London undaunted at following Beijing

By Nick Mulvenney

BEIJING (Reuters) - London is undaunted at having to follow Beijing when it hosts the next Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 2012, according to chief organiser Sebastian Coe.

Coe said London had learned many important lessons from a Paralympics he said would be remembered for "wonderful elite sport, superb organisation, stunning venues and spectacular opening and closing ceremonies".

"It's a massive responsibility," the chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) told a news conference on the eve of the closing ceremony of the Paralympics.

"We don't find it daunting. I can only relate it to when I was sitting in a stadium when I was still a competitor watching an outstanding performance in my own event," added the twice Olympic champion middle distance runner.

"I didn't feel cowed by it, I went out and wanted to emulate it or even better it... Beijing has delivered a spectacular Games and we will also deliver a spectacular Games."

Coe said London had learned that the Games was not just about the timely delivery of infrastructure, however important that was, but also about legacy and where the emphasis of the organisation should lie.

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"Athletes have to be at the centre of these championships, if you have athletes at the centre of the project, you have to deliver well in so many other function areas," he said.