Member Article

Olympic excitement brews as Lord Coe visits Newcastle

Lord Seb Coe paid a visit to the region yesterday to attend the North East Forum for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The tickets for Olympic Football were released yesterday, so it was apt that his visit centred around St James’ Park.

As well as visiting the stadium where part of the football tournament will be held, Lord Coe met with members of the 150th project, to award them with the INSPIRE Mark, recognising charitable initiatives inspired by the London 2012 Games.

Alongside hosting some of the football, Newcastle has also been named as a stop on the Olympic Torch Route. Preparations are already in place to welcome it into the city, and Councillor Nick Forbes believes that excitement is already brewing on the streets.

Speaking at at the event at St James’ Park he commented: “There’s a real buzz around the city, you can tell people are already beginning to get excited and I know that next year will be a fantastic year both for Newcastle and the North East.

“Seb’s really impressed with the work we’re doing in preparation for next year’s Olympics and it provides us with a great opportunity to put Newcastle and the North East on an international stage.

“The activities which take place next year will be remembered by people here in the North East for the rest of their lives.

He also believes that the opportunity to host football in the region will also provide individuals and businesses in the region with a much-needed morale boost, and is well worth the investment.

“Our region has been buffeted by the recent economic storms, and this provides us with a great opportunity for us to pull together as a region and have some hope in the future.” he continued.

“The Olympics will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to put Newcastle on an international stage and involve thousands of people in sporting activities.

“That kind of investment in our future is priceless, and I know that the people of Newcastle will be very understanding of the minor inconveniences of putting on a major event like the Olympics here.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .