Venue profile for London 2012: North Greenwich Arena

Originally known as the Millennium Dome, the instantly recognisable North Greenwich Arena was built as part of the Millennium celebrations.

The East London venue lay idle for many years after the Millennium Experience exhibition in 2000 but has been transformed into a highly-successful entertainment complex.

Facts & figures

• Sports: Artistic gymnastics, trampoline, basketball
• Usually known as the O2 Arena, the venue has been renamed for the Olympics because of sponsorship rules.
• It has an overall diameter of 365 metres and is 50 metres high at its central point.
• The 12 steel masts are 100 metres high.

The venue now boasts a 20,000-seater arena, an 11-screen cinema and numerous bars and restaurants.

The main arena will seat 16,500 for the gymnastics, with the full capacity for the basketball finals.

It has hosted sell-out NBA exhibition games, the 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and the end-of-season ATP World Tour Finals in tennis.

Legacy

Once London 2012 is over, the North Greenwich Arena will continue being a multi-purpose music, sports and entertainment venue.