Sydney - The 2000 Sydney Olympics are widely regarded as the best ever, but Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates believes they could be surpassed by London.
As the one-year countdown to the 2012 Games got under way yesterday, Coates said that from what he had seen so far, London was on track to provide a memorable event.
"I think we're all pretty proud of Sydney [2000] and many people say that Sydney remains the benchmark," said Coates at a ceremony marking the countdown at Circular Quay in Sydney.
"But from where I've been sitting London has been six months to a year ahead of us in their preparations all the way through since they were awarded the Games six years ago."
However, Coates was quick to point out the heavy involvement Australians have had in the London Games organisation.
Master planning
"We can take some pride from the fact that a lot of Australians were enlisted by them to help in their master planning, help in their bid planning and there's a lot of Australians dotted throughout the organising committee.
‘But these Games now have the very British stamp to them and I think there's every prospect of them surpassing our Games."
The 2012 Olympics will mark the culmination of years of planning, which has seen billions of pounds lavished on an array of state-of-the-art sports venues and urban renewal project in east London.
The focal point of the Games is the redevelopment of a 2.5 square kilometre site in east London that will become the Olympic Park.
The complex will include the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium, the £95 million (Dh572.63 million) Olympic Velodrome, the Aquatics Centre and venues for handball and hockey as well as the athletes village.
Source: http://gulfnews.com
As the one-year countdown to the 2012 Games got under way yesterday, Coates said that from what he had seen so far, London was on track to provide a memorable event.
"I think we're all pretty proud of Sydney [2000] and many people say that Sydney remains the benchmark," said Coates at a ceremony marking the countdown at Circular Quay in Sydney.
"But from where I've been sitting London has been six months to a year ahead of us in their preparations all the way through since they were awarded the Games six years ago."
However, Coates was quick to point out the heavy involvement Australians have had in the London Games organisation.
Master planning
"We can take some pride from the fact that a lot of Australians were enlisted by them to help in their master planning, help in their bid planning and there's a lot of Australians dotted throughout the organising committee.
‘But these Games now have the very British stamp to them and I think there's every prospect of them surpassing our Games."
The 2012 Olympics will mark the culmination of years of planning, which has seen billions of pounds lavished on an array of state-of-the-art sports venues and urban renewal project in east London.
The focal point of the Games is the redevelopment of a 2.5 square kilometre site in east London that will become the Olympic Park.
The complex will include the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium, the £95 million (Dh572.63 million) Olympic Velodrome, the Aquatics Centre and venues for handball and hockey as well as the athletes village.
Source: http://gulfnews.com
