British Consul General Alex Budden guest blogs for the High Commissioner from Vancouver. Where Olympic spirit remains high after the 2010 Winter Games.
Today, in one year’s time, London will host the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. These are officially the 30th Olympiad to be held since the modern Olympics began in 1896 and London will become the first city ever to host the Games three times. The London 2012 Games are to be a global celebration of sport and culture that will leave a lasting legacy for the UK.
This is an exciting time for the United Kingdom as we now enter the last 366 days (next year is a leap year). All major venues in the Olympic Park are now complete (on time and within budget which is always good news!). 40,000 workers and 1500 companies were involved in this project creating 1000’s of jobs. It is estimated that the Games will generate £21 billion for the UK economy including £2 billion through increased tourism. With 205 countries being represented, 40,000 journalists covering the Games, 20 million tickets being sold and an estimated global television audience of 4 billion the eyes of the world will certainly be upon us.
However this excitement is not limited to the United Kingdom. In Canada, still buoyant from your country’s success at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, we are holding a range of Olympic themed events over the coming year to celebrate the countdown to 27th July 2012. When the British FA Cup winners, Manchester City, were in Vancouver to play the home team, Whitecaps FC, we used this opportunity to showcase the importance of sports and the Olympics to communities in both the UK and Canada. In Toronto, today, we will be holding a ‘One Year to Go’ event promoting the business opportunities and the economic benefits of the Games. In September the internationally renowned Spruce Meadows show jumping venue in Calgary will hold its annual ‘British Day’ where we will celebrate the wider cultural, sporting and tourism links between our two countries.
With one year to go, you will see on television today the people of Britain celebrating the countdown to the Games. You will see Tom Daley, our young Olympic hopeful, perform the official launch dive into the Olympic Pool at the Aquatics Centre, one of the most impressive venues on the new Park site. And you will see President Rogge, the Prime Minister, Lord Coe, Boris Johnson and a host of top athletes marking this milestone in central London.
But today is not just about the world’s athletes, nor about VIPs. It is about sending a message to every one of you here in Canada and across the world that we in Britain look forward to welcoming you to our great nation. Today and for the next 12 months until the Games, we want to show you what makes this country such a great place to live, work, visit, invest and do business. With 365 days to go, Britain stands ready to welcome the world to London – and you’re invited!
Alex Budden – British Consul General Vancouver