It will soon be Tokyo's turn to host the Olympic Games, so the Recorder is taking a look back at the golden moments from London 2012.
Newham welcomed the world for the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in a spectacular summer of sport during July, August and September, 2012.
The 30th Olympiad saw Team GB scoop 65 medals, including 29 golds in a games which saw about 10,700 athletes compete.
The Paralympic Games saw a record-breaking 4,237 para-athletes compete in 503 medal events across 20 sports.
Here are some of the Recorder's highlights of London 2012's historic and iconic games.
The Opening Ceremony
Millions of people tuned in to watch the Opening Ceremony, which was called Isles of Wonder after a speech by the character Caliban in The Tempest by William Shakespeare.
The NHS was represented with scenes involving real staff pushing hospital beds around the Olympic stadium.
Super Saturday
Within an electrifying 44 minutes on Saturday, August 4, Team GB notched up three gold medals with Jessica Ennis-Hill winning the heptathlon, Greg Rutherford taking the top slot in the long jump and Mo Farah storming to glory in the 10,000m.
Their success followed golds in the men's coxless four rowing, women's double sculls and women's team pursuit in cycling earlier the same day.
Pedal power
Team GB pedalled to the top of the cycling table with eight gold, two silver and two bronze medals in the games. Bradley Wiggins won gold in the men's time trial, Chris Hoy won gold in the men's keirin and a second with Philip Hindes and Jason Kenny in the team sprint.
Victoria Pendleton won gold in the women's keirin while Laura Trott rode to victory in the omnium.
Following the success, a "ground-breaking deal" promised to create an enduring legacy for cyclists at the velodrome.
Changing perceptions
In a speech at the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games, Lord Sebastian Coe, who was the president of the London 2012 organising committee, said British people would never think of disability the same way again.
Research after the games found that one in three adults in the UK had changed their attitude towards people with an impairment.
Eight out of 10 British adults also thought the Paralympics had a positive impact on the way people with a disability are viewed by the public, according to the International Paralympic Committee (IOC).
Keeping it in the family
Brothers Alistair and Jonny Brownlee raced against the world's best in the 2012 Olympic men's triathlon, winning gold and bronze respectively.
Alistair went on to win gold at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and is due to compete in the Tokyo games.
The victory poses
Jamaican sprinter and eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt assumed his lightning bolt pose while Mo Farah celebrated victory with the "Mobot" - which was the brainchild of presenter Clare Balding on the TV show A League of their Own.
The spectators
Each day of the Olympic Games, up to 180,000 people entered Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to cheer on the athletes, according to the IOC.
Wembley Stadium, Wimbledon, Lord’s Cricket Ground and Horse Guards Parade also featured in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
A record 2.7million tickets were sold for the Paralympic Games alone.
Gold for Murray
Andy Murray beat Roger Federer 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 on Centre Court at Wimbledon to win gold in the men's singles final, becoming the first British man to do so since 1908.
The victory followed Murray losing to Federer at the 2012 Wimbledon final.
Making history
Nicknamed The Lioness, Nicola Adams became the first female boxer to win an Olympic gold medal, winning in the flyweight final at the ExCeL exhibition centre in Royal Victoria Dock.
Anthony Joshua joined Adams, winning gold with victory in his super-heavyweight bout on the last day of the competition.
The 'lifeblood' of the Olympic Games
Volunteers at London 2012 were called games makers. Recruitment began in September 2010, with the organising committee receiving more than 240,000 applications, according to the IOC.
Up to 70,000 people were selected and took on a variety of roles including welcoming visitors and ensuring results were displayed as quickly and accurately as possible.
Lord Coe described them as "the lifeblood of the Olympic Games".
All good things...
The Closing Ceremony saw athletes from across the world pour into the Olympic Stadium to mark the end of London's historic Olympic Games.
The world's top sportsmen and women were joined by a host of stars who performed to a packed Olympic Stadium.
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