There’s plenty to tempt sport fans to Britain before the 2012 Olympics – London is one of the candidate cities – and there are few countries that can match it for famous sporting venues.
London's new Wembley Stadium, the “venue of legends”, is rising again as a new home for 21st century sport (Tel: +44 (0) 208 795 9000 www.wembleystadium.com). The stadium, with its iconic arch, an impressive addition to the capital’s skyline, is due to open in spring 2006 and will seat 90,000 people.

Nostalgic fans from all over the world will not be disappointed to hear that some the most significant artefacts from the old stadium, such as the royal box, have been preserved and will be on display in a museum. The new Wembley has a major role to play in London’s 2012 Olympic bid as the venue that will host the Olympic Football Finals.

In the meantime, you can gear up for all the Olympic action and experience Britain’s great sporting heritage by visiting many of the country's other famous sporting venues. As well as the sport on offer, many run regular tours and have museums.

Football, of course, is an obsession in Britain, and many of the other proposed 2012 Olympic Football Venues feature excellent visitor attractions. Old Trafford, home of Manchester United, is billed as “The Theatre of Dreams” and its museum and tour (Tel: +44 (0) 161 868 8631 www.manutd.co.uk) drips with glory and atmosphere and includes memorabilia relating to United’s dramatic European Cup victories in 1968 and 1999, as well as their many championships. Further north, over the Scottish border, lies Hampden Park in Glasgow, the oldest international ground still in use. It has had a multi-million pound facelift and houses the new Scottish National Museum of Football (Tel: +44 (0) 141 620 4000 www.hampdenpark.co.uk) which traces the history of the game in Scotland.

London’s 2012 Olympic bid was inspired by the success of Manchester’s Commonwealth Games in 2002 and the showpiece of the Games, the City of Manchester Stadium, now plays host to Manchester City Football Club and their army of 48,000 fans. The Manchester City Experience (Museum & Stadium Tour) (Tel: +44 (0) 870 062 1894 www.mcfc.co.uk) has already welcomed thousands of visitors since opening in 2004 and won an award for best new visitor attraction in the North-West.

As well as experiencing 130 years of the clubs history, visitors are invited to try their hand at being the next John Motson, Britain’s famous football commentator, relive the greatest moments on the Video Jukebox, or soak up the atmosphere with a behind-the-scenes tour of the City of Manchester Stadium.

At Deepdale, home of Preston North End, also in North-West England, is the National Football Museum (Tel: +44 (0) 1772 711600 www.nationalfootballmuseum.com). It’s housed at Preston in recognition of the club’s famous heritage as founder-members of the Football League and contains the FIFA football collection as well as items of national importance.

Rugby union was developed in Great Britain in the mid-19th century and was held at the Olympics in London in 1908. The sport could make a comeback in 2012, following the impact that England’s World Cup triumph in 2003 had on the nation. If this happens there would be plenty of world-class venues throughout the UK to host an Olympic rugby competition.

Situated in south-west London, Twickenham has been the home of English Rugby Union for ninety years, playing host to matches in the 1999 Rugby World Cup. Its stadium tour and Museum of Rugby, which currently houses the Webb Ellis World Cup Trophy (Tel: +44 (0) 208 892 8877 www.rfu.com), includes a visit to the inspiring dressing room and the players’ tunnel with plaques of every England victory, plus audio-visual presentations.

Back in Scotland, Murrayfield in Edinburgh boasted the world record Rugby Union crowd prior to the Rugby World Cup in 2003 of 104,000 in 1975. The stadium has its own tour (Tel: +44 (0) 131 3465000 www.scottishrugby.org)

It’s difficult to know which category of sport to put Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium into. It’s not just rugby union players, but footballers too, who can’t wait to play there! This superb arena in the centre of the Welsh capital hosted the 1999 Rugby Union World Cup Final in which Australia beat France, and has been the venue for the FA Cup Final each May whilst Wembley is rebuilt. The stadium has also been chosen as a venue for the Olympic football tournament in 2012, which would ensure that visitors to the UK for this event would experience more than one amazing capital city. You can see what makes the stadium sparkle on one of its tours (Tel: +44 (0) 292 0231 495 www.millenniumstadium.co.uk).

You might like your sport slightly less aggressive, in which case a certain home of tennis in the famous London suburb of SW19 could well be the place to go. Wimbledon hosts more than just an annual two-week international tennis extravaganza. It runs a year-round museum (Tel: +44 (0) 208 946 6131 www.wimbledon.org) which features the glittering championship trophies on display. Special guided tours take in the Centre and No.1 Courts, where visitors can imagine what players would feel like walking on to court for the Olympic finals in 2012.
Or if you prefer your sport on the water, then the Henley Royal Regatta (Tel: +44 (0) 1491 572 153 www.hrr.co.uk) might be just the way you want to spend a relaxing, social afternoon.

