The one-year countdown to the Olympics is on – and Leicestershire is celebrating in style at the weekend.
Events are taking place across the county tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday to build up the buzz ahead of London 2012.
While sports venues across the city are hosting free taster sessions in Olympic sports such as athletics, tennis, gymnastics and basketball, an array of other activities will be taking place in the county.
The celebrations kick-off at Loughborough College's Radmoor Centre Sports Hall tomorrow, when visitors can see the original torch from the 1948 London Olympics and meet track cyclist Tommy Godwin, who won two bronze medals at the Games.
The celebrations have been organised by the Inspire LeicesterShire 2012 Games Legacy team as part of dozens of events taking place up and down the country to mark the official London 2012 open weekend.
Inspire LeicesterShire 2012 Games legacy co-ordinator Dan Mitchinson said: "The aim is to get people involved in culture and sport and ram up the momentum ahead of the Games.
"There's a whole range of different sporting activities taking place and the idea is to encourage people to get fit and active, using the Games as inspiration.
"There are cultural events as well – there's about 40 different things happening."
Venues including the Aylestone, Braunstone, Cossington Street, Evington, Leicester Leys and Spence Street leisure centres and Knighton, Victoria and Western parks are all taking part, along with Gateway College, in Hamilton, Knighton Tennis Centre, Saffron Lane athletics stadium and St Margaret's Pastures Sports Centre.
Free taster sessions in sports including basketball, boxing, table tennis, athletics, gymnastics, wheelchair basketball, tennis and football will be on offer.
Surj Virk, sports regeneration manager at the city council, said: "We're celebrating a year to go until the Olympics.
"It's a great opportunity to get the community together participating in sport and getting in the mood to celebrate 2012.
"Having the Olympics here is a great opportunity for the country to showcase the sporting talent there is here. It's not often a country gets to host an event like this so we need to make the most of it."
There will also be a wide range of events across the county including the Blaby Cultural Festival, a Battle of Bosworth guided walk and sports sessions in north west Leicestershire.
The Leicester Outdoor Pursuits Centre, in Belgrave, is also holding an open day.
Centre manager Ed Sibson said: "We are pleased to be able to lay on an open day to help celebrate one year until the Games begin."
Cyclists will be able to take part in a mass ride at Watermead Park on Sunday.
Leicestershire County Council environment spokesman Lesley Pendleton said: "Cycling was one of Britain's strongest sports in the last Olympics and we hope this event will encourage residents to get on their bikes."
For more information, visit: www.inspireleics.org.uk/openweekend