If you were in two minds as to whether the Church of England should 'get into the spirit' of the 2012 London Olympics (27th July to 12th August, Paralympics 29th August to 9th September), take a look at the facts.
A total of 26 sports in 38 disciplines (20 sports and 21 disciplines for Paralympics) will gather millions of people to three arenas in the Olympic Park in Stratford in East London and other venues, such as Wimbledon, Wembley Stadium and the O2 - some 9.2 million tickets will be made available.
Many millions more will watch the Olympics on television or the Internet.
The Olympic Torch Relay route has been planned so that the Flame will come within 10 miles of 95 per cent of people in the UK; the venues for evening celebrations and the communities on the route have now been confirmed.
Given the Games will have a national impact, every parish in every diocese has the chance to engage with this unique event, through the shared values of faith and sport.
These pages aim to encourage you to do just that - and to keep you up to date with the latest information from around the dioceses on how the Olympics are being turned into a mission opportunity.