Coe updates Olympic committees on London 2012’s early progress

London 2012 Chairman Sebastian Coe reported to Olympic Committees from around the world today on London 2012's early progress on the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

Speaking at the XV General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) in Seoul, Korea, Coe highlighted a wide range of early milestones achieved by the London Organising Committee, following the capital's selection by the IOC in Singapore last July, as the new Olympic and Paralympic host city.

Coe told National Olympic Committee (NOC) chiefs that the Olympic Village for their athletes would be located within the Olympic Park and would be the most spacious and accessible in Olympic and Paralympic history.

Coe also told the meeting that a national audit of sporting facilities had been commissioned to help national teams to gain pre-Games access to the best facilities available in the UK.

"This will help your teams meet their varying needs in preparation for the London 2012 Games," Coe said.

The Assembly also heard that planning for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games will be fully integrated for the first time at the London Games, which will minimise the planning and operational differences between the two events.

The progress milestones outlined by Coe included:

• Establishment of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) which is responsible for planning and staging the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2012
• Passing the London Olympic Games & Paralympic Games Bill into law last Thursday, formally creating the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), responsible for building venues and infrastructure for the Games and introducing into UK law provisions to prevent unauthorised associations with the Games
• Appointment of international venue specialists to provide technical briefs for London's Olympic venues, including venues to be built in the new Olympic Park
• Appointment of a National Olympic Committees' manager to help international teams to prepare for the London Games
• Establishment of the Olympic Board and the LOCOG Board
• Appointment of new LOCOG CEO Paul Deighton, who officially began work today.
  

"We made a commitment to you in Singapore that with delivery structures, planning permission and much of the land already in place to stage the Games in London, we would start work the very next day if selected as the Olympic host city and that's exactly what we did," Coe told 600 international sports chiefs, Olympic officials and delegates from the 203 National Olympic Committees who have gathered in Seoul to hear progress reports from the organising committees of Olympic host cities.

The primary role of the NOCs is to prepare their athletes and teams to compete at the Olympic Games. Since winning the bid Coe said London Olympic organisers had concentrated on putting the right delivery structure in place as early as possible, including the LOCOG, the ODA and the Olympic Board.

"This will produce the best possible framework for us to support you [NOCs] to prepare your teams for the 2012 Games in London."

Whilst London's progress has been widely recognised in Olympic and international sporting circles, Coe said that London's vision for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games had not changed.

"We will build the Games around the UK's passion for sport and encourage more people around the world to choose sport, especially Olympic sport," Coe told the Assembly.

- Ends -

For further information please call the London 2012 Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 100 or visit www.london2012.com

Click here to read Seb's full speech