Olympics minister visits county

Tessa Jowell was given a tour behind the scenes at Oxford Archaeology

The Olympics Minister has been in Oxford to see how businesses and sports are capitalising on the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Tessa Jowell visited Oxford Archaeology which was contracted to conduct an investigation into the London 2012 rowing venue at Eton Dorney Lake.

Ms Jowell also met the President of the Oxford Boat Race crew at the Iffley Road Sports Complex.

The venue has been listed as a potential pre-Games Training Camp.

Oxford Archaeology, at Osney Mead, won its contract from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) after registering on the CompeteFor brokerage service which matches companies to opportunities supplying London 2012 contractors.

The visit coincided with the International Olympic Committee's two-day visit to London to see how preparations for the Games are progressing.

£1.7bn contracts

Tessa Jowell said: "The 2012 Games are a key part of the Government's economic recovery plan providing jobs, training, and billions of pounds worth of contracts for UK firms.

"Oxford Archaeology is a perfect example of the vital role that businesses all over the country are playing in delivering the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

"They are providing a highly specialised service in the development of the Weymouth Sailing venue but also the Eton Dorny Lake venue by making sure archaeological heritage is properly addressed and curated."

To date 172 businesses registered in the South East have won work directly supplying the ODA.

Organisers of the London 2012 Games recently announced that there is still approximately £1.7bn worth of Olympic contracts to be won in sectors such as technology, security, ceremony delivery, facilities management, design and temporary construction.

So far £5bn worth of contracts have already been directly procured by the ODA, nearly all of which have gone to UK firms, half of them based outside of London and more than two-thirds of which are small to medium sized enterprises.