Canary Wharf and The City of London Photography

Lord Sebastian Coe the Face of The 2012 London Olympics

We have had the pleasure of working with Lord Coe, an Olympic Gold Medal winner himself, over the last two years, a really genuine, knowledgable and extremely warm gentleman.

Press Release.

The London 2012 chairman, Lord Coe, has reiterated his promise to use the Olympic Games to inspire the youth of the world, on a trip to the 2008 host city, Beijing.
Since winning the right to host the Olympics in 2005, the London organising committee has won plaudits for its International Inspiration legacy programme abroad but has seen the promises made to inspire young people to take up sport in the UK come under increasing pressure.
Coe met Chinese athletes from the gymnastics and swimming teams at the Beijing Sports Administration Training Centre to discuss their preparations.
"I remember the many great performances of the Chinese athletes in Beijing in 2008," said Coe, the chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. "After meeting some of the new generation of Chinese swimmers and gymnasts here today, I am sure that they will achieve important things at London 2012."
London organisers have long accepted they will be unable to match the scale and grandeur of the Beijing Games but hope to make up for that in atmosphere and excitement. Coe assured Chinese athletes that, like other nations around the world, they would receive a warm welcome in London, due to the cultural diversity of the capital.
"The world is preparing to come to London for the Games next year and we are getting ready to provide a memorable welcome and memorable Games for the athletes and for everyone," Coe said.
Under a new initiative for London, more than 100 national Olympic and Paralympic teams will set up pre-Games training camps across the UK in the months running up to the Olympics. The Chinese team will be based in Leeds, while its track and field athletes have also trained at St Mary's University College in Twickenham.
"The athletes from China and all other Olympic teams and nations will help to inspire the world in London next year, especially young people," Coe said.
Coe also spoke at the International Paralympic Committee's general assembly while in Beijing, and was due to address a gathering at the British embassy on Sunday night.