If you are riding the London Underground anytime soon and find yourself looking at a map that features nothing but the names of Olympic athletes, don’t be alarmed. This is normal — at least for the summer as the city of London gets set to host the Olympic Games. Transport for London recently released its Underground Olympic Legends Map, which has swapped out the names of London’s 361 tube stations and replaced them with the names of famous Olympic competitors.
According to the TFL website — where the map is being sold for around 5 euros — the design was created by Alex Trickett and David Brooks after quite a bit of back-and-forth.
“We love sport, we love lists and we love London, so what better challenge than to select 361 of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen and to fit them on to our iconic tube map?” the duo explained. “There were heated debates and a few late changes of heart, but we are happy with the result: dozens of nations represented, all 2012 Olympic sports accounted for, and Ali and Phelps, two of the greatest Olympians of all time, guarding the Stratford gateways to the Games.”
Each line is made up of athletes from their respective sports or events. The two Stratford stations that are the stops for London’s Olympic Stadium have been named Michael Phelps and Cassius Clay. With 361 names on the map, everyone from medalists to those who suffered heartbreaking losses are featured. The United States is represented with everyone from Serena Williams to — wouldn’t you know it — LeBron James.
Unlike Great Britain’s new Olympic uniforms which were met with a ton of opposition, the Underground Olympic Legends Map seems like a tremendous idea. At least until someone gets lost in a whirlwind of famous names.
H/T Fourth-Place Medal
Photo credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE
