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.