British embassy Charge d’Affaires Claire Evans (third left) and other officials with the new countdown clock, at the reception to mark one year to go until the London Olympics in 2012

With only a year to go until the curtains go up on London 2012 Olympic Games, the British embassy in Doha hosted a reception to mark the milestone in the countdown to the major sporting event.
Guests were hosted by the Charge d’Affaires, Claire Evans, who welcomed officials from the Qatar National Olympic Committee and other Qatari sporting institutions.
The deputy head of mission from the Brazilian embassy also attended the event, as Brazil prepare to host the Games in 2016.
“It’s exciting that there is now only one year to go until the London 2012 Olympics,” said Evans, adding “today we are getting into the spirit of it all by starting a special edition Omega clock which will count down to the official opening on July 27 next year.”
“Today is not just about the world’s athletes - it is about sending a message to everyone here in Qatar and across the world that we in Britain look forward to welcoming you to our home and to showing you that, just like Qatar, we are excellent hosts,” she added.
Evans stated that sport plays a positive and important role in both Qatari and British society, and said that the excitement at hosting major sporting events is another thing that both nations share.
“Today and for the next 12 months until the Games, we want to show you and the rest of the world what makes Britain such a great place to live, work, visit, invest and do business with,” she added.
British Foreign Minister William Hague made a statement about celebrations taking place around the world, and said: “The Foreign Office is playing a crucial part in telling the rest of the world what a great place the UK is in the lead up to the Olympics and Paralympics.”
“We are encouraging hundreds of thousands of visitors to find out about the Games next year – it is going to be an incredible time in the UK and we are ready to welcome everybody,” he said, adding “events at our global network of posts are helping spread messages about the Games and I am pleased that there is so much going on to promote the Olympics.”