By Enzo Regondola

Only once every four years do people see a sporting spectacle quite like this. Only once every four years do a sheer number of athletes gather in one city, competing for their respective countries’ pride and glory. After so many preparations for venues, 2012 has finally arrived.

But this year, it would be different. It would be more special. 2012 will be unlike previous Summer Olympic Games. Hosting the games once is already an historic event for a city. London 2012 will not only be a milestone for the city of London, but for the Olympics as a whole.

Because this year, the five rings – the blue, black, red, yellow, and green – will visit one city for an unprecedented third time.

Hosting the Games brings with it many effects. The host city is showcased during the build-up to the Olympics itself with numerous promotions about it. Because of this added exposure, tourism in the city – and perhaps even the country – will increase, therefore helping the economy. Because of the spotlight the city will be under, many changes happen to a city: better infrastructure, new buildings, and new tourist attractions are built. In the case of Beijing, the Beijing National Stadium, or more popularly known as the Bird’s Nest, became a tourist attraction after the Games.

The long-term benefits are there, but on the short-term, it boils down to one problem: the cost. Security alone for this year’s event costs £553-million. The entire 2012 Olympic Games has a total budget of £9.3-billion, or over US$14.3-billion.

London has hosted the Olympic Games twice in the past, in 1908 and 1948. 2012 would have been their fourth hosting of the Games, but the 1944 Olympics, which were supposed to have been held in London as well, were cancelled due to World War II.

This makes it advantageous for London. Since they’ve pulled off the Olympics twice in the past, their government wouldn’t have to go for trial-and-error to see which methods works and which won’t. All they’ll have to do is look at their history, modify the methods to suit modern times, and execute the plan. It won’t be easy, but at least London already has a blueprint – two Olympic Games in the past – to work with.

Three other cities have hosted the games twice: Athens, Paris, and Los Angeles. The United States of America, though, is the country which has hosted the Games the most, with four Olympics having been held in the USA in the past.

The quadrennial event’s last stop was in Beijing in 2008. The opening number during the Beijing Olympics was received very well by critics and spectators. Reuters estimated “about one-billion, or 15-percent of the world’s population, watched the opening ceremony.” More than anything, this part of the 2008 Olympic Games was perhaps the most memorable.

It was a show which showcased China’s thousands of years of history, including the Four Great Inventions: the compass, gunpowder, papermaking, and printing. It also depicted Confucius, the Great Wall of China, the Terracotta Warriors, and the Silk Road, among many others.

With a spectacle as big as Beijing’s, organizers of the 2012 London Olympics will be hard-pressed to try and match the level of 2008. London has over 2,000 years of history to work with, and organizers have said that they will tap into this. Academy Award-winning film directors Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot, The Reader) and Danny Boyle (127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire), will be directing the ceremonies.

Being the first city to host the Olympics thrice, and following the supershow that was Beijing, it’s very interesting to see what London will come up with this coming July 27, the beginning of the 2012 Games.

All eyes will be on London, and will be anticipating. They say the third time’s a charm, and this may be the biggest event in London’s sporting history. We’ll just have to wait and see how it turns out.