Walcott is just one of many precocious sporting stars to announce themselves on the international stage while still only teenagers. For some, like tennis icon Boris Becker and Indian cricket star Sachin Tendulkar, that initial success paved the way to glittering sporting careers. Others, such as British sprinter Mark Lewis-Francis, have struggled to cope with finding fame at an early age.

Diver Tom Daley hit the headlines last year when he became Britain's second youngest male Olympian after qualifying for the Beijing Games, aged just 13 years old. The youngest British male participant was Kenneth Lester a cox to a rowing pair at the 1960 Games in Rome, aged 13 years and 144 days. Daley didn't win a medal at the Olympics but has already won gold medals at the European Championships and is expected to be a contender at the London Olympics in 2012.

The German tennis player Boris Becker burst onto the international stage like no other player before him when he became the youngest person ever and the first qualifier to win the Wimbledon men's singles title in 1985, aged 17 years old. He beat the South African Kevin Curren 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4. Amazingly, he then repeated the feat a year later by winning the title again. He won six grand slam tennis titles in all during his career and was ranked the number one player in the world in 1991.

India's Sachin Tendulkar made his test debut as a 16-year-old against Pakistan and the pace attack of Waqar Younis in 1989. Younis bowled him out early in that match but Tendulker has gone on to become one of the greatest batsman of all time with more than 80 centuries in test and one-day internationals. He had also managed to score a century on his first-class debut for Bombay against Gujarat in the 1988/89 season aged 15 years and 232 days.

The most talked about amateur golfer since Tiger Woods, Michelle Wie joined the professional ranks at just 15 years old. She had already won the US Women's Amateur Public Links Championship in 2003 as a 13-year-old and became the youngest player to take part in a US men's tournament in Hawaii at the 2004 Sony Open. Four years on Wie has yet to win on the US women's or men's tours and has not won any tournament since that 2003 win. However, she has earned millions of dollars in sponsorship and appearance fees.

Romanian Nadia Comaneci, aged 14, stunned the world and her fellow competitors at the Montreal Olympics in 1976 when she became the first gymnast in Olympic history to score a perfect '10'. She went on to score six more perfect 10s and won three gold medals in total at the Games. She won two more gold medals at the Moscow Olympics in 1980 before retiring aged just 22 in 1984. Her feats are unlikely to ever be repeated as officials have since ruled than athletes must be a minimum of 16 years old to compete in the Olympics.

British sprinter Mark Lewis-Francis looked set to dominate the 100m athletics event after becoming the fastest teenager in history at the World Championships in Edmonton, Canada in 2001. Francis clocked an unofficial time of 9.97 in the second round of qualifying for the 100m (a malfunctioning wind-gauge rendered the time technically "unofficial"). He followed it up with 10.04sec at a Golden League meeting in Paris the following year. However, aside from an Olympic relay gold in 2004, the former World Youth and World Junior champion has so far not delivered on his early promise.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, or Pele as he is better known, was selected in the Brazilian World Cup squad in 1958 aged just 17. Unlike Theo Walcott he had a significant impact on the tournament. He scored against Wales in the early rounds before following it up with a hat-trick against France in the semi-final. He then scored two more in the final in a 5-2 victory over the hosts, Sweden, to secure the trophy for Brazil. After an astonishingly successful career that included three World Cup winners medals and more than 1,000 goals, including 97 goals in 92 appearances for Brazil, Pele is now considered the greatest footballer to have ever lived.

Welcoming the World

We worked with Creative Partnerships London East and South to deliver a project called ‘Welcoming the World’ with schools in the five Host Boroughs - Hackney, Waltham Forest, Greenwich, Tower Hamlets and Newham.

The project encouraged young people in 19 schools across the five Host Boroughs to think about how they want to welcome the world to their communities in the run up to 2012.
The schools worked with film, photography and music experts on one of two projects – a photography project called ‘My World’ and a film project called 'Our World'.

The project began in early 2008 and finished with a celebratory activity on 4 July 2008.

The project was funded by the Arts Council England through the Creative Partnerships initiative.


Get Set

Get Set is the official London 2012 education programme for schools, colleges and local authority education providers across the UK.

The Get Set website offers a huge variety of opportunities, with resources targeted at 3 - 19 year olds.

There is a whole range of flexible, interactive learning resources designed to get you thinking about the Olympic and Paralympic Values - with games, factsheets, films, news articles and much more.

More than one in ten schools and colleges are already registered with Get Set, and more sign up each day. Visit the Get Set website to access the full range of inspirational resources and see what other young people have already started doing.

