Well it’s nearly here folks, the Greatest Show On Earth™. London 2012™ is gearing up as the most hotly anticipated Olympics since, well, Beijing 2008™. But this year, for the first time, it’s all about the Olympics Online(™?). So here are the top 10 best ways to follow the Olympics online, for London 2012…(™!)
Follow the games with AllMyFaves!
We collect the best websites and content so you don’t have to at AllMyFaves. And that’s why we’ve made a homepage filled with every website, online streaming site and Twitter feed you need to follow & watch Olympics online at London 2012.
This top 10 list contains the best picks from our latest Olympics 2012 bookmarks collection. Enjoy!
1. Keep up with the schedule
There’s so many sports and events going on at the Olympics that keeping up with it is not going to be the easiest of tasks. A number of websites are lining up to help you make that task easier; although the only site you need to follow to keep up with the Olympics schedule is the main one! The official London 2012 website’s got a really handy, auto-updating schedule and results page. Check it out here.
2. Play the official online game
Yes, of course there’s an official game. It wouldn’t be the Olympics without one! Luckily for all of us, the kind folks at London 2012 have accompanied their Nintendo mini-moneymakers with a fun, little free game to play online. You get to become an athlete for five glorious minutes, and take on the world’s best in a variety of Olympic sports, from clay pigeon shooting to the 110m hurdles. Click here to play it!
3. Make your own Olympics mascot
One for the kids (or the big kids among you), the top notch London 2012 online team have built an equally top notch website starring Wenlock and Mandeville, the odd, one-eyed Olympics mascots. It’s got lots of big, clickable buttons and bright colors, which we always approve of, as well as a series of minigames, a new sport discovery section, and a rather brilliant make your own mascot feature. Get your kids to play with this!
4. Stream the Games live
According to research by sports media group Perform, just 16% of US sports fans plan to watch the Games online via PC. This despite the fact that NBCOlympics.com will stream every event from every sport as well as every medal ceremony — over 3,500 hours of live coverage! If you’re Chinese however, the figure rises to 70%, so this may be more relevant to you! Non-Americans and Americans alike have a number of free streaming options, from NBC to MyP2P. Although you have to be very careful about what you click (it’s a popup ads minefield out there…), there’s some really useful streaming sites listed on our London 2012 homepage under ‘WatchTheGames’. Find the best sites to watch Olympics online here!
5. Follow the athletes
For the first time, we’re about to witness an Olympic Games shrouded in social media. And that’s actually a good thing if you’re into getting “up close and personal” (sort of…) to your favorite athletes. So if you want to know what Usain Bolt’s eaten for his dinner, or how Michael Phelps is feeling after yet another Gold medal victory, we suggest you find your faves on Twitter! And if you’re not in the mood for searching… keep our top Olympics Twitter feeds list on your smartphone, and you’ll have insider access at all times.
6. Get last minute tickets
I actually applied for £5000 worth of Olympics tickets when they first came out. Guess how many I got? Yep, a big fat zero. Nada. Rien. Nothing. Not even a ticket to stand outside the shiny, new London 2012 stadium during the Opening Ceremony. Luckily however, thousands of the scoundrels who did receive tickets, sold them on to online ticket “resellers” like this one. And they’re now gladly offering them back to people like me at 3 times the price. But hey, if you gotta go, you gotta go! You can also check the official tickets website for any last minute resales. And they’re all listed on our London 2012 homepage, so check back daily… if you dare!
7. Get live updates
Twitter’s not just about following and the daily habits and rituals (and trying desperately to grab a retweet off) the actual sports stars. Twitter really comes into its own in the usefulness stakes when you’re looking for the latest on what’s happening right now. We included a search for the Twitter hashtags #london2012 and #olympics in our London 2012 bookmarks list so you can regularly check for live updates from journalists and officials while you’re at work.
8. ‘Kickstart’ an Olympics themed project
It’s often been said that sports mean more when there’s money on ’em. Well the same could be said for those who invest in them too. On Kickstarter you can join hundreds and thousands of other normal Internet people in investing a small amount of your hard earned cash into interesting projects, in exchange for a reward. Naturally there’s a smattering of Olympics-themed projects pitching for your investment – just type “olympics” into the search bar on Kickstarter. Or alternatively, get in the Olympics mood by checking out these awesome team USA tank tops currently looking for funding!
9. Read what the media has to say
A major sports event wouldn’t be a major sports event without the media outlets covering it. We’ve listed some of the best for you to check up on for more in-depth analysis, news and editorials: everything from the BBC to the New York Times, with a bit of Time Magazine thrown in for good measure. Stay in the know by clicking here to see them all.
10. Find your way around the London traffic
If you’re lucky enough to be going to London for the Games (or unlucky enough depending on the point of view…), you’re going to need to find your way around. It’s a big, bad city is London. But that’s why this website, made by the London 2012 folks – ‘Get Ahead Of The Games’ – was made. It’s great for route planning and updated traffic info. And if you’re a Londoner who’s just concerned about getting to work (or operating your place of work), the site caters for that too. Get ahead of the games by clicking here.