The greatest show on earth begins
weeks. But since winning the bid in 2005 we have been working incredibly hard to get the country ready.
Our new Olympic Park was delivered on time and on budget. Our transport infrastructure has been upgraded. And the medals are being held safe in the vaults of the Tower of London until they’re needed for the victory ceremonies.
The 70-day torch relay covers 8,000 miles with an average of 110 Torchbearers taking part each day, each carrying the Flame for around 300metres. I personally met two of the Filipino Torch Bearers before they left for the UK, and I was delighted to hear their inspirational stories about helping and serving their communities.
When you watch early tomorrow morning, we are confident you will like what you see. A run-down industrial site in East London has been transformed into a stunning new landscape. State of the art sports venues stand within a beautiful Olympic Park that will deliver an environmental legacy for years to come. And volunteers from across the country have offered their time to give athletes and spectators alike the warmest of welcomes.
The Opening Ceremony tomorrow morning will include a cast of thousands including Filipino Ben Carandang, one of the British Embassy’s Chevening Scholars who is pursuing his MBA at the University of Westminster. The ceremony will capture many of the characteristics that make Britain unique, but also celebrate our openness and global perspective.
Of course, the real focus of the Games is the competition itself. Athletes are at the heart of our Games and our focus has been on building the best possible stage on which they can shine. As host country, we have high hopes for Team GB, which aims to build on its outstanding success in Beijing and win more medals than ever before. But as British Ambassador to the Philippines I also share the hope that these will be the Games where a Filipino athlete brings home the country’s first gold medal. Certainly, there will be plenty of fans to cheer on the Philippine team. London is the most cosmopolitan city in the world, home to communities from each of the competing nations.
We are also very proud that we have met the promise we made in Singapore to inspire young people all over the world to choose sport. Our International Inspiration programme is now working in 20 countries around the world, enriching the lives of more than 12 million young people. Here in the Philippines, the British Council is collaborating with the Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Sports Commission and MVP Sports Foundation to send 11 Filipino students to a two-week Summer School programme at St Bede’s in East Sussex. The students, aged 14 to 15, will have a chance to watch some of the Olympic events while in the UK.
This summer London becomes the first city ever to host the Olympic Games three times. Every time we have hosted the Games, it has left a permanent impression both on our country and on the Olympic movement. And we hope to make history again by creating the first, genuine ‘legacy Games’ where what happens after the Games is planned alongside the event itself, leaving behind lasting sporting, social and economic benefits for the whole country.
London 2012 is all the more special for us as it brings the Paralympic Games home for the first time to the birthplace of the Paralympic movement. Building on the spirit of Stoke Mandeville Hospital where it all began back in 1948, these Games will make a difference to disabled people around the world, by changing attitudes, improving access and opening up new opportunities across sport, culture and business.
As we wait for the curtain to rise on our Opening Ceremony, we want the memories of London 2012 to last a lifetime, and for this shared experience to cement a lifelong friendship with our country. It is time for the greatest show on earth to begin.
Stephen Lillie is the British Ambassador to the Philippines.