One of the most recognisable cities in the world, London attracts throngs of tourists each and every year. Whether you’re planning on visiting the English urban paradise from overseas or elsewhere in this fantastic country there are plenty of attractions to capture your interest – with sporting venues playing an important role.
Following the recent hosting of the 2012 Olympic Games, London and its surrounding boroughs have become home to a vast number of exciting sports venues. This is in addition to the vast number of older structures which punctuate the city, offering sports enthusiasts plenty to see when visiting the city.
Often consider the home of modern sport, England has been deemed responsible for bringing a number of popular sports to mainstream audiences. For those planning a visit here, there are plenty of London apartments found near iconic sporting venues which should be on your list of places to visit. To help you narrow down your search, here are a few areas which you should definitely consider visiting:
Wimbledon
The home of tennis, this is an iconic sporting venue if ever there was one. This is home to the annual tennis tournament which pits top tennis pros against each other in the summer months and has been so ever since it was the venue for the Lawn Tennis Championships in 1877.
More than half a million individuals attend this event every year with over sixty nations competing in the competition.
Oval Cricket Ground
Another iconic London venue, the Oval Cricket Ground is located in Kensington and has played an important role in the history of this quintessentially English game. Whilst Lords is considered the official ‘home’ of cricket in London, the Oval was the venue for the first test match between Australia and England and therefore retains an important position.
Ascot Racecourse
For those interested in a different type of sport, Ascot Racecourse is most definitely a venue worth visiting. Situated in the Royal County of Berkshire, Ascot Racecourse was founded by Queen Anne in 1711 and has become one of the most widely recognised racecourses since.
The venue now hosts twenty-five days of racing each year, with many high profile competitions occurring on its tracks and is considered Europe’s best-attended race meeting.
Olympic Park
A recent addition to the sporting facilities of London, any visitor to the capital will no doubt want to pay a visit to the imposing Olympic Park. Found to the east of the city in Stratford, the park was built specifically to host the 2012 Olympic Games but will continue to be used for other sporting ventures in the future.
The park includes the 80,000 capacity Olympic Stadium as well as the Aquatics Centre, Velodrome Circuit and numerous arenas for sports including basketball, hockey and fencing.
Emirates Stadium
Due to the vast number of London-based football clubs, stadiums for the game are located round virtually every corner. For fans of the game, Emirates Stadium – home to Arsenal FC – is one of the best attractions. Other iconic football venues worth a visit include White Hart Lane – home of Tottenham Hotspur FC – and New Wembley Stadium which is owned by the Football Association (FA). 무료스포츠티비