Get Set aims to:

• Provide young people in every school and college across the UK with the opportunity to get involved in the 2012 Games.
• Support the promotion of the Olympic and Paralympic values.
• Support and drive existing educational priorities and agendas.
• Enhance young people’s learning right across the curriculum – through sport, culture and education.
• Place young people at the heart of the process, involving them in project design, development and delivery.
• Offer one coherent structure through which schools, colleges and local authority education providers can engage and connect with Games bodies.
• Build excitement right across the UK in the lead up to the 2012 Games.
• Showcase and celebrate examples of interesting, inspiring and innovative practice.
• Provide opportunities for committed schools, colleges, children and young people to be rewarded, recognised and endorsed for their hard work.
  

Go further

Through Get Set you can also get access to other learning resources to support learning. These resources are being developed with our partners and will be based on themes including:

• communication, colaboration and citizenship
• healthy active living
• culture and creativity
• PE and sport
• internationalism
• sustainability and regeneration
• enterprise
• practical learning

Education Logo competition

For the first time, London 2012 is inviting young designers aged 16-21 years to create a new infill for the London 2012 Olympic logo. This special version of the logo will sit alongside the London 2012 Paralympic logo and be known as the London 2012 ‘education logo’. It will be seen in communities across the UK!

Live it. Breathe it. Design it.

Our challenge to talented young designers is to create a new infill that reflects the amibitions and excitement of Get Set, the official London 2012 education programme, and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

We are looking for a distinctive concept that fits with the London 2012 brand and its strategy of participation. What says 'education and young people' in the UK? Can you create a single design or image which reflects your ideas?

The winning design will be used by schools and colleges up and down the country and the winning designer will get the chance to work with London 2012 to see their artwork turned into an official logo!

There will be lots of opportunities for universities and their students to play their part in the London 2012 Games - many are already underway.

Ceremonies and Cultural Olympiad

Two students from Rose Bruford College and the University of Kent worked as Assistant Stage Managers on the Olympic and Paralympic Handover Ceremonies in Beijing. Fifteen students from the London College of Fashion designed the costumes worn by the dancers and performers including the stunning dress worn by Leona Lewis!



We are still planning for the Ceremonies that will take place in 2012 but in the meantime you can get involved in the Cultural Olympiad through the major projects and the creation of 'Inspire mark' projects.

Competitions

London 2012 and a number of our partners have plans to run competitions targeted at students studying at University. We’ll promote all these opportunities through this page on the website.

Have you got talent?

Anyone with the drive to succeed can apply for the chance to visit a destination that could kick start their career: www.greatbritons.ba.com

Design the flip side of a 50p coin!

You have the chance to design a special edition of the 50p coin. Find out more on the Royal Mint website

Pre-Games Training Camps

Many universities are hoping to be Pre-Games Training Camps venues, hosting teams in the run up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. The hosting of these international teams presents a huge opportunity to explore overseas links and volunteering opportunities

Find more information on Pre-Games Training Camps

Volunteering

A number of students will be involved as Games-time volunteers. The official Volunteering Programme for the Games will be launched in Summer 2010 and more information will be available after that.

Find out more about volunteering

Conferences and events

There many universities and colleges already planning events inspired by the Games. Get involved or plan your own!

Email us to tell us what you have got planned - education@london2012.com


Above is a very good opportunity for me to get vital information to help me sucessed my project.



International

The London 2012 Games will inspire and engage young people from across the world.

London 2012 are developing a range of international learning opportunities to make this happen:

1. International Inspiration

An international sport development programme is already helping to transform the lives of millions of children and young people in schools and communities across the world, especially in developing countries, by giving them better PE lessons and sport and play opportunities.

There are ten countries involved in the programme so far: Azerbaijan, Brazil, India, Palau, Zambia, Bangladesh, Ghana, Jordan, Mozambique and Trinidad and Tobago.

Learn more about the programme

2. A global conversation

From 2011 young people all over the world will have the chance to engage in a conversation about the Olympic and Paralympic Values.

This programme is being developed with our partners – the best in the broadcasting and charitable sectors. There will be more information available over the coming months.

3. The International Olympic Youth Camp

In additional to these international programmes, which we are planning to run in the build up to the Games, we will also run an cultural exchange programme during the Games themselves - the international Olympic Youth Camp .

Two young people from every competing nation will be selected by their National Olympic Committee and invited to travel to London to take part in the Olympic Youth Camp. These young people will be official member of the Olympic Family and will stay in a special venue close to the Olympic Park.

Olympic Youth Camp participants will take part in a range of sporting and cultural activities, exploring the Olympic Values and UK culture, interacting with young people from across the UK and experiencing the excitement and atmosphere of an Olympic Games. There has been a Youth Camp at almost every summer Olympic Games since 1960.

We are currently working to identify a venue for the Camp and more information will be available here soon.

The London 2012 Children's Promise scheme pledged to provide every child born in the UK on 20 December 2004 the opportunity to play a role in a ceremony or event surrounding the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Our Culture and Ceremonies teams are still planning for all the events that will take place in 2012 so we can't tell you exactly what role the children will play but we will let you know soon.

