Olympics 2008

As we prepare for the official opening of the 2008 Olympic Games tonight, I look forward to the success of the 313 competitors representing Team GB in Beijing – not least the 39 from our own area here in the North West.

Our athletes are better prepared, better financed and better resourced than ever.

This is down to the hard work of the athletes themselves, their coaches and all those supporting them.

But also key to this has been the tremendous work of government agency UK Sport, which has overseen a decade of investment in elite sport. Between only the last Games in Athens and this year’s event, for example, funding for elite sport has tripled to a record £265 million.

Let’s get behind Team GB and enjoy the Olympic spectacle – and enjoy seeing the medals roll in.