Guardian Olympics 2012

Olympics news, reports, video, pictures and more from the Guardian's team at London 2012

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Just the victory parade to go, and then Britain's summer of love will be over. London 2012, the capital's greatest party in living memory, is done. At the risk of using up the entire annual quota of Guardian editorial schmaltz in one go, this past month it feels as if most of us have been (as Boris Johnson would have it) cropdusted with serotonin, the happiness hormone. 

Read the Guardian's editorial this morning on the Paralympics and Olympics summer of love.

Here's the review of the closing ceremony from our Olympics editor Owen Gibson, and Jonathan Freedland looks back on the summer of 2012

Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty Images Europe

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The London Legacy Development Corporation plans to build 8,000 new homes at the Olympic Park in Stratford. Here's how it might look in 20 years

Photograph: London Legacy Development Corporation

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Today's G2 cover: What is it like to be an Olympic athlete's parent?

Extreme highs and crushing lows are part of an elite athlete's life. But what do mothers and fathers go through while their kids toil away in search of glory?

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A new influx of volunteers – fewer in number, but in equal density to the Olympics, so visitors will have no shortage of people relentlessly encouraging them to smile – will start taking up their places. Around 70% will be fresh to these Games, while 30% will have also experienced what Paralympic organisers jokingly refer to as “the warm-up”.

London 2012: let the Paralympics preparations begin

(via guardian)

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The best images from a spectacular closing ceremony at the Olympic stadium

Photographs: Tom Jenkins and Dan Chung for the Guardian

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Until the paralympics then...

Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

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Team GB, you've been amazing. Now for the closing ceremony.

Photograph: Georgie Gillard/NOPP

See you for the paralympics!

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Latest of the lip-syncs comes from... TEAM GB! Ennis and Hoy join the Adidas marketing coup as a host of Great Britain's Olympic champions' take on Queen's Don't Stop Me Now to celebrate the success of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Louis Smith is amazing in this...

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Team GB's Tom Daley says he's 'over the moon' to have won a bronze medal in the 10m platform dive on Saturday. The 18-year-old poster boy of the 2012 Games became the first Briton to win a medal in the discipline since 1960 and lost out on a gold only in the final round to the American David Boudia

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Guardian readers share their memories of London2012

Humberwolf

I'm already sad about the Games drawing to an end, like a schoolkid dreading the last couple of days of their summer holidays. The thought of making do with football from next week makes me feel nauseous. As far from the spirit of these games as it's possible to get. I've probably smiled , laughed and had tears standing in my eyes more often this last two weeks than football has managed in the last two decades.

Zojo

It has been amazing and so much better, more emotional and more inspiring than I ever expected. I was a firm cynic before it began, but the opening ceremony grabbed me, and then the sport would not let me go. Melancholic is exactly how I feel right now. I have been so proud, so moved and shed more tears than I could have imagined. So many great moments, so much of what is good about sport, about sportsmanship and about people. I have loved the enthusiasm and positivity which has been coursing through everyone - inclusive, sharing, - we really were all in it together this time and it felt great.

Debaser92

I'm a Londoner and very very proud. Only in the days after 7/7 have I ever been more proud of the city I've lived in my life. It's been a joy to feel such warmth and positivity foe once. I know the Olympics in materialistic terms delivered little, but I hope that the happiness generated by the games can somehow be a force for good.

tiredgiraffe

As a family, we stayed in a youth hostel over the past week, meeting all kinds of people from all over Britain and from other countries too. Every evening, without exception, the TV was set to Olympic coverage and those that turned up in the lounge discussed it, with real joy. I hope my boys always remember watching Bolt win the 100m with the whole room cheering him on. I'll always remember the feeling of unity and happiness. This excellent article captures this feeling perfectly; I don't want to go back to endless bad news (and football) either. Thank you.

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Getting ready for the closing ceremony?  Where will you watch from?

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One of the big screens? At home or in the pub with friends? We'd be interested to know too! Tweet @GdnLondon2012

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Bronze for Tom! And other medal victories for Team GB in pictures here

Photograph: Michael Dalder/Reuters

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One of the photographs Usain Bolt took with Photographer, Jimmy Wixtröm’s Camera after he won the 200m.

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Nice.

[adriannaadm]

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Big day today!

(we couldn't resist...)

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Olympics Velodrome Cake

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This is incredible!

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Inspire a generation they said. We did.

What was your most inspiring moment from London 2012?

Ennis feeds off the home crowd Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters

Mo Farah wins gold Photograph: Paul Mcfegan/Sportsphoto/Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar

Danny Boyle's Olympic rings Photograph: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images