Poetry Olympics Planned for 2012

The largest poetry festival evah is planned for the 2012 London Olympics. Poets from around the world will no doubt begin competing immediately for a the chance to represent their country at the Cultural Olympiad that will be a proud part of next year’s Olympic festivities. From The Guardian:

From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, poets from the 205 Olympic nations are competing to be part of the UK's largest ever poetry

Led by the Southbank Centre's artist in residence, Simon Armitage, and artistic director Jude Kelly, Poetry Parnassus will be part of next year's Cultural Olympiad. It will see 205 poets – one from each of the 205 Olympic nations – taking part in readings, workshops and a gala event, touring the UK and contributing a poem in their own language for a poetry collection, The World Record, which will champion poetry in translation.

Members of the public around the world are being asked to nominate up to three poets from any of the 205 Olympic competing nations, with a panel featuring Armitage and other poetry experts then shortlisting the recommendations to come up with a final line-up of one poet per country. This will be announced in spring 2012.