Archbishop Desmond Tutu visited the London 2012 Olympic Park site this week, meeting school children, workers and locals from the event's five host boroughs.
The South African Nobel Prize winner was in the capital to participate in the first ever London 2012 Diversity and Inclusion speaker programme.
Commenting on the east London Olympic tour, the archbishop said: "I spent part of my time first as a student at King's College here in London and later at the World Council of Churches.
"It is very exciting today to see how the Games are a catalyst for change in this part of London and how they will deliver a lasting social, economic and sporting legacy."
He added that the 2012 Olympics are an ideal opportunity to celebrate the capital's rich diversity and social inclusion.
The iconic human rights activist and cleric received worldwide renown in the 80s as an influential opponent to apartheid in South Africa.
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