Crazyrebel(l)s ist umgezogen! » Mats Hummels Germany Jersey

Did you know a shuttlecock can travel up to 200mph? Or that London 2012 will be the first year a 200 metres Canoe Sprint has taken place? Discover the weird and wonderful side to the Olympic and Paralympic Games with these fun facts

The Ceremonies

* The Torch bearers who carry the Olympic Flame are selected through a ballot process. The flame will travel all over the UK before London 2012 begins.

* The Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Games are watched by a worldwide audience of one in three people.
Olympic sports

*There are 26 different sports in the Olympic Games Nathaniel Clyne England Jersey , and 20 sports in the Paralympic games.

* Regulations state that the Olympic pool must be at least three metres deep and the water temperature 26 degrees Celsius (plus or minus one degree).

* In Mountain Bike events, contestants can carry their own tool kits. But they re only allowed to receive outside assistance for mechanical problems in dedicated assistance zones.

* Equestrian events are the only Olympic sport in which men and women compete against each other on equal terms, and humans and animals compete together.

* Blind Paralympic swimmers are required to wear blackened goggles to ensure a fair contest. Their goggles are removed at the end of the race and checked by an official.

* Top level wheelchair basketball players use specially designed titanium chairs, which cost more than 3 Marcus Rashford England Jersey ,500 pounds. During periods of high level competition, the chairs can last as little as six months.

Organisation and funding of London 2012

* The staging and hosting of London 2012 is being organised by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). It has a budget of 2 billion pounds, mostly raised from the private sector.

* The building of new infrastructure and venues is being coordinated by the Olympic Delivery