Fields of gold where Olympic hopes of glory will blossom

An Olympic riverbank meadow is achieving gold already, two years before London 2012.

Wildflower experts from Sheffield University have designed the late-flowering annual and perennial meadows, surrounding the London Olympic Stadium, to be in bloom with cornflowers, marigolds, Californian poppies and prairie flowers throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games being held in July and August.

Lord Coe, chairman of the London 2012 organising committee, said: "I'm delighted athletes will now be able to put in gold medal-winning performances in a golden park."

Nigel Dunnett of the University of Sheffield said: "To achieve this beautiful blend of colours at exactly the right time is no mean feat."

Olympic Delivery Authority chief executive David Higgins added: "The wildflower meadows, wetlands, woods and lawns in the Olympic Park will provide a green and colourful setting in 2012 and a new great park for people and wildlife after the Games.

"With two years until the Games, the parklands are already taking shape and the site is going from brown to green, with meadows blooming, hundreds of trees and thousands of wetland plants being planted."