With just 100 days to go until the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games, London is getting ready to welcome the world. 

The photo shows 260 Guardsmen from the Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots and Welsh Guards marking the occasion at Horse Guards Parade, the venue for Beach Volleyball during the Games.

Meanwhile, staff at Kew Gardens have been “gardening for the Games”, creating some giant floral Olympic rings.

The London 2012 beach volleyball competition, planned for Horse Guards Parade, has received the go-ahead from Westminster City Council.

A temporary stadium, holding 15,000 spectators, will be built in Horse Guards Parade from mid-June 2012.

Horse Guards is famous for hosting ceremonial events like Tropping the Colour. It gets more than 6 million visitors each year.

The Olympic beach volleyball schedule will last for 13 days from late July to early August 2012, and is expected to be one of the most popular at the Games. Ticket prices start at £20.

“I am delighted that we have received permission to go ahead with our plans and thank Westminster City Council for their support,” said London 2012 chairman Lord Coe.

“The London Games will be an amazing experience for athletes, officials and spectators, and I believe that Horse Guards Parade will be one of our most spectacular venues and bring real excitement to the area in 2012.”

Mark Camley, chief executive of The Royal Parks, said, “The eight Royal Parks will host a range of London 2012 Games events and we’re delighted that beach volleyball will take place on Horse Guards Parade in St James’s Park.

“This is the first time it will host an event of this kind.”

Is the beach volleyball one of the events you want to see during 2012? Let us know in the comments below.

The Federation of International Volleyball (FIVB) announced the London 2012 Olympic Games test event for beach volleyball will take place in August next year.

The beach volleyball test event will take place from 9 to 14 August in Horse Guards Parade right next to Buckingham Palace.

We’ve blogged about the temporary, 15,000-seater arena before. Huge quantities of sand will be brought in to create a beach in the centre of London.

The August test event will be only for women’s teams, and will replicate the exact formula used at the London 2012 Olympics.

Talking to Olympic news website insidethegames.biz, Kenny Barton, performance programme manager for British Volleyball, said,

“It is fantastic to be having this test event next year to give a flavour of what it will be like having beach volleyball at such an iconic location in 2012. The girls travel all over the world so to have this competition confirmed on the calendar in London in August will be fantastic.

“It will be a huge boost for the girls to experience the actual London 2012 venue as they step up their preparations for the Olympics. If we can get a big, vocal crowd there at the Horse Guards Parade making a lot of noise and getting involved, I really think that can help push us to another level. Right in the centre of London, it will be one of the most accessible venues in 2012 and I am sure it will be the place to be.”

Is beach volleyball one of the events you’re hoping to see during the 2012 Games? Let us know in the comments below.

The plans for a 15,000-seater stadium in Horse Guard Parade for the Olympic beach volleyball were put forward to Westminster City Council last week.

The temporary structure, which is similar in size to Wimbledon’s Centre Court, will be built by London 2012 stadium architect Populous in conjunction with Atkins, the UK’s largest engineering and design consultancy.

The stadium will have a lower bowl for getting up-close to the action, and a three sided upper bowl allowing spectators and TV cameras to use the London skyline behind as a stunning backdrop.

James Bulley, the London 2012 director of venues and infrastructure, says “While for many the emphasis of the Games will be at the Olympic Park in East London, our aim is for London to play a starring role in the Games.

“Populous and Atkins, through imaginative design and architectural construction, have enabled LOCOG to use an historic landmark for a major tournament.

“We hope this will contribute to making London 2012 the best possible Olympic and Paralympic Games experience for everyone involved, ensuring a real legacy and inspiring people to join in.”

Horse Guards Parade has a long tradition of hosting events, from Henry VIII’s tournaments in the 16th-century to the annual Trooping the Colour for the Queen’s birthday.