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Tony Blair hopes Britain will get a sense of pride, achievement and unity from London 2012

Just two years before London 2012 kicks-off, Tony Blair spoke to BBC News about his expectation for what he described as a sporting event which will be “beyond calculation” in it’s worth to Britain.

“I think this is fantastically exciting for the country; it’s a huge showcase. 2012 is going to be a year we will remember because of the Olympics. Hosting the Olympics is Always worth it. If you think what Beijing got out of holding the Olympics in 2008, what South Africa just got out of the World Cup and South Africa with all their problems of poverty and difficulty. Nonetheless, they thought this is worth doing for the whole of Africa.”

Tony Blair, who set up his own Sports Foundation in the North East of England to improve access to sport over two years ago, spoke of the long term benefits of holding the Games:

“That part of London is already transformed and one thing I do think about these sporting events is if they’re only about the few weeks that the event takes place over that’s not enough... It is a tremendous time, it will put the country on show, but you’ve got to build a legacy for the future. And for us, it’s got to be about encouraging the development of school sports, particularly in the run-up to the Olympics. There’s a lot more facilities now and we should be using those. And also to get across the idea that sport has a mainstream role to play in the life of a nation and in the policy of the government.”

In the interview with the BBC’s Clive Myrie, Tony Blair, spoke of the sense of unity such a huge sporting event can bring to a nation:

“My personal hope is that Britain gets a great sense of pride out of the games, of achievement, a feeling of unity and togetherness and a feeling of what 21st century Britain can offer the world.

“The best way for a country to use a huge sporting event is to try and define itself somewhat by it. For us, I think it is to say, you know about Britain and our history and our rich cultural heritage and all our traditions and all our iconic emblems of the things that you will see in books about Britain, but here’s something else about us. Actually we’re a great place to be, to work, to live, and we’re proud of the fact that different races, cultures and faiths come together here in London.”

To watch the full BBC News interview, click here