This blog post was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

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Leigh Turner

Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Vienna

Part of UK in Ukraine

28th July 2011

London 2012… and legendary Ukrainian athletes

It’s always humbling to meet elite athletes.  So I am rather in awe when we bring together at the residence to mark the one-year countdown to London 2012 some truly great Olympians from Ukraine.  They include Valery Borzov, who I remember winning the 100m and 200m gold medals at the 1972 Olympics in Munich and Olga Kharlan, the current Olympic fencing champion from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and 2008 Ukrainian sportswoman of the year.

It’s exciting to see that the UK is on track to deliver Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012 which will inspire lasting change.  That means putting athletes at the heart of planning; encouraging young people to choose sport; and transforming East London with the greenest games in history.  So stand back for the greatest show on earth… and let’s hope both Ukrainian and British athletes break plenty of records and win loads of medals in London in a year’s time.  For some pictures of our Kyiv event, click here; and you can see videos and other materials about London 2012 at the link above.

About Leigh Turner

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of…

I hope you find this blog interesting and, where appropriate, entertaining. My role in Vienna covers the relationship between Austria and the UK as well as the diverse work of the UN and other organisations; stories here will reflect that.

About me: I arrived in Vienna in August 2016 for my second posting in this wonderful city, having first served here in the mid-1980s. My previous job was as HM Consul-General and Director-General for Trade and Investment for Turkey, Central Asia and South Caucasus based in Istanbul.

Further back: I grew up in Nigeria, Exeter, Lesotho, Swaziland and Manchester before attending Cambridge University 1976-79. I worked in several government departments before joining the Foreign Office in 1983.

Keen to go to Africa and South America, I’ve had postings in Vienna (twice), Moscow, Bonn, Berlin, Kyiv and Istanbul, plus jobs in London ranging from the EU Budget to the British Overseas Territories.

2002-6 I was lucky enough to spend four years in Berlin running the house, looking after the children (born 1992 and 1994) and doing some writing and journalism.

To return to Vienna as ambassador is a privilege and a pleasure. I hope this blog reflects that.

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2012 british embassy games london olympic paralympic Politics Ukraine

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