Let the Games begin

As the Beijing Games come to a close, London is ready to take up the baton with the start of a four-year cultural Olympiad that will run until the 2102 Games. Laura Compton reports

---

On the eve of London becoming the next Olympic city, even the Mayor of London Boris Johnson felt part of the capital's excitement and nerves surrounding the handover from Beijing.

Faced with the prospect of accepting the Olympic flag for London and waving it to strict protocol in front of a vast TV audience, the Mayor assured business leaders not long before the event: "I've been practising daily. With an audience of three billion people watching, it would be rather embarrassing to drop it."

While the Mayor's flag waving may have gone off smoothly, the world's eyes are still firmly fixed on London, a city with a great deal to prove in delivering not only the best Games yet, but a lasting legacy for future generations across the capital and beyond.

Following the Olympic handover on 24 August, and the final Paralympic handover due on 17 September, the Games will rest firmly in the hands of London.

This kick-starts four years of community activities across the capital, from sports and cultural events to volunteering and business opportunities, all of which will make or break judgments on the success of the Games for London.

View all pages

---

Page: 1  View page 2 | View page 3 | View page 4 | View page 5 |