The London Olympics this summer is big, big, big by any measure. Here are a few numbers from Olympic organizers that put the July 27 to Aug. 12 event into perspective.
The Games Themselves
β10,500 athletes from 205 national Olympic committees
β26 sports; 39 disciplines
β34 venues around the U.K.
β302 medal events
β8.8 million tickets
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β21,000 media and broadcasters
The Torch
β8,000 torchbearers to carry the flame across Britain and Ireland
β8,000 miles: Length of the torch relay
β300 meters: Average distance each torchbearer has the flame
β95 percent: Portion of the U.K. population within 10 miles of the flame
The Public
β1 billion visitors to london2012.com
β14 million meals to be served at the games
β70,000 volunteers
β2,012 official pin badge designs
β28 "Olympic live sites" across nation with big screen televisions
β203,000 pieces of luggage leaving Heathrow on Aug. 13, the day after the Olympics end
Equipment
β1 million pieces of equipment
β600 basketballs
β541 lifejackets (canoeing, marathon swimming, rowing, sailing, and triathlon)
β510 adjustable hurdles for track events
β356 pairs of boxing gloves
β99 training dolls for wrestling and judo
β53 sets of lane ropes for swimming
Athletes' Village
β 45,000: number of meals served there per day
β165,000: number of towels
β22,000: number of pillows
Security
β12,000 police officers on duty on the busiest days
β23,700 security personnel, not including police