The opening of the 2012 London Olympic Games welcomed the top athletes from more than 200 countries from all around the world. This year's Olympics slogan - "inspire a generation" was reinforced by a group of seven young torchbearers lighting the Olympic flame.

As reported by the International University Sports Federation - FISU and some EUSA member federations, several of the participating athletes are students, actively participating at university sport events, held under the flag of FISU, EUSA or national university sports associations. Many delegations have former or current student-athletes on their rosters. 

In the Australian delegation, for instance, there are 150 student-athletes that will compete at the London Games, 38 of those having previously representing Australia on the international stage at either a World University Championship, Summer or Winter Universiade.

Australia is not an exception; many more delegations can boast former or current-student athletes among their competitors. Some numbers that reached our colleagues at FISU about the numbers of students previously participating in top university sports events: Poland 70, France 57, Hungary 49, Germany 40, Serbia 30, Mexico 26, Estonia and Lithuania 21, Switzerland and USA 17, Mongolia and Belgium 16, Kyrgyzstan and Portugal 14, Finland 10, Montenegro 8, The Netherlands 7, Morocco 4, Jamaica 2, Barbados and Mozambique 1 - while the host - United Kingdom - has 24.

Apart from the student participation at the Olympics, we are happy to stress that the Olympic Games also cooperated with the national university sports organisation in the UK - BUCS, and the individual universities throughout the preparation process of the event.

For more information about the 2012 Summer Olympics, please see www.london2012.com.