Road to 2012

Road to 2012 celebrates and documents in over 70 photographic portraits the diverse range of people who are preparing for and hope to participate in the London Olympic and Paralympic Games. The portraits, collected together for the first time in this beautifully produced book, have been specially commissioned from internationally renowned photographers, including Brian Griffin, Bettina von Zwehl and Finlay MacKay. Also featured are the sitters' stories, told through extended captions and interviews. The project tracks the key preparation and implementation stages of the Games, with images of high-profile politicians such as Tessa Jowell and Ken Livingstone, who were instrumental in bringing the Games to London, as well as hopeful athletes such as Ola Abidogun, Rebecca Adlington and Tom Daley. But it also includes the remarkable, yet less-well-known individuals entrusted with staging the Games, and those responsible for ensuring their legacy, all of whom have their own fascinating contribution.

Profiles of the photographers, accompanied by documentary photographs taken during their photo-shoots, an illustrated introduction and a timeline of the Games complete this unique book, which will appeal to all those interested in the Olympics and Paralympics, and provides a permanent memento of the preparations for a truly historic international sporting event.

• Publisher: National Portrait Gallery Publications
• ISBN: 9781855144347
• Number of pages: 159