One-Year Countdown to London 2012

Events were held throughout London yesterday to celebrate the start of the one-year countdown to the 2012 Olympics. To mark the occasion, a ceremony was held in Trafalgar Square where the likes of Princess Anne, Prime Minister David Cameron and Mayor Boris Johnson unveiled the medals that will be awarded to successful athletes.

The gold, silver and bronze medals (pictured above) have been designed by British artist David Watkins and have the usual symbolism that sports bodies enjoy but which makes little sense. The backs of the medals (on the right of the picture) supposedly have a number of symbolic images, including a grid of ‘radiating energy that represents the athletes' achievements and effort', a dished background that ‘suggests a bowl similar to the design of an amphitheatre' and a ribbon that represents the River Thames and ‘adds a sense of celebration'.

Regardless of what they are meant to symbolically represent, there is a general consensus that the medals do encapsulate both the history of the Olympic Games and the modernity of the London 2012 edition.

The "greatest games"

At the unveiling of the medals, thousands of people gathered in Trafalgar Square to hear David Cameron promise that London's would be the "greatest games":

"This has the makings of a great British success story. With a year to go, it's on time, it's on budget. It's about great sport, with great British athletes like Tom Daley and Chris Hoy taking part."

The Olympic Committee President, Jacques Rogge, was also in London to officially invite the world's athletes to come to Britain next year to celebrate the Games, revealing that the world's finest athletes were dreaming of competing in "this magnificent city".

Other Events

Meanwhile, there were a number of other events happening throughout the Capital to celebrate both the start of the countdown and the completion of all the six main Olympic Park venues. At the brand new Aquatics Centre, world champion British diver Tom Daley performed the first official dive to open the venue (below), before synchronized swimmers then formed the number one. Similarly, the head of the London 2012 Olympic Committee Lord Seb Coe, alongside the former Olympic silver medallist Colin Jackson made plaster casts of their feet at London's St Pancras Eurostar terminal to mark the "first steps" toward the 2012 Games.

If you have been underwhelmed by the British reaction to the Olympics so far (which has been typically understated) then you will start to see the other side over the coming year, as the British passion for sport starts to grow and grow.

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