"Everything leads to, and culminates in, a glorious festival of sport for Olympians and Paralympians, Tony Blair writes in an article published in The Guardian.

 

"But it cannot end there. The enduring success of the Games is measured in the years that follow, not in the time it takes for them to take place.

 

"The 2012 Games will be a catalyst for one of the most extensive urban and environmental regeneration programmes ever seen in the UK. The new Olympic Park under construction in the Lower Lea Valley will revive one of the most deprived areas in the country.

 

"Thousands of jobs will be created. Transport links will be transformed. Thousands of homes for key workers will be built. Parts of the landscape that have been wasteland will spring to life."

 

Blair writes that he understands why the current focus is on the Olympic budget but promises that the project will be delivered on time - unlike some other major Government building schemes, most notably the Millennium Dome and the National Stadium at Wembley - and that funding will be made available.

 

"There will always be pessimists who claim every setback is a catastrophe," he writes.

 

"The same people no doubt said that even to bid was a waste of time. I am glad we ignored the doom-mongers then, and we will ignore them now.

 

"Financial planning remains ahead of Sydney, which submitted its budget two years before the Games, and of Beijing, which waited four years after winning the bid to publish its budget.

 

"The buildings will be there in time. The investment will be made. That is non-negotiable. With the focus shifting to the hard work of delivery, milestones like today provide a chance to reflect on just what the games will mean for Britain.

 

"London won a nail-biting contest because our bid was ambitious and inspirational. In particular, there was an unprecedented focus on the Games' legacy - the long-term benefits for local communities, the environment, the economy and sport."

 

In his regular column published in The Daily Telegraph, Coe warns that London will be under great scrutiny.

 

"The decisions we take over the next 2,012 days will be instrumental in making the most of the Games as an unprecedented opportunity to improve the quality of life in the UK in sustainable ways – from new sports facilities to increased business benefits and opportunities for UK companies to provide key goods and services for the Games, promoting environmental awareness and upgrading transport infrastructure," the chairman of LOCOG writes.

 

"The international focus on the Olympic and Paralympic Games also provides a unique opportunity for Olympic cities like London to reinforce and advance the message of the importance of sustainable development.

 

"We are in a position to set agendas in our own country and internationally."

 

Coe even addresses the row that has dominated the British media in recent days,  Celebrity Big Brother, the programme shown on Channel 4 which has sparked record amounts of complaints that an Indian contestant was bullied and racially abused by a house mate.

 

Jade Goody, the contestant accused, was voted out of the house last Friday after a massive 82 per cent said she should be evicted.

 

"If there is one positive thing that has come out of recent reality TV events, it is the massive affirmation on Friday that, as a nation, we live by this creed and believe in stamping out ignorance and living our lives with mutual respect," Coe writes.

 

"The Games can, quite simply, create heroes – role models for a generation. It can create understanding and communication that transcends any language and it can motivate us to be the very best we can be as individuals."