Birmingham Airport, located close to the city of Birmingham in England, is displaying the Olympic Rings on its Air Traffic Control Tower in celebration of the London 2012 Games.
The airport is the first in the UK to display the Olympic symbol on its premises. The unveiling of the rings was accompanied by an evening of performances from a string quartet from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and London 2012 Cultural Olympiad project, Dance Sansaar, a local Punjabi folk arts group.
The airport has also installed special decor, which includes displayed pictograms representing the Olympic and Paralympic sports.
Two sets of Olympic Rings are located to either side of the Air Traffic Control Tower, and are visible to all visitors flying in, as well as being visible from the adjacent main road that runs between Coventry and Birmingham.
Paul Kehoe, the airport chief executive officer, said, ‘The Olympic Games are for the entire country, not just London. Every visitor, passengers and passer-by will see our welcome spectacular, and we’re really proud to be part of such a historic occasion.
Both the Jamaican and US Olympic Track and Field teams are training in Birmingham prior to the Games, and the neighbouring city of Coventry will host several football matches.
The Midlands region will have a big role to play during the Olympic and Paralympic Games so we want everyone flying into Birmingham for the occasion, whether they’re athletes, spectators, officials or member of the world’s media, to have a special welcome.’
