THE SPECTACULAR Olympic venue of Greenwich Park welcomed a total 273,000 visitors during the Games.

The busiest day was during the cross-country events on July 31 when 50,000 spectators crowded into the stadium.

An extra 2,000 volunteers and workers packed the venue each day on top of the large number of visitors.

LOCOG’s General Manager for Greenwich Park Jeremy Edwards said: “What a magnificent couple of weeks we have just had. The venue was outstanding, the weather was fantastic ...

"The number of crowds we had in here and how thrilled they were ... The absolute positive feedback from the riders and the teams – saying never before had they been in such a relaxed environment.

“What we have done here is put the sport of equestrianism back into the fray of the Olympics , by having it in a close proximity to the main stadium and athletes’ village."

Mr Edwards offered his thanks to Greenwich residents, volunteers, the Royal Parks, National Maritime Museum and the Royal Naval College for their support during the Olympics.

He added that controversial delays to the park’s reopening were due to health and safety issues.

The East-West corridor is set to open tomorrow [August 14] and by October 1 – when St Mary’s Gate will reopen - most of the park will be free to walk around except for hoardings protecting grass regrowth.

One legacy emerging from the Games will be token cross-country jumps kept in the park including one in the children’s playground.

Paralympics

Around 75 horses will arrive at Greenwich Park on August 24 ahead of the Paralympic Games.

There will be two sessions per day – instead of the single sessions of the Olympics – with an expected 20,000 spectators filling the venue each day.

The five-day events will continue until August 30.