London 2012 Olympic Games: one year to go and Namibia is raring…

The final 12 month countdown to the greatest show on earth has now started. London 2012 will explode into action in the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London, on 27 July next year.The preparations are all on track. The Park’s construction is now 88% complete and set to provide a spectacular showcase for the very best in British design, engineering, creativity and security. London’s unique vision to hold the first sustainable Olympic Games is well on the way to delivery.

The event promises to be a spectacular celebration of sport, culture and the best of British design in the world’s greatest city. I am also delighted that Namibia already has plenty to celebrate as part of this great adventure.

The country’s own Olympic superstar Frank Fredericks helped Lord Sebastian Coe to plant the final piece of turf in the main stadium back in April.

Now Namibian shooter Gaby Ahrens and cyclist Dan Craven have both qualified for the London 2012 Games and hopes are high that Namibian triathlete Abraham Louw is on the verge of qualifying. Runners Daniel Nghipandulwa (1500m) and Tjipekapora Herunga (400m) are also both expected to qualify.

Millions of people around the world have also been following the progress of another young Namibian sprinter, Merlyn Diamond (aka the Cheetah of Namibia), as her journey towards the Olympics is tracked by the BBC’s World Olympic Dreams series.

HE Mrs Marianne Young, Dr Becky Njoze-Ojo, Merlyn Diamond, Abner Xoagub

I was therefore delighted to welcome Frank, Gaby and Merlyn, and other great Namibian sporting names and senior officials, to the British High Commission Residence yesterday to celebrate the One Year to Go benchmark milestone at a special reception. The event, held jointly with the Namibian National Olympic Committee, was a wonderful chance to celebrate Namibia’s proud record of sporting excellence in such august company.

It was also an opportunity to provide local sportsmen and women with a sneak preview of what is waiting for them in the breath-taking Olympic Park. The main event of the evening was a special screening of Going for Green, a film documenting the sustainable construction and tremendous energy going into the creation of the park, the largest construction project in Europe. We crowned the event with footage of Merlyn training to get there and Frank planting the final piece of turf at the venue itself.

The evening was a wonderful chance to underscore both our countries’ commitment to upholding the spirit of the Olympic Games, and to build up our joint excitement for what is set to be an unforgettable sporting event. Our shared journey towards the Games is helping to mark a real high point in bilateral relations for both our countries.

Read my speech here, and Frank Fredericks’ here

The British High Commission in Windhoek now looks forward to continuing its work with the Namibia National Olympic Committee to help build up local awareness in the approach to the Games. We will be running a programme of joint outreach activities and visits to local schools in the coming months. We plan to offer local learners the chance to win some fantastic London 2012 merchandise as prizes for Olympic-themed art and writing competitions.

If you have any creative competition ideas for both primary and secondary students, we would be delighted to hear them. Do send us your ideas via a comment on the blog.

But in the meantime, let the countdown to the Games begin in earnest – and join me in keeping my fingers firmly crossed for more superb young Namibian athletes to qualify in the coming months.