AUSTRALIA: OLYMPICS: Sydney marks one year to the London 2012 Olympic games with a double decker bus

Record ID: 329480

  • Title: AUSTRALIA: OLYMPICS: Sydney marks one year to the London 2012 Olympic games with a double decker bus
  • Date: 28th July 2011
  • Summary: SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA (JULY 27, 2011) (REUTERS) SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIANS STANDING IN FRONT OF LONDON BUS OLYMPIANS WITH BOXING KANGAROO AND MAN DRESSED AS GUARD OLYMPIANS WITH GUARD BOXING KANGAROO LEANING OUTSIDE WINDOW (SOUNDBITE) (English) OLYMPIC TRACK CYCLIST ANNA MEARES SAYING: "Very exciting times. It makes it very real. We've been preparing for the London Olympics for the last 18 to two years, 18 months to two years, so it's been a long hard grind and to see it really start to tick down to the nitty gritty time frame now it's been very exciting." ANNA MEARES TALKING TO JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) OLYMPIC TRACK CYCLIST ANNA MEARES, TALKING ABOUT CADEL EVANS WINNING THE TOUR DE FRANCE, SAYING: "You can't fathom what it's done for the profile of cycling in Australia. It's certainly boosted it. It's brought it across on a totally different level and profile than it's been in the past and as cyclists we owe a lot to Cadel Evans." AUSTRALIAN FLAG ON LONDON BUS OLYMPIANS, BOXING KANGAROO AND GUARDS SITTING IN LONDON BUS
  • Embargoed: 12th August 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Australia, Australia
  • Country: Australia
  • Topics: Lifestyle,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAA6O2YUR1U60JLWPFPQ546KLYY
  • Story Text: The Australian Olympic Committee and prospective Olympic athletes gathered in Sydney on Wednesday (July 27) to mark a special day for them. The London 2012 Olympic Games will begin in one year's time.
    Gold medal cyclist Anna Meares and various other Olympiac athletes stood next to a London double decker bus with the boxing kangaroo, the Australian mascot.
    Meares feels the 2012 Games are coming close.
    "Very exciting times. It makes it very real," she said. "We've been preparing for the London Olympics for the last 18 to two years, 18 months to two years, so it's been a long hard grind and to see it really start to tick down to the nitty gritty time frame now it's been very exciting," she said.
    Meares won bronze at Athens and silver at the Beijing Olympics. She will be aiming to complete her collection of Olympic medals in London. She added that the profile of cycling in Australia has just received a sudden boost with Australia's Cadel Evans winning the Tour de France at the weekend.
    "You can't fathom what it's done for the profile of cycling in Australia. It's certainly boosted it. It's brought it across on a totally different level and profile that it's been in the past and as cyclists we owe a lot to Cadel Evans," Meares said.
    The Australian Olympic Committee is expecting approximately 430 athletes to qualify for the Australian team.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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