Olympic Kick-off in Cardiff

Today sees the first London 2012 Olympics event kick off in Cardiff. Great Britain takes on New Zealand in women’s football in the Millennium Stadium at 16:00, followed by Cameroon v Brazil at 18:45.

No events can take place in the host city until after the Opening Ceremony takes place, under International Olympic Committee rules. But the scheduling of the football tournament has to start before the opening ceremony, and so the games begin in Cardiff.

40,000 fans are expected to watch the opening game, and tickets are still available from http://www.tickets.london2012.com/ until kick-off. Roads in Cardiff city centre will be closed from 13:30 and there will be extra capacity on public transport.

The Olympics in Cardiff have not been without controversy. The use of police stop and search powers has been criticised as turning the city into a “police state”. The Cardiff Retail Partnership called for beggars and homeless people to be cleared from the city centre under a 19th century bylaw, prompting criticism from homelessness charity Shelter and the organisation of a mass-sleep out protest.

Further details of the Olympic Football in Cardiff, including match schedule, road closures and travel advice, can be found on VisitCardiff.com.

25 July 2012

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