THE Olympics may still be more than a year away, but preparations are well underway as Dorset gets ready to host its share of activities.

With the Olympic torch visiting Bournemouth for a night as part of its journey around the UK, and Weymouth and Portland gearing up for the sailing events, the county really will be playing its part in the most momentous occasion of 2012.

The Olympic Flame is set to arrive from Greece next May with the relay kicking off in Land’s End, Cornwall, and continuing for 70 days until the opening ceremony of the Games on July 27. It will be in Weymouth and Portland on July 12, 2012 for an evening celebration event.

The next night, July 13, Bournemouth will be hosting a spectacular Evening Celebration as the torch overnights in the town – with a free programme of activities planned to showcase the best the resort has to offer.

The town is staging one of 66 Evening Celebrations throughout the UK confirmed by the London 2012 Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) as the flame travels an estimated 8,000 miles across the country.

The events mean thousands of people will be able to come together and get involved in celebration and share in the Olympic spirit.

“There are over 163,000 reasons why the Olympic Torch should come to Bournemouth,” said Cllr Peter Charon, leader of Bournemouth Borough Council. “Our residents. They help us welcome five million visitors to Bournemouth each year and have recently voted their hometown the happiest in the UK.

“We want to involve Bournemouth’s communities in staging a fabulous Evening Event and will be looking for inspiration from them on how to showcase the town’s amazing diversity and unique warmth – all in true Olympic spirit.”

Sebastian Coe, chairman of LOCOG, added: “We are thrilled that Bournemouth has agreed to host the Olympic Flame on its journey right across the UK.

“The Olympic Flame will shine a light right across the town, celebrating the culture and heritage of the area and showcasing the very best of Bournemouth.

“We have no doubt that the welcome Bournemouth Borough Council will provide will demonstrate how the spirit of the Olympic Games is reaching out across the UK and excitement builds as the start of the 2010 Games draws closer.”

Of course, Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour are playing an even bigger part in the 2012 Olympics, hosting the sailing and paralympic sailing events.

The venue was the first of those used to be completed and comprises the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy and the adjoining commercial marina.

It has kick-started the regeneration of the former Naval Air Station at Portland, now known as Osprey Quay, where new residential, commercial and marina facilities are already underway.

Weymouth and Portland provides some of the best natural sailing waters in the UK, with facilities on land to match and the site has already hosted numerous international sailing events, including the 2006 ISAF World Youth Championships attended by more than 60 nations.

Work to enhance the sailing facilities at the site has already been completed, with enhancements to the existing features including a new permanent 250m slipway and new lifting and mooring facilities.

The project was completed on budget and ahead of schedule, providing world-class facilities for elite athletes and the local community more than three years before the Games.

During the Olympics, spectators will be able to view the competition from a ticketed, onshore area, which will also have a video screen.

But the legacy of the 2012 Games will live on in Weymouth and Portland well after the events have finished, with the National Sailing Academy benefiting from the improved facilities for elite training, competition and local community use. In fact, this use has already started, with the venue hosting the Olympic Windsurfing discipline RS:X class World Championship in 2009.

The extensive events programme will also include hosting the IFDS (Paralympic Sailing) World Championship in 2011.