MORE than 20 organisations have joined forces in Dorset to orchestrate the smooth running of the Sailing competition and associated events for the London 2012 Games.

A series of working groups in the county, collectively known as the Weymouth and Portland 2012 Operations Group, have the responsibilities of transport, visitors, culture, health and safety, communications, safety and security and volunteering.

Key contacts for each of the groups will be bringing insight to their activities through a weekly column in the Dorset Echo.

Here Duncan Flint, Dorset 2012 Communications Officer, reveals how the growing interest in the Games has sparked a lot of myths in the borough.

TO HELP put the London 2012 Games and the sailing events in Weymouth and Portland into perspective, here are some interesting numbers: Team GB sailing was ranked 1 in the Beijing Games with 6 Olympic medals (4 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze). London is the first city ever to host the games three times, holding them in 1908 and 1948.

London 2012 will stage 13 sailing classes (10 Olympic and 3 Paralympic) with 39 medals up for grabs.

London 2012 will have 20 days of sailing competition (14 Olympic, 6 Paralympic).

There are 26 Olympic sports and 20 Paralympic sports making up the London 2012 Games.

The London 2012 Games will take place in 36 competition venues, one of which is at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy, Osprey Quay, Portland.

There are 46 Days between the opening of Olympic and closing of the Paralympic Games.

The sailing competition area, known as the ‘field of play’ covers approx.’ 50sq km of sea. A total of 460 - 380 Olympic and 80 Paralympic - sailing athletes will compete in the London 2012 Games.

Up to 800 volunteers (called Weymouth & Portland Ambassadors) will be required to help locally during the summer of 2012.

7,500 Dorset school children have now gone through the sail for-a-fiver charity programme at the National Sailing Academy.

The free to view Live Site on Weymouth Beach will be able to accommodate up to 15,000 people / viewing / day in the summer of 2012.

500,000+ extra visitors are expected to come to Dorset, Weymouth & Portland during the summer of 2012.

£30million-plus is the estimated injection into the local economy during the 20 days of the London 2012 sailing events, taking into account visitor spend alone.

The potential global audience expected to watch the opening ceremony on July 27, 2012 is more than four billion.

The London 2012 Olympics will generate an estimated £10bn in revenue for the British economy as a whole.