London Mayor Boris Johnson on Tuesday started the countdown to the 2012 Olympics by unveiling a digital clock ticking down to the opening of a new showpiece gateway to the Games.On a visit to rain-soaked east London, Johnson drew back the curtains on a clock counting down from 912 days and nine hours until the new Stratford City development is due to open.
The site is to be a major shopping and leisure development due to open in 2011, the gateway to a newly-built Olympic Park and major plank of the regeneration of one of London's most deprived areas.
"Whatever impression people get from these pictures it is not raining in London for 94 percent of the time, exactly the same as Paris or Prague or other comparable cities," Johnson quipped.
The mayor was visiting to review progress at the Stratford City site.
Johnson is keen for the Games to trigger the regeneration of Stratford and leave a lasting legacy both for the area and British sport.
He has voiced concern about how the "weird constellation of huge objects" being built for the Games, such as the Olympic village and velodrome, would be used afterwards.
"I don't think the people of London have fully realised that we are not going to have to wait until after 2012 to get this legacy," he said.
"We have got the most stunning investment going into Stratford, 18,000 jobs are being created even before the Olympics open."
The development should eventually lead to 25,000 jobs being created.
Johnson has insisted that the London Olympics will come in under budget.
The estimated cost of the Games has risen from 3.4 billion pounds when it won the bid in 2005, to 9.3 billion pounds. The Beijing Olympics cost between 40 and 45 billion dollars.
Britain's most successful Olympic team for 100 years scooped 47 medals, including 19 golds, at the Beijing Games last month, raising expectations for London 2012.
The Olympic flag was handed over to Johnson during the Beijing closing ceremony.