Henley is the oldest rowing regatta in Europe, started in 1839. The event has been held annually in July ever since. It takes place in one of the most beautiful towns in Oxfordshire, Henley-on-Thames and attracts the finest crews from around the world. Last year 110 crews entered from overseas. It is likely that some of these younger crews will go on to take part in the Olympics in 2012 where rowing would be held at another famously English place, Eton College founded in 1440 by King Henry VI (Tel: +44 (0) 1753 671177 www.etoncollege.com). The Colleges rowing centre at Dorney Lake is also the stage for the World Rowing Championships in 2006, so visitors can taste the atmosphere of a world class event here in advance.

Perhaps you would prefer a more active visit to Britain? For a small island, Britain boasts an incredibly diverse landscape offering the perfect opportunity to try a surprising array of activities. Even a short visit to Britain allows you to participate in your favourite Olympic sport, try new adventures in the countryside and push the boundaries of your endurance taking your mind, body and soul to their limits.

You can spend a day mountain biking through rugged terrain, enjoying spectacular views in coastal Cornwall, stopping at fish restaurants to sample deliciously fresh seafood, and the next day be on horseback gliding through misty moors, in the footsteps of Sherlock Holmes.
Or, if you prefer not to brave the elements, why not cycle at top speed round one of the fastest indoor tracks in the world? The National Cycling Centre, Manchester’s Velodrome, was built for the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and World Cup events (Tel: +44(0)161 223 2244 www.manchestervelodrome.com). For 2012 a new velodrome is planned for the Olympic Park in London.

You could also head for Wales, for some superb water sport action with canoeing and kayaking and lots more against a backdrop of captivating maritime heritage.

Those with stamina might enjoy brushing shoulders with the stars and joining thousands from all over the world in one of the many long distance runs that take place annually around Britain, like the London Marathon (Tel: +44 (0) 207 902 0200 www.london-marathon.co.uk) or one of the GreatRun events like the Great North Run in Newcastle Gateshaead (www.greatrun.org). Or why not combine running, cycling and swimming and try the fast-growing Olympic sport of Triathlon in London’s Docklands? (Tel: +44 (0) 20 7559 2929 www.thelondontriathlon.com)

If your passion is for a sport not on the list of 28 held at the Olympics then Britain has plenty more to offer.

If cricket’s your favourite, then there are some memorable experiences to be had at the country’s biggest venues. Lord’s in London, the ground renowned world-wide as cricket’s cathedral, now hosts “the grand tour” (Tel: +44 (0) 207 432 1033 www.lords.org). On it you can see the original Ashes fought over by England and Australia and visit the Long Room, which houses portraits of the game’s great personalities.

The British Golf Museum at St. Andrews in Scotland has a bit more history than most: 600 years’ worth! From the days when the game was first played here on a track cut through heather, the Old Course in Fife has been the world’s most charismatic and its museum reflects this with a superb display of golfing artefacts from medieval times to the present (Tel: +44 (0) 1334 478 880 www.britishgolfmuseum.co.uk).

For lovers of the Sport of Kings – horse racing - a visit to Aintree in Liverpool is high on the 'must-do' list. Home of the world’s most famous steeplechase, the race is celebrated with the Grand National Experience (open May to October. (Tel: +44 (0) 151 522 2921 www.aintree.co.uk) in which visitors can enjoy a virtual reality ride and tour the course, visiting the weighing room, stables and winners’ enclosure.

Finally, if you prefer your thrills to come on four wheels rather than four legs, there's Silverstone, the home of the British Grand Prix. Its group tours take in the media and medical centres, race control and paddock (Tel: +44 (0) 1327 320387 www.silverstone-circuit.co.uk).

As Britain looks forward to the 2012 Olympics, visitors from around the world can anticipate a warm welcome whenever they come, whether it’s to the nation’s great sporting occassions, to see the country’s cathedrals of sport or participate in sporting activities.

"Wembley Stadium is one of the most exciting construction projects in Britain today and when it opens in 2006 it will be the best stadium in the world. This project is a great example of the UK's commitment to sport and world-class events and serves as an example of our ability to deliver large-scale infrastructure projects on time and on budget. The expertise and knowledge from the Wembley Stadium project will ensure that London 2012 takes forward vital knowledge in the management of major projects as it prepares to start work on the new Olympic Park which, like Wembley Stadium, will take the athlete and spectator experience to new levels."