To mark one year until the greatest show on earth ― the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics ― the British Embassy and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation held an event July 27 in the Olympic Park in Seoul to countdown to the London Games.

British Charge d’Affaires Andrew Dalgleish, unveiled a One Year to Go Omega countdown clock in the Seoul Olympic Museum. 

World-class British and Korean taekwondo athletes who hope to compete in London 2012 were present to mark the launch.

“Taekwondo is an increasingly popular professional sport in the U.K. with Team GB winning a number of medals in world championships,” said Dalgleish.

At the event, guests were able to speak to members of the Team GB taekwondo squad and watch a demonstration from the youth team of the Korea Taekwondo Association.

“The London Games will be a show to remember,” he said. “Since I arrived here in Korea I’ve been struck by our shared love of sport, be it football, athletics or ice skating, and today we saw that this extends to taekwondo.”

Gary Hall, the performance director of British Taekwondo team said that British team has made real progress during this current Olympic cycle, in the lead up to London 2012.

“We have been consistently medaling at international competitions around the world, notably at the European Championships in 2010 and this year, in Gyeongju, at the World Championships,” Hall said.

He added that the British team’s camps and competitions in Korea are a key part of their preparations and will help in the short-term as they prepare for the British Open in October.

Over recent years GB Taekwondo, the Manchester Metropolitan University and the Korea National Sports University have created a strong partnership that enables active exchanges.

By Yoav Cerralbo (yoav@heraldcorp.com)