Oct 31, 2009, 13:58 GMT
London - London is well on track to host the 2012 Olympics, organizing committee chief Sebastian Coe said on Saturday, with 1,000 days left until the opening ceremony.
'We are exactly where we would want to be, if not a little bit ahead,' said the LOCOG chief Lord Coe. 'We have a lot of hard work to do, but we are closing in and we're excited.'
The 1,000-days celebrations in London include a fireworks display at the BT Tower and the start of the final countdown to the July 27, 2012, opening ceremony on a giant screen.
Sponsors are also marking the event with British Airways pilots delivering special messages to their passengers on every flight into the London airports.
Coe expressed his satisfaction about the money raised so far for the Games despite the economic climate turning grim after London got the event in 2005.
'If you look at the money raised to stage the Games in a difficult economic climate, we are in great shape,' he said.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has voiced concern over the undecided venues for badminton and rhythmic gymnastics, but Coe and his team pledged to have a solution before the end of the year.
Overall, the IOC has expressed its satisfaction with the London efforts, with its president Jacques Rogge praising the 'human chemistry' with Coe and others and saying they are doing 'a magnificent job.'
Coe also reiterated that the important legacy issue, saying: 'I want to see a legacy in every form of sports participation. I want to see more young people involved in sport.
'I want to see more young people doing things they wouldn't normally have thought about doing - and, of course, I want London to leave world-class venues not just for athletes but for our young future competitors as well.'
The start of the volunteers programme and the unveiling of the mascot are some of the next key events in 2010 while venue delivery, test events and ticket sales are key items for 2011.
Your Talkback on this Story