London 2012 Olympics: Britain will be the winner from inspirational Games For Britain, this ought to be a moment of intense pride. Yet ever since the idea of a London Olympics in 2012 was first floated, more than a decade ago, the project has been dogged by criticism and complaint (two things at which this country is, as Jim White points out on page 23, indisputably world-class). It took a concerted campaign by supporters of the Games - including this newspaper, and especially our then sports editor, the late David Welch - to persuade the government to take the British Olympic Association seriously. Even then, Tony Blair had to browbeat his wavering ministers into supporting the bid wholeheartedly. Such fears were not, of course, irrational. For those living in the capital, it certainly will be awkward to get from place to place for the duration of the Games; and the G4S debacle was a failure of planning and preparation. Yet as Lord Coe, the head of the organising committee Locog, argued yesterday on the Today programme, an Olympics is a vastly complex operation, involving thousands of separate contracts. The shock is not that something has gone wrong, but that so little has. Will the same happen in London? The British gift for cynicism has already led the foreign press to characterise the city as underwhelmed by the Games, or even actively hostile. But how to reconcile that with the thousands of people who have turned out to cheer on the Olympic torch on its journey? The great mass of the population are, we suspect, pleased and proud that the Games will be coming back to London, and that we, as a country, can show ourselves to the world at our best. To be the first city to host the Olympics three times is a high honour, but it is one that is entirely deserved. For one thing, Britain is the nation that essentially created competitive sport as we know it, codifying the rules of what are now the world's favourite pastimes and proselytising for them in nations near and far. And London is perhaps the ultimate Olympic city: the most truly global and cosmopolitan metropolis on the planet. In recent decades, it has attracted the best and brightest from hundreds of countries, helping to enrich Britain's economy and its culture. Now, we are welcoming their sporting icons, too. Then there is the impact that the Games will have. One of the sticking points for the critics has been the disruption to transport: why, they ask, are the Olympics sprawling all over the capital, rather than being confined to the East End? Yet the incorporation of London's historic sporting venues - Lord's, Wembley, Wimbledon - as well as many notable landmarks will show Britain off at its best, reminding those millions of spectators of our distinguished sporting heritage. As for the Olympic Park, it is a standing reproof to those who say the Games accomplish nothing: in a transformation to equal that seen in nearby Docklands, a vast area of contaminated wasteland has become a neighbourhood of stunning natural and man-made beauty. These, then, are the great benefits of hosting the Games: the improvement it has brought to the capital's infrastructure, the global advertisement it will provide for our country, even the pleasure it will bring to those watching. And let us not forget the effect it will have on the athletes themselves - those now-obscure sailors and cyclists and runners and riders, who will have the chance to prove their worth to the nation and to the world. To the Rebecca Adlingtons and Sir Chris Hoys and Mo Farahs and Dai Greenes will be added new names, new icons, new reminders that Britain is a nation that competes - and often wins - at the highest level. There is still scope for things to go wrong - for logistical failures, or for the suffocation of Londoners" passion and goodwill by overzealous jobsworths. Managing security risks will require constant vigilance. But as we await this magnificent, once-in-a-lifetime event, it is time to appreciate the sheer magnitude of what Lord Coe and his colleagues have accomplished - and above all, to prepare to be inspired.