New York, U.S.A. – It’s been quite an exciting summer so far in Britain as the London 2012 Olympic Games have just come to a close. VisitBritain, the national tourism agency for England, Scotland and Wales, takes a look back at some of the most memorable and unforgettable golden moments.

The London 2012 Olympics opened with a bang as Queen Elizabeth became the newest Bond Girl and parachuted her way into Olympic Stadium for an unforgettable entrance. This year is the 50th anniversary of first Bond film, which began with Sean Connery in Dr No. The Barbican Centre is celebrating with an exhibition Designing 007: 50 Years of Bond Style and Beaulieu is celebrating with Bond In Motion, the largest exhibit of Bond vehicles ever staged. The newest Bond Girl wasn’t the only member of the British Royal Family that took part in and supported the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The Fab Five won the hearts of America as they took gold, so what better way for these women to celebrate than with a girlfriend getaway fit for champions. These women may now being carrying their own gold, but they won’t want to miss the special Diamonds: A Jubilee Celebration exhibition at Buckingham Palace that showcases diamonds worn by British monarchs over the past 200 years.

No girlfriend getaway is complete without shopping and London is a shopper’s paradise offering a wide variety of choice from East London’s Spitalfields and Sunday Upmarket to trendy stores like Topshop. Every fashion loving girl will want to have quintessential afternoon tea, but with a fashionista twist. Prêt-à-Portea at The Berkley London serves a fashion-inspired afternoon tea that changes every six months to following the latest fashion trends.

Team USA’s women’s soccer team is taking home the gold for the third straight summer Olympic Games and the women’s 4x100m relay team shattered the previous world record winning the first gold medal in 16 years, so these winning women certainly have reason to celebrate. After kicking the ball across Britainfrom Glasgow to Manchester to Newcastle Gateshead, the soccer women finally won the gold in London where the track stars also flew past their competition. Now it’s certainly time to party like champions.

There’s no better way for Michael Phelps to celebrate becoming the most decorated Olympic medalist than taking his girlfriend on a romantic vacation. The Royal Scotsman offers guests the opportunity to see the beautiful Scottish countryside in a luxurious setting. Trains depart from Edinburgh and make their way around the Scottish Highlands adding a bit of old world travel to a very romantic setting.

Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee have officially been named the greatest athletes in the world having won gold and silver, respectively, in the decathalon, so now there’s no better way to celebrate being the best in a 10-event competition than experiencing the top 10 great British experiences in the UK.

Britain delivered its own golden moments as the host nation from the Olympic Stadium to cities across the UK hosting competitions and celebrations. With the mini remote-controlled MINIs retrieving the discusses and javelins bringing a bit of fun to the track and field competitions, visitors can have their own MINI fun when visiting London. Small Car, Big City offers visitors guided tours in true MINI style covering all the favorite sights including Big Ben, St Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace and more.

Fans from around the world watched as Misty May Treanor and Kerri Walsh bumped, set and spiked their way to their third gold medal on a beach with a truly unique and iconic British background. The temporary beach is built on Horse Guards Parade, which is right in front of the Prime Minister’s doorstep in London.  This is also the location of the Trooping the Colour event that takes place each year on the Queen’s official birthday.

Visitors from around the world took notice as the iconic Royal Mail red mailboxes started popping up goldas a new one was painted each time a Team GB athlete won a gold medal. Visitors who haven’t seen one in person yet still has a chance as the boxes will continue through the London 2012 Paralympic Games in honor of the Team GB champions. The Royal Mail is also honoring Team GB champions by creating a personalized Royal Mail stamp for each champion.

The Closing Ceremony ended the 17 day event in true British spirit. From British fashion to the best of British music including the reuniting of the Spice Girls the entire night rocked. It’s not too late to check out one of Britain’s many music festivals.

The Olympic Games may have concluded, but that doesn’t mean the 2012 fun and competition is over just yet. There are sure to be plenty more golden moments as the London 2012 Paralympic Games commence with the Opening Ceremony on August 29 and the London 2012 Festival has plenty more opportunities for visitors to take part in through September 9.

For more information and ideas for visiting Britain, please visit www.visitbritain.com.

Image Courtesy of  Diego Barbieri / Shutterstock.com

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Crawley, England, – British Airways will be rewarding customers who stay in the UK to cheer on Team GB and Paralympics GB. The cashback rewards on holidays are for travel after the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and in line with specific athlete wins.

British Airways will feature a new offer based on a chosen athlete, valid for a limited period and in line with their schedule in the London 2012 Games. Each offer will also have a money back incentive dependent on the performance of the athlete.

Customers can book an offer via the dedicated campaign page on ba.com and later if the featured athlete wins a medal, cashback will be given on the booking in relation to the medal won. A maximum cashback reward is given based on the highest medal won.

For a Gold medal the cashback will be GBP100 per booking, for a Silver medal GBP75 per booking and for a Bronze medal GBP50 per booking.

