On a tour of the Olympic Park Luol Deng saw progress on the Olympic Stadium where he could parade with the GB team during the opening ceremony and the Olympic Village where the team will stay. He also saw the site of the innovative temporary Basketball Arena due to start construction this autumn and construction underway on the Handball Arena which will remain as a flexible and vibrant riverside venue catering for a range of sports training and competition in legacy, including Basketball.

Luol Deng was joined by Hackney 2012 Youth Ambassadors that have taken on the role of promoting sports participation and increase understanding of London 2012 among their peers in the Olympic Park Host Borough.

During the Games the qualifying rounds for Basketball, which is traditionally one of the most popular Olympic sports, will take place in the 12,000 capacity Basketball Arena. The finals will take place in the 20,000 seat North Greenwich Arena, previously the Millennium Dome, which is hosting British Basketball’s first ever international tournament this weekend as a ‘warm-up’ to London 2012.

Luol Deng said: 'Our main goal as a Great Britain team is 2012. We're trying to take it a step at a time, a year at a time, but you can't avoid the excitement surrounding the fact the Olympics are coming to London in just a few years.

'For me, London will always be home so the chance to play in an Olympic Games in my hometown in front of my family and friends I grew up with, is something that's never far from my thoughts.'

ODA Chairman John Armitt said: 'Showing a sporting superstar the steady progress on site reminds everyone involved that we are building a spectacular stage to celebrate sporting excellence in 2012 and leave a powerful sporting legacy. We are on track to deliver fantastic Basketball facilities for players and spectators during the Games and a new high quality training and competition venue catering for Basketball and other sports at all levels in legacy.'

Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee, said: 'Basketball is a hugely popular Olympic sport for spectators and TV viewers. It is great to have one of our British sports stars see our preparations for the Olympic and Paralympic Games which will be a showcase for Basketball not only in the UK but across the world. The Basketball facilities during the Games will be fantastic for athletes and spectators and the Handball Arena will offer exciting new facilities in legacy.'

British Basketball Performance Director Chris Spice said: “If three years ago we had told somebody that we would be hosting a top four-nation tournament I think they would’ve thought we were dreaming. It’s really amazing what can happen if you get everyone pulling in the same direction. That goes from the players to the support staff to the back office to our board to the home nations and all the volunteers working so tirelessly across basketball in the UK. Every year it gets better and better and it is my job to make sure that continues. We cannot waste this massive opportunity that London 2012 offers our sport. We are only half the way up the curve and there is still a lot of work to be done.”

During the Olympic Games the 12,000 capacity temporary Basketball Arena will host the Basketball preliminaries and quarter-finals, which will feature 24 teams with 288 athletes in total, as well as the Handball semi-finals and finals. During the Paralympic Games it will have a capacity of 10,000 seats for Wheelchair Basketball and Wheelchair Rugby. It will also house the athletes before they make their way down to the stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies. After the Games, two thirds of the materials and elements of the Arena can be reused or recycled, potentially allowing other parts of the UK to benefit from London 2012.

During the Games the distinctive copper-clad Handball Arena will host qualifying games for the Handball competition as well as Modern Pentathlon Fencing and Goalball during the Paralympic Games.

After the Games, the Arena will become a sustainable multi-sports venue with retractable seating for around 6,000 spectators and flexible facilities catering for training and competition at all levels. It can cater for a wide-range of indoor sports including Basketball, Wheelchair Basketball, Boxing, Handball, Badminton, Judo, Netball, Futsal and Volleyball, boosting the legacy sporting facilities provided across the Olympic Park.

The London Development Agency (LDA) has been leading on the legacy planning for the Arena. This work, which includes ongoing discussions with National Governing Bodies for Sport and other sporting bodies, including basketball, will be taken forward by the new Olympic Park Legacy Company.

Chief Executive of the London Development Agency Peter Rogers said: 'The Arena will be a major community resource in legacy. With the equivalent space of three basketball courts and retractable seating, the venue has been designed for all levels of sports participation and has the potential to accommodate cultural, entertainment and business events.

'We look forward to a smooth transition of the project over to the Olympic Park Legacy Company.'

- Ends -

Notes to Editors

1.    To download images of the Basketball and Handball Arenas visit: http://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/locog?nav=pr127018785
2.    British Basketball will host its first ever tournament, ‘Game On’, from August 14-16. The three-day event will see Great Britain men’s team take on Israel, Turkey and Slovenia. Game on at the North Greenwich Arena, previously the Millennium Dome, is part of Team GB’s preparation for EuroBasket 2009 in Poland.
3.    Luol was born in Sudan and raised in London. As a teenager, he played both Football and Basketball for the GB Under-15 teams. He is now a rising NBA star – one of the famous Chicago Bulls. In 2007 Luol won the NBA Sportsmanship Award, as voted by the players for 'ethical behaviour, fair play and integrity on the court'.

For further information please contact the Olympic Delivery Authority Press Office on +44 (0)20 3 2012 700 or visit the website at london2012.com.

The construction of the venues and infrastructure of the London 2012 Games is funded by the National Lottery through the Olympic Lottery Distributor, The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Mayor of London and the London Development Agency.

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