Cultural Olympiad is up and running

He will kickstart the four-year Cultural Olympiad of arts events culminating in the 2012 London Games by joining the band of runners currently taking part in artist Martin Creed's Work No850 at Tate Britain.

Other athletes will join him in replacing the usual recruits who have contributed to the artwork by running through the gallery at regular intervals since July.

The special Olympics Hour will be a dramatic start to an Open Weekend of 500 events across the country.

The programme, from 26 - 28 September, will include the chance to see hidden treasures from the stores of the Tate and the Victoria and Albert Museum and the first performances - on the South Bank, the Barbican and the Artsdepot in Finchley - of a special youth choir formed for the Games.

Open Rehearsal, the Greater London Authority's annual invitation to the public to look behind the scenes of arts organisations from the Royal Opera to the Royal Court, has a special extended programme for the launch.

Four years of arts events, organised on the principles of the original Games that promoted culture alongside sporting prowess, will follow.

Details were being unveiled today by Lord Coe, chairman of Games organisers Locog, Jude Kelly, chairman of culture, ceremonies and education, and Bill Morris, the director of culture.

After concerns from the arts world about who would pay for the Olympiad, the team said £40 million had been earmarked so far. This includes £9 million committed last year by the Youth Music foundation and a £5 million contribution from the Government's Legacy Trust - set up to create a "legacy" for the 2012 Olympics.

Locog today announced an £8million contribution, having previously promised "modest" seed funding.

Organisers are beginning to supply the fine print to the arts commitments that were an official part of London's bid for the Games three years ago.

The Royal Shakespeare Company is entering an unprecedented collaboration with the Globe and the National Theatre to deliver the promised Shakespeare festival.

Twelve new works of public art will also be created across the country in a £7 million scheme called "artists taking the lead".

The programme of arts events will culminate in 2012 with a series of free performances at landmarks along the Thames.

Lord Coe said the eyes of the world were on London now. The intention was to create an Olympics under the principle of "Everyone's 2012", with the Cultural Olympiad being the first step. "We want it to include everyone and particularly reach out to young, creative people all over Britain and leave a human legacy of skills, confidence and stunning new talent," he was due to say.

"For artists and sports people alike, success often means staking everything on hopes and dreams and the determination to give your all towards lifelong goals.

"It takes commitment, training and grit, with years of preparation sometimes focused on a single event in the full glare of public judgment. Yet for those with the courage, there is no greater thrill and elation when it pays off."

The Olympics had shown the inspirational power of sport and that could be extended to culture, he said.