Minister for Sport Mark Arbib recently congratulated London and the London 2012 Organising Committee on preparations for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Senator Arbib joined Australian Olympic and Paralympic Presidents John Coates AC and Greg Hartung OAM to welcome The Rt Hon. Lord Sebastian Coe KBE, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee, to Canberra to address a gathering of sports administrators and parliamentarians.’

Australia and the UK have a great history of competition and friendly rivalry at the Olympic and Paralympic Games,’ Senator Arbib said.

’The Olympics is the pinnacle of sport and London is one of the world’s great cities. It is fantastic that the two will unite to celebrate the Olympic spirit.

’The event venues in London are fantastic ─ road cycling around Hampton Court, archery at Lords, tennis at Wimbledon and the triathlon in Hyde Park.

’All Australians will be glued to the TV for the two weeks.  Hopefully our success and the quality of the London Olympics will inspire young Australians to get off the couch and attempt to emulate our successful athletes.’

The Australian Government strongly supports Australia’s Olympic and Paralympic sports and this year has made a significant investment in our top athletes through the Green and Gold project.

Senator Arbib said the Green and Gold project is providing Olympic and Paralympic peak sporting bodies with almost $4 million in targeted funding to boost their prospects in London.

‘The Green and Gold project is already supporting our potential Games athletes to provide the best possible training and preparation — the best coaching, sport science, resources and facilities.

‘That funding is on top of $23.2 million per annum in new high performance funding allocated to 25 Olympic, Paralympic and non-Olympic Australian sporting bodies,’ said Senator Arbib.

‘Australia’s recent performance at the Track Cycling World Championships in the Netherlands is an indication of how well our preparation for London 2012 is progressing. We topped the medal tally with our best performance ever, taking home eight gold, two silver and a bronze.

‘As international competition continues to intensify, the Australian Government remains committed to ensuring our athletes continue to have access to the best training, coaching and sport science resources and facilities available.’