Horse Guards Parade

Once home to the Buckingham Palace's personal guards - the Queen's Life Guard - the historical Horse Guards Parade is all set to host the 2012 Olympic Beach Volleyball competition. Situated at the centre of Whitehall in London, this spectacular 15,000-seater venue will provide an iconic backdrop for one the most popular Olympics event - Beach Volleyball, which is the most anticipated event in the Olympic Calendar. Volleyball contestants will be housed in the Olympic village near Stratford. Located at a stone's throw distance from the Prime Minister's main residence in Downing Street, this sprawling Parade is easily accessible by bus, foot or underground. Every year, during the Queen's birthday, the Parade stages the "Trooping the Color" ceremony, which is one of the most highly televised event. Two warm-up beach courts have been set up, along with six training courts in St. James's Park to provide the best stage for world's beach volleyball supremos to come together and contest for the gold. Steeped in colorful history, Horse Guards Parade promises a more spectacular event during the 2012 Olympic beach volleyball competition.

Fast Facts

Sport Events Beach Volleyball
Location Horse Guards Parade lies at the heart of Whitehall, the political center of the UK. It is close to Downing Street and across St James's Park from Buckingham Palace.
New or Existing New
Permanent or Temporary Temporary
Number of Events 2 Events

Horse Guards Parade London Olympics 2012
From 28 July to 9 August, athletes will enter through Horse Guards to create new history in Olympics Beach Volleyball. To create the sandy beaches some 2,274 tons of sand from a quarry in Surrey was used. A temporary1,500-seat trial stadium has been built ahead of the 15,000-seat arena for the games. The leftover sand was distributed to training venues around the country including those in Westminster and Crystal Palace. As London's largest single open space, Horse Guards Parade would make an ideal venue s. Since the Horse Guards Parade is right in the heart of the city center and is served by several train and bus routes, travelling and reaching to the venue is not a difficult task. Horse Guards Parade is also just a stone's throw from the Prime Minister's main residence in Downing Street.

During The Game
A temporary arena has been built for the Games, with sand brought in to create London's very own 'beach'. Architects have worked tremendously to not to dig a spade or lay a stake in the famous ground to preserve the historical courtyard. Everything has been built from the ground up against a stunning backdrop to showcase the capital's heritage. The way the athletes enter is right through the tunnel and is over-the-top fantastic. The LOCOG committee had considered other venues including Hyde Park and Regent's Park for beach volleyball, but in the end the decision to host it at Horse Guards Parade was unanimous.

After The Game
The temporary facilities will be taken down after the Games. However, being one of the historical sites in London, it will continue to be flocked by tourists and visitors. This historical parade ground may also be used to host Polo championships as it hosted the 1st London Polo Championships in 2009.

How To Reach
The venue is served by local bus services. Also due to its close proximity to Horse , River Thames, one can use Westminster and Embankment Piers and Thames river services too.

During the London 2012 Olympic Games, 24 teams of two players will take part in a total of 108 matches to determine who will win the two gold medals that is at stakes this year. Set at Horse Guards Parade, the home of the traditional Trooping the Color celebration, Beach Volleyball is one of the few events to be held in Central London. In the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the United States had ruled the sands by winning both gold medals. Brazil secured silver and bronze in the men's competition, while China won the same in the women's competition.