Water Polo Arena

Water Polo Arena
The Water Polo Arena in April 2012
City:	Olympic Park London United Kingdom
Coordinates	Coordinates: 51°32′30″N 0°00′47″W / 51.54153°N 0.01292°W
Capacity:	5,000[1]
Built:	2011–2012
Pools
Name Length Width Depth Lanes Competition pool Warm-up pool 37-metre (121-foot)[1]
Tenants	2012 Summer Olympics

Inside the Water Polo Arena

The Water Polo Arena was a venue of the 2012 Summer Olympics held in London from 27 July to 12 August 2012. It is situated in the south-east corner of the Olympic Park, alongside the Aquatics Centre, and opposite the Olympic Stadium on the opposite bank of the Waterworks River.

Construction on the temporary structure began in spring 2011. During the Olympics, the 5,000-seat arena^[1] hosted both the men's and women's water-polo competitions, and contained both a warm-up pool and a 37-metre (121-foot) competition pool.^[1]

The Aquatics Centre and Water Polo Arena are adjacent to each other in one of the most compact areas of the park. To make the best use of the space available, some back-of-house facilities, such as space for broadcasters, catering and security were shared between the two venues.

The first dedicated water-polo venue to be built for an Olympics,^[2] the structure will be taken down after the games. Elements of the venue are expected to be reused or relocated elsewhere.^[3] Parts of the roofing covers and membranes of different temporary venues of the building will be recycled via Vinyloop. This allows to meet the standards of the Olympic Delivery Authority, concerning environmental protection. Through this recycling process, the Olympic Games PVC Policy is fulfilled. It says that

Where London 2012 procures PVC for temporary usage or where permanent usage is not assured, London 2012 is required to ensure that there is a take-back scheme that offers a closed loop reuse system or mechanical recycling system for post-consumer waste.

London 2012 are the first Olympic Games whose guidelines include the recycling of PVC.^[4]

References

1. Database (undated). "Water Polo Arena". london2012.com (the official website of the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Paralympics). Retrieved 17 May 2012. "The venue has a 37m competition pool plus a smaller training pool, and capacity for 5,000 spectators."
2. Database (undated). "Water Polo Arena". london2012.com (the official website of the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Paralympics). Retrieved 17 May 2012. "It is the first dedicated Water Polo venue to be built for an Olympic Games."
3. Database (undated). "Water Polo Arena". london2012.com (the official website of the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Paralympics). Retrieved 17 May 2012. "The lightweight venue will be taken down after the Games, and elements of the venue are expected to be reused or relocated elsewhere."
4. "London 2012 seeks sustainable solutions for temporary venues". ODA. Retrieved 20 August 2012.

External links

• Media related to Water Polo Arena at Wikimedia Commons
• London 2012 Olympics profile