Hosting: Equestrian events, modern pentathlon
Schedule:
- Equestrian jumping, dressage and eventing: July 28 – Aug 9
- Modern Pentathlon: Aug 11 – Aug 12
- Paralympic equestrian: Aug 30 - Sep 4
Capacity: 23,000
Fact: Henry VIII introduced deer to Greenwich Park in the 16th Century for him to be able to hunt them. He did not catch them all however and you can still see the animals in the park today.
Post games: will continue as a park
Test event: Jul 4-6, 2011: Equestrian (Eventing), Eventing Invitational. Jul 9-10, 2011: Modern Pentathlon, UIPM World Cup final.
Transport: Greenwich (DLR, National Rail), Cutty Sark (DLR), Blackheath (National Rail)
Timekeeping need not be an issue at this venue, given that the Royal Observatory, the home of Greenwich Mean Time at Longitude 0, is located within the park.
The south-east London park is London’s oldest, dating back to 1433 and has been a World Heritage site since 1997, making it an ideal venue for visitors seeking a slice of history to go with their sporting action.
Tourists attending the equestrian events at the park can also visit the Old Royal Naval College and the National Maritime Museum, which are located within the grounds.
A temporary main arena for 23,000 spectators will be added to allow spectators to take in the equestrian and modern pentathlon events.
For the running element of the pentathlon a short-term cross country course is being designed, with a completion date set for 2012.
British eventing star William Fox-Pitt believes Greenwich Park has the 'wow' factor as a London 2012 venue.
Fox-Pitt launched the British challenge in equestrian's Olympic test event - the Greenwich Park Eventing Invitational - with a solid dressage score of 46.7 penalties on Gaucho.
And the Dorset-based rider, a multiple Olympic, world and European medallist, is enthused by the whole Greenwich experience.
'It is a brilliant experience for the horses and gives us a taste of what it might be like next year,' he said. 'The surface is fantastic, better than anywhere we've seen. It's lovely to ride on.
'I've been here a few times when it has been empty to get a feel for the place, and when you walk in, you just go "wow".
'It has an Olympic feel already, and this is just the test event.'
The test event, a first competition in the London Prepares series, offers 40 riders from 23 countries chance to assess the terrain they will tackle for medals next summer. Around 9,000 tickets across the three days have been distributed via Greenwich Council and the British Equestrian Federation.
Dressage and showjumping take place in an elevated arena constructed on a 5,000 square metre platform designed to avoid damaging the turf beneath it, while the cross-country test will incorporate part of next year's Olympic course.
The line-up, which includes a British trio of Fox-Pitt, Pippa Funnell and Piggy French, face a two-star examination over the next three days, rather than a far more punishing four-star challenge that awaits them in little more than 12 months' time.
Reigning world champion Michael Jung set a scorching pace off the number one start, posting a score of 41.4 penalties to establish a commanding early lead. The German star, a strong gold medal contender next year, coped comfortably with the pressure to put down a strong marker.
But there was disappointment for double Olympic gold medallist and this year's Badminton winner Mark Todd, who was off the pace on NZB Campino.
'I am disappointed,' said the 55-year-old New Zealander. 'The horse can normally do a really good test, but he dropped behind the leg and dropped behind the bit and I couldn't really make him do anything. But he only started eventing last year, so it is a learning curve for him.
'The venue looks great. It's novel for us to be in the middle of a big city for an event, and so far everything seems to have gone very smoothly.
'Normally, we are stuck out on a limb miles away at an Olympics, so it's nice to be part of it.'
A small group of protesters, meanwhile, made their presence felt for an hour prior to the start of the event. Members of NOGOE (No to Greenwich Olympic Equestrian Events) assembled outside the park's Queen Mary's Gate. They are planning peaceful protests twice daily on all three days of the competition, which ends on Wednesday.
NOGOE say the 578-year-old park is not a suitable venue for the 2012 Olympic equestrian events. Part of the Greenwich World Heritage Site, the park is home to many historic buildings, including the Royal Observatory, Royal Naval College and National Maritime Museum.
'We are worried about potential damage to the park,' said NOGOE member Sue McNeil. 'We are not anti-equestrian, not anti-Olympics even, but anti the use of this park. It now looks like a showground, not a World Heritage Site.
'If they (LOCOG) continue with this silly idea of trying to squeeze a quart into a pint pot, we will be there until every blade of grass is lovingly restored in 2013 and beyond. We are fighting a huge juggernaut with a lot of money behind it. We are very concerned residents.'
British-based Australian Clayton Fredericks replaced Jung at the top of the leaderboard, posting 40.9 penalties on Bendigo, with several other riders bunching up behind.
The chasing pack was led by three-time Badminton winner Funnell and Billy Shannon approaching the midway point on day one. Their score of 44.1 left them in third place, and well-positioned to strengthen their challenge around Sue Benson's cross-country course.
'We are all aware of how hilly the course is, and I think it is going to be quite a cross-country test because of the nature of the terrain,' said Funnell.
'We will get a feel of how steep it rides, up and down, so from a rider's point of view that will be very interesting.'