The London Velodrome.

With 500 days to go everyone here at the MMP is getting very excited about the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In July 2012 medals will be won, records broken and stories of triumph and tragedy will be told — and here at Plus we are looking forward to revealing the mathematics behind them.

The first of the 2012 Olympic venues has now been completed and in our latest news story, Leaning into 2012, you can find out the secret behind the shape of the track. And you can find out more about the maths behind the Olympics from Plus and the rest of the MMP at our new project Maths and Sport: Countdown to the Games.

"The Maths and Sport project will offer a new and deeper perspective for everyone about what is going on during the sporting events at the London Games," says John Barrow, Director of the MMP and author of our Outer space column. "Simple maths can be used to help show how Usain Bolt can run faster, find better ways to rig rowing eights or understand the statistics of scoring systems and drug testing."

So, whether you're an athlete on the track or just the armchair, it's time to start your training now!

You can read more about maths and sport in our Plus teacher package and find lots more activities and resources on Maths and Sport: Countdown to the Games.