The airline is currently supporting Jessica Ennis, World and European heptathlon gold medalist and if customers book an all-inclusive Caribbean holiday for seven nights they can win cashback on their holiday if she wins a Gold, Silver or Bronze medal.

Twenty-five favourite all-inclusive Caribbean holidays are on offer with flights plus seven nights all-inclusive accommodation. Holidays in Cancun including flights and seven night’s all-inclusive accommodation are included for travel on selected dates between September 10 and October 14, 2012 (travel dates vary by offer).

Many other destinations are also on offer including Dominican Republic, St Lucia, Antigua, Barbados, Tobago and Grenada.

The Caribbean holiday deals are available to book until July 24, 2012. Visit ba.com/winningdeals for more information.

About British Airways

British Airways plc offers a wide range of worldwide destinations – including holidays in Venice and holidays in Los Angeles, as well as flights to New York, hotels, car rental with Avis, and experiences. Customers can save time and money with ba.com when booking ATOL protected holiday packages, ATOL number is 5985. Passengers are offered added peace of mind to their holiday plans and the security of travelling with British Airways. British Airways plc constantly seeks to exceed customers’ expectations, both in terms of the value for money and quality of the service provided.

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FIFA has lifted its ban on the Muslim headscarves (the hijab) for women soccer players on Thursday following a decision made by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).

The initial concern with the use of the hijab is the safety regulations in which the garment was not recognized as part of the usual laws of the game. It was said that the hijab presents a real danger of choking if worn while playing. The unanimous overturn on the ban, however, was made after reports from FIFA’s medical officer citing the removal of safety and medical issues surrounding the headscarves.

The issue was first addressed via the AFC’s Women’s Committee, and was later taken up by Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, the vice president of FIFA.

The ban was heavily criticized and has been labeled as ‘inequality at the highest level of the world’s most popular game.’ Last year at the 2012 Olympics qualifying match, Iran’s women’s soccer team was prevented from playing their match against Jordan after the team members refused to remove their hijab prior to kickoff.

Despite being at the top of their group in the first qualifying rounds, their dreams to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics was abruptly shattered after given a 3-0 defeat as punishment.

Other sports, like taekwondo and rugby, allows its women participants to don the hijab, and after careful re-consideration, new hijab designs are now in production for women soccer players. Secured with velcro, experts have confirmed that the new design eliminates neck injuries, and thus the safety issues that initiated the ban.

Though in this case the ban was health and safety related, this latest development signifies another victory for what has been an ongoing battle for Muslim women around the world fighting to keep the headwear on. The wearing of the Islamic veil has sparked numerous debates on the so-called oppression of the women wearing it, though most admit to wearing it by choice. FIFA’s lifting of the ban has also opened up doors for other sportswomen in the Arab world and other Islamic countries who were previously unable to compete because of the ban.

With the recent news of the first Saudi female Olympian participating in the games, more women from other conservative Islamic countries are also now looking forward to participating in world class sporting competitions without having to sacrifice their identities as Muslims and foregoing their rights to practice their religious teaching.

Yusef Abdallah, the head of the United Arab Emirates’s Football Federation stated, “Women will from now on have the chance to practice this sport with religious respect.”

Despite the green light from FIFA, the French Football Federation (FFF) still refuses to authorize players to wear the veil while representing France or playing in any of its organized competitions on the grounds that sports “must continue to promote equality of the sexes.” France has been a strong advocate of the burqa ban, another Muslim headwear, arguing that it encroaches on individual freedoms.

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First of all, I cannot tell you how excited my country is to be hosting the Olympic Games this year, it has been the talk of the nation for many years now and it is now just a few months away from reality. But people realize there will be millions of guests flooding in to the British capitol from around the world come the summer, and not all will be familiar with the ways public transport works in England.

It can be very simple, but it can also be very much a pain. Trains will be your easiest way to get around, or the underground, depending on where you are going. Travel early is always the first tip I give people since London is a busy city at the best of times, never mind when a global sporting event is taking place there. There are plenty of underground stations nearby the Olympic Park and once you get used to it, it will be very easy for you to find your way around.

If you are planning on taking the train to the Olympic Park, the three nearest train stations are Stratford station, Stratford International station and West Ham station, all accessible from the bigger stations in the city centre, such as King’s Cross and Euston. Stratford and West Ham also provide underground travel, and again, these two stations will be your best bet when making your way to the Olympic Park.

There will be hundreds of bus services and coach services taking people to and from the Olympic Park from all around London. Even if you are planning to live within walking distance, this can be useful at times since, despite what people think, England can be very warm in the summer. There are Taxi services almost everywhere in London, and if you are over here for a while, why not rent a car for the time of your stay and make your way there in your own comfort.

If you are planning on travelling further north, perhaps to take in some football (soccer) in Manchester, or Birmingham, trains run from the centre of London to both cities. London is a complex city, but there are too many travel services to get lost. Somehow you will always have a route to the Olympic Park and though it may be confusing for a few days, once you know what you are doing, London is not much different to any other major city for transport.

If you want more information on travelling to the Olympics once you arrive, take a look at the website London2012.com.

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