22 Olympic Golds for GEDA

Every four years one principle applies to sportsmen and women from across the world, namely that it is the taking part that counts, not the winning. The Olympic Games are an opportunity for professionals and amateurs alike to prove their sporting achievements to themselves and the world. Under the motto "Inspire a generation" the 2012 Summer Olympic Games are taking place in London from 27/07/2012 to 12/08/2012. 14,700 athletes from the whole world will be competing for the coveted medals in 26 Olympic disciplines and from 29/08/2012 to 09/09/2012 in 20 Paralympic disciplines. 

The whole world is looking at London
 
The Olympic Games are THE sporting event of 2012. The selection of the host city took place on 06 July 2005 during the 117th session of the International Olympic Committee in Singapore. After 1908 and 1948 London will be hosting the Olympic Games for the third time. 

From the historic to state-of-the-art: London's sports venues   
   
Wembley, Wimbledon, the Manchester United Stadium of Old Trafford – there is no question that history has been written at these sports venues.
But the state-of-the-art Olympic Park is also very impressive. Highlights here are the Stadium, the Aquatics Centre, the Basketball Arena, the Handball Arena, the Hockey Arena and the Velodrome. The Olympic Park has been built on a former industrial wasteland in one of the poorest districts of London and is 250 hectares in size, making it the size of 357 football pitches. A total of £7.3 billion (€8.3 billion) have been spent by the organisers on the construction of the new competition venues alone. The games have been designed with a focus on sustainability and whilst many sports venues will outlast this huge event and continue to be used, others will be dismantled after the games.

Spectator stands also had to be built at the newly built sports venues such as the Velodrome, the Hockey Arena and the Lee Valley White Water Centre. The "London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games" (LOCOG), decided to deploy several lift solutions from the company GEDA-Dechentreiter GmbH & Co.KG primarily to enable wheelchair visitors to access the stands and to transport them up and down. The construction lift manufacturer from Asbach-Bäumenheim in Bavaria, Southern Germany has over 80 years' experience and differentiated itself in the crucial decision-criteria.

9 GEDA 1500 Z/ZP Transport Platforms

The GEDA 1500 Z/ZP Transport Platform comes in a range of sizes which the customer can choose from. For the Olympic Games a deliberate decision was made for the spacious BS variants which measure 3.30 x 1.45 metres. The GEDA 1500 Z/ZP has two separate control systems and it can be used both as a pure material lift and also as a transport platform for people and materials. For the transport of people, for instance at the Hockey Stadium or at the BMX Arena, the transport platform steering is activated which provides a speed of 12 m/min and a load capacity of 2,000 kg. The GEDA 1500 Z/ZP is guided along two steel masts which ensure smooth a travel movement along the stands. The overall low energy requirement also makes the transport platform very environmentally-friendly. For deployment at the Olympic Games, the ramps and platforms for all nine GEDA 500 Z/ZP devices have been specifically lined to make use for wheelchair users more pleasant.

7 GEDA 500 Z/ZP Transport Platforms 

Although the somewhat smaller GEDA 500 Z/ZP transport platform is only guided on one mast, due to its low self-weight and the load capacity of 500 kg in people mode and 850 kg in material mode, there are still only low anchoring forces on the platforms. Using the practical assembly bridge the device can easily be anchored at all heights. The 500 Z/ZP safely transports people upwards and downwards at a lifting speed of 12 m/min. The maximum lifting height is 100 metres. As with all GEDA rack and pinion lifts, the smooth operation of the lift is guaranteed by the automatic lubrication equipment incorporated as standard. The GEDA 500 Z/ZP is being used seven times at the Olympic Games competition venues, including at Greenwich Park.  

Discipline: Safety 

To ensure the safe passage from the hoists to the respective platforms, GEDA landing level safety gates have been installed at all entry and exit points, ensuring that the gap at the transfer point between hoist and platform is a maximum of only two centimetres.
Of course, all GEDA hoists are equipped with the usual safety equipment such as limit switches, speed-dependent safety gear, safety stop and overload protection. 

Final Preparations

The London 2012 Summer Olympic Games are set to be a sporting festival of superlatives. The final preparations are being completed over the next few days, whilst athletes and spectators from the whole world are feverishly awaiting the arrival of the Olympic Flame during the Opening Ceremony on 27/07/2012. Despite the tight schedule, all 22 GEDA lifts have secured their place in the front row and are ready for use. Let the Games begin!