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INTRODUCTION
The Olympic Games will be impossible to escape or ignore for anyone in Sydney over the coming weeks and BBC Sport Online brings you this clickable guide to all of the relevant points of interest in the city and surrounding areas. Map one shows you all the venues in the Sydney area, with a text guide to each one. Map two displays all of the arenas in the Olympic Park, while map three highlights the all-important Olympic Stadium. Click away and visit the Olympic city online. PENRITH LAKES
Due to there not being a suitable stretch of water to host the rowing and canoe/kayak events, one had to be built in a former sand and gravel quarry. The result is centre with a capacity of 27,000. Around 25,000 native underwater plants have been added, together with 12,000 bass fish, 18,000 native trees and 12,000 shrubs. It is one of the most scenic venues of the whole event. BLACKTOWN
This venue was purpose-built for the softball competition and as a second venue for the baseball tournament. For softball it holds 8000, while 4000 can watch baseball. SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK
The Games will be based around Olympic Park in Homebush, which will provide venues for 14 of the 28 sports being contested. Centre-stage is the formidable Stadium Australia. This arena can seat more than 100,000 and will be used for many of the showpiece events, including track and field. RYDE
Short of a venue to host the preliminary rounds of the water polo competition, the organisers turned to a local public swimming pool in a Sydney suburb. Needless to say it has received a facelift in preparation for the tournament. CITY CENTRE
This is the venue where all the world's biggest music acts play when they visit Sydney, as it holds up to 11000 people. Rather than Bruce Springsteen, however, the main show during the Olympics will be the volleyball finals. RUSHCUTTERS BAY
The picturesque harbour provides the venue for the sailing regatta, allowing an unlimited amount of spectators to see the races, even though they do not have to pay. DARLING HARBOUR
Situated in Darling Harbour, the convention centre, with a capacity of 3840, and the five exhibition halls, which hold between 5000 and 10000 people, are the venues for the wrestling, judo, boxing, weightlifting and fencing events. BONDI BEACH
A temporary arena has been built on Bondi Beach, which is renowned for its surf, sun and sand, the perfect home for beach volleyball. The arena allows 10,000 people to spectate around a single court. It is the first time the event will be held next to the sea. In Atlanta four years ago the competition was held hundreds of miles inland on a specially created sand court. CENTENNIAL PARK
Centennial Park, which forms part of the Sydney Harbour Zone, will host the cycling road race and time trial action. It is also said to be the best spot in the city for bird watching. BANKSTOWN
This newly constructed venue is named after the first Australian man to win a cycling gold medal, back in 1932. The 250-metre curved track inside the velodrome is made of pine and the building can seat 6000 spectators. FAIRFIELD
This working farm on the outskirts of Sydney is the home of a 7km mountain-bike course. Around 20,000 will be able to line the most challenging sections of the course that features steep drops, sharp turns and paths as narrow as 50 centimetres. CECIL PARK
The organisers claim that the shooting centre will set the standard for all others to follow. It has three shotgun ranges and holds 7,000 spectators. HORSLEY PARK
The centre, about 30 miles out of Sydney, is spread over 90 hectares of native bushland, meaning it can hold up to 50,000 spectators. The showjumping and dressage arenas have been combined, while a 13 kilometre course has been designed for the three-day event. Around 340 stables have been built to house the horses entering the competition with 260 rooms provided for their grooms. |