Oxford and Oxfordshire 2012 Olympics Events

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) are working with local authorities and other organisations across the country to support the engagement and involvement of communities in the opportunities presented through the Olympics coming to London in 2012 and to create a lasting legacy across the UK. 

LOCOG have created the Inspire programme enabling non-commercial organisations across the UK to link their events and projects to the London 2012 Games in an official scope and the umbrella 4-year Cultural Olympiad Programme to encourage the celebration of  London 2012 through dance, music, theatre, the visual arts, film and digital innovation.  An education programme designed to inspire children and young people across the UK and around the world has been developed and more recently LOCOG have been working on the Olympic Torch Relay where a route through the UK has been planned so that the Flame will come within an hour of 95 percent of people in the UK. Oxford is one of the cities hosting evening celebrations for the Torch Relay.

What follows is a drawing together of activities and events across the city of Oxford and the County of Oxfordshire that have been planned as a result of these 2012 Olympic initiatives and an overview of some of the key partners that have been working both together and independently to create a vibrant programme of engagement for the communities of Oxford and Oxfordshire.

Olympic Inspired Events in Oxford and Oxfordshire

Please note: the programme of events below is still being developed and will be updated on a regular basis with the latest information.

Month	Dates	Event Description
June 2012	2nd-5th	Diamond Jubilee Weekend Held at various locations, London & Oxford
	4th	Blenheim Palace lighting a beacon for Diamond Jubilee
	9th-10th	GE Blenheim Triathlon Held at Blenheim Palace; Organised by Challenger World IMG
	16th	The Junior Sculling Regatta Held at Blenheim Palace; Organised by Hinksey Sculling School
	24th	Henley Triathlon Held at Gillots School, Henley-on-Thames; Organised by UK Triathlon
	24th	Wantage Triathlon Held at Wantage Leisure Centre; Organised by Soll Leisure Group
	24th June - 16th September	On Your Marks, Set...Go! - A sporting history of Oxford A summer celebration of art work at the Museum of oxford inspired by Oxford's sporting heritage - researched, interpreted and created by local community groups.
	21st - 9th September	London 2012 Festival featuring 'Tree of Light' The Tree of Light is one of four large-scale community celebrations in the UK to be funded by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity set up to create a cultural and sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games across the UK Held at Oxford - South Park, Reading - Prospect Park, Henley- Stonor Park, Windsor - Great Park Organised by Oxford Inspires, Henley Festival, Windsor Festival & CIAO!
	22nd-24th	Christ Church Concerts with Stephen Darlington including 1812 Overture
	22nd-24th	Overture Henley Symphony Orchestra (Olympic Theme) Held at Shiplake College, Henley-on-Thames
	25th-29th	Lloyds TSB National School Sports Week Held at Various locations in Oxford; Organised by Lloyds TSB & Oxford City Council
	27th - 1st July	Henley Royal Regatta Held at Henley-on-Thames
July 2012	7th-8th	Big Dance London 2012 Festival Event (City) Locations TBC; Organised by Big Dance in conjunction with Oxford City Council (Claire Thompson - 01865 252820)
	7th-8th	Alice's Day 150th anniversary Caucus Race at Christ Church
	8th	Bicester Carnival
	9th	Oxford's London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay Celebration & The Tree of Light Torch Relay in overnight stop event in Oxford (Oxford City Council) including Big Dance performance
	9th-10th	Torch Relay travels through Oxfordshire
	14th	Kidlington Gala Day
	17th	Thame Triathlon
		Pegasus MESH International Youth Arts Festival - The Power of the Dream
	27th	Olympic Opening Ceremony
August 2012	12th	Olympic Closing Ceremony
	18th - 19th	Bike Blenheim Palace 20k Time Trial GB Para Cycling Team to compete at  Bike Blenheim Palace 20k Time Trial
	19th	Breast Cancer Care's Bike Blenheim Palace - A Festival of Cycling
		Oxford City Regatta
	25th	Heroes Return organised by Leander Club Henley
	29th	Paralympics Opening Ceremony
September 2012	6th-9th	Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials
	9th	Paralympics Closing Ceremony
October 2012	7th	BHF Blenheim Palace Half Marathon
	14th	Oxford Half Marathon
	21st	Abingdon Marathon
Other Events		Sporting Heritage Museum of Oxford     Iffley Track/Ruskin/MAO partnership John Gerrard has been awarded the Legacy Fellowship to fuse art and sport     Olympic project - Raising The Bar - with a primary school, asylum seekers (OCVC) and young people with learning disabilities (Abingdon and Witney College)     Playground to Podium

Golden Decade of Sport

In addition to the 2012 games, Oxford is also contributing to the Golden Decade of Sport, by inspiring an entire generation of participants. The timeline of events in the UK during the 'Golden Decade' of sport is as follows:

Date	Sporting Event	Status
14 - 18 April 2010	2010 European Badminton Championships in Manchester	Hosted
15 - 24 July 2010	2010 World Lacrosse Championship in Manchester	Hosted
17 July 2010	End of the 2009/10 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in Hul	Hosted
20 August - 5 September 2010	Women's Rugby World Cup in London	Hosted
1 - 4 October 2010	Ryder Cup in Newport	Hosted
21 - 28 November 2010	ATP World Tour Finals in London	Hosted
21/22 May 2011	Heineken Cup Final in Cardiff	Hosted
28 May 2011	Champions League Final in London	Hosted
3 - 7 August 2011	International Children's Games in Lanarkshire	Hosted
November 2011	ATP World Tour Finals in London	Hosted
May 2012	Heineken Cup Final in London	Hosting
27 July - 12 August 2012	Summer Olympics	Hosting
November 2012	ATP World Tour Finals	Hosting
2013	Rugby League World Cup in UK	Hosting
24 July - 13 August  2014	Commonwealth Games in Glasgow	Hosting
September/October 2014	Ryder Cup at Gleneagles	Hosting
February 2015	Super Bowl XLIX in London	Considering
August - September 2015	World Athletics Championships	Considering
4 September - 17 October 2015	Rugby World Cup in England	Hosting
February 2017	Super Bowl LI in London	Considering
2019	Cricket World Cup in England	Hosting