London 2012

A video in tribute to Olympic stuntman Mark Sutton has been posted on YouTube today, showing footage from his previous wingsuit jumps in Norway, Italy and Switzerland.

Mr Sutton, who stood in for Daniel Craig in the opening ceremony's jump into the Olympic Stadium, died in a wingsuit flying accident yesterday while on a trip making extreme sports videos in the Swiss Alps.

On August 10, Mr Sutton posted a message and pictures on Facebook, saying: "The sun comes out for a beautiful day in Chamonix, two base wingsuit flights from Brevent then a spectacular paraglide with Mont Blanc and the glaciers glistening in the background."

The mastermind of last year's Olympic opening ceremony, Danny Boyle, has paid tribute to the event's James Bond stuntman Mark Sutton as a "gentle and thoughtful" man following his reported death in a wingsuit flying accident.

Mr Boyle told the Evening Standard: "The show was built from so many contributions from so many people, none finer and braver than Mark Sutton's.

"On behalf of everyone in the show we were all honoured to have him worked with him and to have known him as a friend and a professional."

He added that Mr Sutton's death would be a "huge loss to his profession" and said "all our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues".

Watch: Mark Sutton charted his experiences with wingsuits on YouTube

Swiss police have said the fatal wingdiving accident occurred among a group who were in the region as guests of a company that makes extreme sport films for the internet.

Although police have yet to confirm the victim's identity, he is understood to be Olympic stuntman Mark Sutton.

Police, though, said: "The victim, a Briton, was 42 years old. He was staying in Chamonix (in France) with 20 followers, considered among the best in the world in this discipline."

Swiss police have confirmed that a 42-year-old British man has died after a wingsuit jump close to the French border.

The Valais canton said the man, understood to be Olympic stuntman Mark Sutton, jumped with a friend from a helicopter above the Grandes-Otannes area.

Police said the pair jumped from a height of 10,826ft (3,300m) at around 11:00am yesterday and had planned to land close to the hamlet of Le Peuty, near Trient.

They said a preliminary investigation suggests that he hit a ridge.

Wingsuit expert Gary Connery has told The Sun that his fellow Olympic stuntman Mark Sutton was "smart, articulate and funny", adding:

As well as teaming up for London 2012's opening ceremony, the pair also worked together on Mr Connery's successful maiden jump without a parachute, which made headlines around the world in May 2012.

The stunt parachutist who played the Queen to Mark Sutton's James Bond during the Olympic opening ceremony warned of the dangers of sky jumps yesterday:

It is unclear if Gary Connery's message was sent before or after Mr Sutton's reported death.

Read: Stuntman Gary Connery jumps from 2,400ft without parachute

Olympic parachutist Mark Sutton's reportedly fatal accident is understood to have happened on the first day of a three-day wingsuit event near Martigny, in the Valais canton, near the French border.

Mr Sutton had been very experienced in using the special jump suits, which increase the surface area of the body and act like a parachute wing, allowing users to glide through the air at high speeds.

A video on Mr Sutton's YouTube account shows him in several wingsuit flights, including this one near Riva del Garda in northern Italy in August last year, which he introduces with a reference to Team GB:

A British stuntman who parachuted into the Olympic Park dressed as James Bond during the London 2012's opening ceremony has reportedly been killed in an accident.

Mark Sutton, 42, crashed into a mountain ridge in the Swiss Alps yesterday and is understood to have died on impact, The Times has reported.

He had been invited to take part in a wing-diving event with 19 other wing-suit pilots, which involved being filmed jumping from helicopters. The cause of the accident is not yet clear.

Mr Sutton took part in one of the most memorable sequences of the Olympics ceremony when, dressed as Daniel Craig's 007, he parachuted into the stadium with a fellow stuntman, who was dressed as the Queen.

Read: Queen 'volunteered' for Olympic sketch

An official report claiming that London 2012 was worth £9.9 billion to UK trade is a “marketing exercise”, Vince Cable has admitted.

The Business Secretary said the figures may not survive “a rigorous academic approach” but added they were "the best we can do".

When grilled on the report on the BBC Radio Four Today programme, Cable said it was "essentially a marketing exercise, using methods approved by the National Audit Office, which is a very tough test."

He added: "It is the best we can do – it is not necessarily something that would pass muster in the best academic journals but a test of credibility has been applied to it."

The Government's £9.9 billion figure includes investments such as £1 billion for "regeneration in the centre of Croydon", 16 miles away from the Olympic Park.