by Gary Price

The games of the XXX Olympiad begin in a few hours in London. For the next two weeks people around the globe will be viewing the games in person, on television and on the web. There will also likely be record numbers of posts, tweets, pins, etc. from viewers, media and athletes and other participants in the games.

There are tons of Internet information resources that can help enhance your knowledge and enjoyment of the games. Hopefully these resources will also provide you with some interesting facts (with links to discover even more) that will help you “wow” your  friends, colleagues and others about what’s taking place in London. By the way, all of the resources listed are free.

• NewsNow: London Olympics 2012. Page automatically refreshes every five minutes.
• Reuters: Olympics Web Site.
• Wall Street Journal: Olympics Live News Stream
• Associated Press: 2012 Olympics Coverage
• Bing: During the Olympics, the Bing homepage will feature daily highlights, news, events and more. Bing search will also feature instant answers, updated transit information and other relevant results about the games.
• Yahoo Sports: Yahoo Sports is also offering extensive, real-time coverage of the games.

Here are direct links to several resources (all PDF) from the International Olympics Committee. You can find even more resource here.

• Opening Ceremonies
• Programme of the Games of the Olympiad
• Summer Games history
• Records and medalists of the Games of the Olympiad
• Images and Background: Olympic Summer Games Medals from Athens 1896 to London 2012
• Olympic Summer Games Mascots from Munich 1972 to London 2012
• Women in the Olympic Movement
• Olympic Charter
• Code of Ethics
• Marketing Fact File 2012
• Marketing Media Guide London 2012 
• The Olympic Games Booklet (eBook)

See Also: News Releases From the IOC

Source: London Organizing Committee

Facts about many topics including sustainability, transport, the Olympic Park and more.

See Also: London 2012 News Releases

Source: USOC

• U.S. Olympic Team roster by Sport
• U.S. Olympic Team roster by State (athlete’s recognized hometown)
• U.S. Olympic Team fact sheet

Source: Canadian Olympic Committee

• Backgrounders About the Team

NBC Summer Olympics Media Guide The guide includes:

• FAQ About NBC Coverage
• Olympics By the Numbers (2500 Color Monitors, 30,480 miles of fiber optic cable, etc.)
• Nations Participating in the Games
• History of the Olympics on NBC
• Cost and Ratings of Olympics on U.S. Television
• Executive and Analyst Profiles

A 180 page (PDF) version of the guide is also available.

For updates and other NBC Olympics news visit the NBC Sports Pressbox.

Canadian viewers can access background material, schedules, etc. about CTV coverage here.

Reuters Olympics London 2012 App (iOS) Gorgeous images, news reports, and more.

Olympic Medal Alerts (iOS, Android, and Desktop Widget) Source: International Olympic Committee The app will alert you when medals in the sports you select are awarded.

Here are a few sources that can provide some fast facts about the nations participating in the Olympics

• CIA World Factbook (Includes Audio of Most National Anthems)
• Country Profiles (via BBC Monitoring Service)
• International Statistics Data Base (via U.S. Census)

Association of Summer Olympics International Federations
Directory info and direct links to all member web sites. (i.e. International Tennis Federation, Federation Internationale de Gymnastique, etc.)

Country-by-Country Directory (and Links) to All National Olympic Committees 
204 countries are included.

Official International Olympics Committee Medalist Database
All medalists since 1896. Data fields include:

• Name
• Gender
• Countries/Continent
• Medal (Gold, Silver, Bronze)
• Records (World, Olympic)

Database of All Athletes
Each entry includes pictures and statistics. Here’s an example. Data back to 1896.

Wolfram|Alpha For Olympics Information
Here are some examples of how you can query Wolfram|Alpha for Olympics information.

A roundup of reports and documents prepared by the Homeland Security Digital Library.

Science of the Summer Olympics 10 videos produced by NBC.