We are now well into the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Not all of us got the chance to be lucky enough to travel to Rio for the games. However, if you love the Olympics and want a taste of the spirit without having to travel to Brazil, you can take a trip back in time by visiting previous Olympic Games venues with your iVenture Card. SYDNEY 2000 SUMMER OLYMPICS The 2000 Summer Olympics were a millennium icon and put Sydney on the global map. You can visit Olympic Park and enter some of its venues with the iVenture Card. ANZ Stadium This stadium was purpose built as the main stadium and centerpiece for the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Located in Sydney’s Olympic Park, the stadium was originally built to host more than 110,000 spectators. It is one of the most advanced sporting venues in the world! In the years since it’s official opening in 1999, the ANZ Stadium has set a series of record attendances and 22 million fans have attended sporting and entertainment events here. Take a tour through the stadium and imagine the roaring cheers of fans as Australia’s Cathy Freeman ran the 400-metre dash in the race that unified the nation as she took home the gold. For more information about ANZ Stadium: http://www.anzstadium.com.au/footer/about-us/our-history/ Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre During the summer 2000 Olympics, the swimmers in the Sydney’s Olympic Park Aquatic Centre broke records and proved that this was the world’s fastest pool! Take the lane 4 walk and relive the 16 days of guts and glory as the athletes swam for their place in history. Australia’s famous Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe was among those record breakers. For a full list: http://www.aquaticcentre.com.au/attractions/path_of_champions/world_records You could also follow the Path of Champions where the world’s best swimmers are recognised in the Hall of Fame. When you visit the Aquatic Centre with your iVenture Card, make sure you bring your swimming costume as you get a free swim! For more information: http://www.aquaticcentre.com.au/ MELBOURNE 1956 SUMMER OLYMPICS Step back in time to 1956 to the first occasion that Australia hosted the Olympics! You can visit Melbourne’s Olympic park via the Melbourne City Sightseeing Hop On Hop Off bus. National Sports Museum Melbourne A great way to learn more about the Olympics and other iconic sporting events and their heroes, is to visit the National Sports Museum. This museum offers Australia’s largest collection of sporting memorabilia. One of the popular NSM displays includes the Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum. For more information: http://www.mcg.org.au/things-to-do/national-sports-museum LONDON 2012 SUMMER OLYMPICS It’s hard to believe that the 2012 London Summer Olympics happened four years ago already! If you are in London or visiting, there are spots that you can enjoy to reminisce about the games. Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park offers something for everyone! You can wander about the park at your own pace, follow a trail or take a guided tour. Some of the venues include the Olympic Stadium and the London Aquatics Centre. Public transport is the best way to get here. You can obtain an Oyster Card to use toward public transport with your iVenture Card. For more information: http://queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/the-park/venues/the-stadium Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum offers an Olympic exhibit which displays medals, programmes, uniforms and archive material associated with the history of tennis within the Olympic Movement. The Olympic tennis event took place here in 1908 and again in 2012. One of the biggest events at the 2012 Olympics was Andy Murray winning the best-of-five-set final to win the gold medal. His uniform is on display in the museum. You can visit Wimbledon with your iVenture Card. For more information: http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/atoz/olympics.html BARCELONA 1992 SUMMER OLYMPICS Barcelona hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics. The exciting event re-shaped the city. Stadiums were built, marinas transformed and a beach was constructed. This was the first Olympics without boycotts and every single nation on the committee showed up. The Soviet Union had broken up and the teams competed as Russia, the Berlin wall had been torn down and therefore Germany competed as a unified country. You can take a trip down memory lane to this the 1992 Olympics in a few ways with your iVenture Card. Barcelona City Tour If you take the Barcelona City Tour with your iVenture Card, there are a few stops that you can take to step back in time to the Olympics. The City Tour Hop On Hop Off bus stops at Estadi Olimpic, Fira de Barcelona, Camp Nou Stadium, Olympic Museum, Torre Calatrava and Port Olimpic. For more information: http://barcelona.city-tour.com/en FC Barcelona Camp Nou hosted the football during the 1992 Olympics. It has also been the home of the FC Barcelona. The FC Barcelona experience takes you through the modern museum and even the change rooms of the athletes. It showcases a wide variety of items that reveal the history of FC Barcelona. For more information: https://www.fcbarcelona.com For a list of all destinations and attractions as well as to purchase your iVenture Card, visit www.iventurecard.com