IOC praises London 2012 legacy

James Tapsfield, the Press Association's Political Correspondent, has tweeted a picture of the Prime Minister and Seb Coe, the Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee, playing badminton as part of the publicity for the Olympics:

The Prime Minister has confirmed that Syria will take part in the 2012 Olympic Games. He said: "I don't think we should punish the athletes for the sins of the [Syrian] regime". He stressed that UK was doing everything it could to impose sanctions on the Syrian Government.

The head of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge is in London on his final inspection before the Games. He said:

The Prime Minister is talking about the legacy of the Olympic Games. He said: "legacy planning is I think further ahead than for any other Olympic city".

He mentioned the Aquatic Centre which will become a community swimming pool "for local people", and the athlete's village which will be converted to "affordable private housing".

The Prime Minister is just starting a press conference with the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge, who is on London on his final inspection before the start of the Games. Mr Cameron said: "London will be ready, on time and on budget".

The Government will today reveal its vision for the legacy of the Olympic Games. A booklet entitled Beyond 2012 (PDF) lays out the Government's plans for the future of the Olympic venues and London's East End, the sporting legacy as well as the economic benefits. David Cameron said:

Paralympian swimmer Ellie Simmonds is one of the athletes at Number 10 today for the formal launch of the School Games. Olympians Darren Campbell and Denise Lewis are also there.

The Prime Minister posed with young athletes taking part in the Sainsbury's School Games competition. 12,000 schools have now signed up to hold sport competitions which will culminate in national finals on the Olympic Park in May.