Launched last year, the four-year Cultural Olympiad puts culture at the heart of the 2012 Games, encouraging participation and celebrating the cultures that make up the UK.
The major projects include an international Shakespeare festival; a UK-wide film project for young people; and 'World River' - a spectacular music festival just before the 2012 Games. There will also be a 'Festival of Carnivals; a project to enable young people to discover new places; and the UK's largest-ever celebration of disability art and culture.
Janet Paraskeva, Chair of the Olympic Lottery Distributor said: 'Our aspiration is for London 2012 to be not just a festival of world-class sport, but also a celebration of art and culture which will involve all of the United Kingdom and its diverse communities.
'This major National Lottery grant will help turn ambitious and exciting plans for the Cultural Olympiad into reality.'
The announcement comes jointly with the news that Tony Hall, Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House, has been appointed to the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) Board of Directors. He will also head up a new Cultural Olympiad Board to oversee the project going forward.
Welcoming the news, LOCOG’s Chair Sebastian Coe said: 'It was our ambition that the Games would result in new investment to the UK’s creative industries so we are particularly grateful to the Olympic Lottery Distributor for helping to complete the architecture for the most wonderful cultural celebration for London 2012.
'Tony’s appointment to the LOCOG board reflects the importance of Cultural Olympiad to us and we welcome him aboard. The programme is delivered not by us, but in partnership. The creation of this new board will ensure that the vision we had during the bid will be delivered over the next three years – through those partnerships.'
The current Chair of Culture at LOCOG, Jude Kelly, will be a founder member of the new board. She will help drive Baron Pierre de Coubertin’s vision of a united sport and cultural festival internationally, with a particular focus on developing the Cultural Olympiad legacy with the next Host City.
