Another week, another milestone. Hot on the heels of 100 days to go, it’s 2,012 hours until the opening ceremony.
The moment comes at 7pm this Saturday and will be marked by organisers with a special evening at the Olympic Stadium, which before then is hosting the annual inter-university athletics championships (BUCS) as part of the Games’s test event series.
Previous BUCS champions Perri Shakes-Drayton, Dai Greene and Lisa Dobriskey — all London 2012 medal contenders — will join the 40,000 crowd. The BUCS event starts on Friday, with the finals taking place on Bank Holiday Monday morning, and features 1,500 athletes from 100 universities and colleges.
Also this week, the hockey facilities at the Olympic Park will be put through their paces with another international test event starting on Wednesday.
Perhaps the Duchess of Cambridge, an accomplished hockey player who recently tried out the Olympic pitch, will be among the crowd watching eight top teams, including men’s Olympic champions Germany.
Airport-style security will be introduced for the first time with the hockey event. There is a long list of prohibited items including liquids, gels, aerosols or other items of a similar consistency in amounts greater than 100ml. This includes drinks, perfume and other cosmetics and gels.
Spectators can bring 200ml of sunscreen and up to one litre of baby food and essential medication.
“This restriction is in place so we can test our full security procedures prior to the Games. It is in place for one day only,” a Locog spokesman said.
