Last week saw Chefs de Missions from around 200 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) meet in London to receive an update on preparations for next year's Olympic Games from the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG).

The Chefs de Mission – who lead their NOC’s delegation during the Games and are responsible for all their athletes and team officials – met during a three-day visit to London, where they attended meetings on a wide range of topics, including ticketing, accommodation, accreditation and ceremonies.

The Chefs de Mission also visited the Olympic Park and Olympic Village, as well as Horse Guards Parade, where the FIVB Beach Volleyball International was taking place, in preparation for hosting the beach volleyball tournament during next year's Games.

The seminar enabled the Chefs de Mission to familiarise themselves with the venues, city layout, and transport operations ahead of next year's Games and helped ensure that they have the latest information about London 2012 so that their teams are well prepared for the Games.

The meeting was the final Chef de Mission seminar before the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games and enabled LOCOG to demonstrate what will be provided for NOCs, its athletes and team officials during the Games.

Seb Coe, Chair of LOCOG, said: “The athletes sit at the heart of the London 2012 Games and this week’s meetings are critical in helping countries all over the world prepare their athletes to compete in London next year.”

Bernard Rajzman, Chef de Mission for Brazil, said: “The experience so far has been absolutely incredible and the venues here in London are fantastic. You can really tell that the focus in London is on the athletes and that everyone in LOCOG understands that. There is no doubt that these Games will be spectacular and I have no concerns at all.”

Samar Nassar, Chef de Mission for Jordan, said: “After the venue tours that took us to the Olympic Park, the Olympic Village and ExCel Centre, LOCOG has shown us some superb state-of-the-art facilities, meticulous organisation, the rich English heritage and a very warm welcome. This week has been very organised and it is inspiring to see and feel that London is going to leave a legacy after the Games.”

Source: www.olympic.org