball has to pass over the net; and players are allowed to pass the ball using any part of their body. Bossaball was developed by Belgian Filip Eyckmans in 2005 and is slowly growing in popularity. Bossaball could make it to the UK soon, but for now you might have to travel to Spain, Holland or Portugal to get a game in.

4. Capoeira

Capoeira is a Brazilian art form which combines martial arts, acrobatics and dance. Its origins can be traced back to the 16^th Century, but it only started to surface as a part of modern culture in the 1970’s.  A circle is made, called a roda. Music is played, with instruments like the berimbau, a drum called an atabaque and a pandeiro, which is a type of tambourine. Inside the Roda, two players interact.  There is no punching and no jerky movements. The idea is to use intuition and foresight to anticipate your opponent’s next move and create a sort of graceful, acrobatic dance to expose one another’s weaknesses through playful “attacks” and counterattacks.  It requires strength, rhythm and presence of mind and is a fun, challenging way to keep fit.

5. Nia

Nia is a type of body-mind-spirit exercise created in California 1983 by Debbie and Carlos Rosas.  The Nia Technique is based on 52 principles that integrate modalities from dance, including jazz and modern dance; martial arts like Tai Chi and Aikido; and healing practices such as yoga. Done barefoot to inspiring music, Nia is a holistic fitness programme, which is cardiovascular and great for weight loss, toning and flexibility. Most importantly though, Nia teaches you to be more joyful and expressive your everyday life.

As summer approaches, why not ditch the gym card and try something new and exciting, with more benefits than purely the physical?

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By filling in a simple questionnaire about the Springbok Supporters Club in the UK, you are automatically entered into a prize draw to win a luxury safari for two people at the world renowned Bush Lodge at the SABI SABI Game Reserve in South Africa, and the runner up will win 2 tickets to the exclusive Steve Hofmeyr show in London (for more details on the venue and time click here)!

We would like you to tell us what would make you join the SSC UK and give us the tools to make it the best South African club for those of us who are still braving the harsh European winters! With your feedback, we can better understand how to make the club work for YOU!

To take part in this survey, please click here

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London is gearing up to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games from 27 July to 12 August 2012, with tickets going on sale from the 15^th of March 2011.  Ticket sales close on the 30^th of April 2011, which leaves only 4 months to guarantee your share of all the excitement and live Olympic action!

Register your interest on http://www.tickets.london2012.com/ before ticket sales open and you’ll be kept up-to-date with any developments and you’ll be invited to purchase your tickets as the sales office opens.

Watch out for bogus websites claiming to be genuine ticket sellers!

Kickstart your London Experience

If you’re planning to be in London for a substantial amount of time for the 2012 Olympic Games, consider a Kickstart Package from 1st Contact. The Kickstart package contains all the essentials you’ll need for navigating London, including assistance with accommodation, a SIM card, comprehensive city guide, and more. Visit www.1stcontactkickstart.com for more information.

Tourist Visa Information

If you will be visiting the UK from somewhere other than the US or the EU, you might need to apply for a Tourist Visa. Visit www.1stcontactvisas.com for more information on the costs, documents needed application deadlines if you want to come to the Olympic Games. It’s never too early to begin planning!

Olympic Travel Money

For excellent Travel Money options, visit www.1stcontactforex.com.  Their Travel Money options were designed to put more money in your pocket and services include foreign exchange, international transfers and the Travel Money Card.  If you’re coming to Europe from elsewhere in the world, the 1^st Contact Euro Travel Money Card is an excellent solution! Because you can only swipe the card at your destination, you can save money before your trip by uploading funds into the account as much as you like leading up to your holiday. It acts as a local MasterCard debit card, which means you are paying like a local, not a foreigner… There are no charges at all for swiping while in the UK, and only a low, standard ATM withdrawal fee.

Volunteer as a Games Maker

If you’re a Londoner, why not get involved by becoming an Olympic Games Maker or volunteer? Visit http://www.london2012.com/get-involved/volunteer/index.php to find out more about all the current and 2012 volunteering opportunities.

For information or advice on London, the best travel money solutions or UK Visas, please visit www.1stcontact.com

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Saracens are offering a 50% discount on tickets for the Boxing day rugby match at Wembley between Saracens and Wasps.

They will have snow canons blowing snow over the crowd and Eliza Doolittle will be performing before the game and at half time.

Only  £7.50 for a £15 ticket and £12.50 for a £25 ticket!

Just call 01727 792 800 and quote “Saffa”.

£5 for all children

Hopefully this is something of a consolation for all the Saffas that have to brave the UK weather over Christmas! There will be something for everyone, including the return of Gavin Henson and also the £250 000 cross-bar challenge.

This is sure to be a great day out at the magnificent Wembley stadium for young and old.

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