Meet our Children's Promise kids

In December 2008 our Children's Promise kids were four years old. Each year we mark their birthdays in a different way. In 2008 we sent them a London 2012 t-shirt and asked them to send us a picture of them doing something sporty.

Already registered?

If you have already registered with Children's Promise don't forget to keep your contact details up to date. If you have moved house or changed your phone number or email address then let us know.

Email childrens.promise@london2012.com

"Why I fell out of the running"

A talented heptathlete who helped bring the Games to London told today how her hopes of competing at 2012 were derailed by poor facilities.

Jessica Manning, who went to Langdon School in Newham, was one of 30 youth ambassadors chosen to showcase the borough during the Olympic bid.

But her ambitions went off course last year when Ilford Athletic Club's Cricklefields track, off Ilford High Road, closed for repairs.

This quadrupled her journey to 15 miles, and she struggled to get from her East Ham home to Lee Valley Athletics Centre in Edmonton: "I ended up training less and less. If I'd had help with transport or travel costs I might still be on track. If 2012 leaves one legacy it should be that young athletes can get access to the best tracks and equipment so they can achieve their potential."

Now 19, Jessica lives in Canada with her family and will restart serious training when she goes to college next year. Her friends have launched a Facebook group called Jessica Manning To Take Part In 2012 Olympics.

(A close friend of mine)

Good or bad logo designed
by Wolf Ollins?

When you’re dealing with a graphic or logo design project, it’s vital to write a detailed design brief at the very beginning. There are two main reasons for this:

• Firstly, it ensures that you, as a business owner or in-house manager know exactly what you want to achieve from your project.
• Second, the brief acts as a point of reference for designers, giving them key points to focus on.

This means less time — therefore less money — is spent on the result. The crux of the matter is this: The more information you provide at the beginning of the project, the more value for money you’ll receive from your graphic / logo designer.

To help get you started, I’ve set out some pointers when writing your graphic design brief. Consider including your:

Corporate profile

Don’t assume that people know you well. Incorrect assumptions about you can render the entire opening discussion absolutely meaningless. Provide a summary of your business along with a brief history.

Market position

A realistic evaluation of your company, service, or brand relative to your what the competition is doing.

Current situation

Explain what’s happening to bring about the need for this project. For instance, a new product launch that needs advertising.

Communication background

This includes both previous and present communication activity, such as research, advertising, direct mail, graphic design, public relations etc.

Communication task — “the message”

What’s the context of the specific message in relation to your business plans?
Include pieces of information to be shown in the designed item e.g. text, logos, images etc.

Target market

Demographics — the age, gender, income, employment, geography, lifestyle of those you want to reach.

Objectives

What do you want to achieve? Make your objectives specific and the results measurable.

Available budget

Providing your budget tells the designer if it’s worth his / her time initiating the design process. I get a lot of requests for logo designs from people with only £100 / £200 allocated. It’s simply not feasible for me to spend the time involved for this amount of money.

Schedule and deadline

Give your designer a detailed and realistic schedule of how you would like the project to advance. Take the following into consideration:

• Consultation (research, strategy, brief development)
• Creative (concept and design development)
• Production (artwork, printing and other production)
• Delivery

If, as a designer, you’re dealing with a client who hasn’t produced a design brief, it’s important to have your own template that you can send them at the beginning.

This shows the client your professionalism and ultimately saves them time and money. I direct clients to my hire page, before any work begins, asking them to complete the logo design questionnaire and to ask if they’re unsure of anything.

Have you had experience of designing without a brief? Do you think there are any specific pointers that should be added above?

• Create a visual identity and communication method to encourage people to participate in sports and potentially lead into the 2012 Olympics.

• To encourage adults and young people to participate in sporting activities.

• To encourage people to frequently use leisure or fitness centres and the green environment.

• To convince the target audience to eat more healthily.

• To inform the audience as to which events could be in the 2012 Olympics.

• To become well recognised within the public eye (Vital as the Olympics has spent a lot of money and time)

• The brand will Promote the London 2012 Olympics which is only 3 years away. Allowing the time until then to be used to encourage people into participating in one or more sports. I want to be able to promote people into doing exercise and taking up a sport(s) as part of their daily lives. Facts show that participating in exercise for short periods of time, regularly, increases the length of your lifespan.

• Eating healthily for a longer life.

• Engaging sports with all ages.

• Slam dunk your fat saturated junk food and eat healthily.

• Promote events which could be present in the 2012 Olympics.

• Fun, inspirational, supportive and full of persuasion
  

• Informative with a humour involved

• Name
• Logo
• Typographic style
• Colour theme
• Promotional posters
• Promotional Video or advert (yet to be decided)
• Leaflets