PHL Ambassador gets preview of London's Olympic Park

The Philippines envoy to the United Kingdom — Ambassador Enrique Manalo — had the rare opportunity to view the newly constructed Olympic Park, one of the venues of the 2012 London Olympics.   Manalo joined his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during the visit last March 20.   "It was an opportunity for the Ambassadors, who compose the ASEAN London Committee (ALC), to get a first-hand view of the developments in the highly-secure Olympic Park in preparation for the upcoming 30th Summer Olympics in London later this year," the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a news release.    "For our 250,000 (countrymen) here in the UK, it will be special to be able to cheer our own athletes as they test their mettle against foreign competition. I am sure that our athletes will perform well, but it will be a triumphant occasion should we get the country's first ever Olympic gold medal here in London," Manalo said. The 30th Summer Olympic Games will be held on July 27 to August 12, to be followed by the 14th Summer Paralympic Games on August 29 to September 9. The Olympic Park that the ambassadors visited will be the venue of the opening ceremonies on July 27. Located in Stratford, East London, the Olympic Park includes the Olympic Stadium, Basketball Arena, Velodrome, Aquatics Centre, Copper Box, Water Polo Centre, International Broadcasting Centre and Athlete's Village. It also features the 115-meter ArcelorMittal Orbit tower designed by renowned sculptor Anish Kapoor. London will be the first city to host the Olympics thrice, as it has hosted the event in 1908 and in 1948.   Leading the tour were Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Minister Jeremy Browne and London Organizing Committee Dignitary Operations Manager Charles Moore. - VVP, GMA News