A day of celebrating and exploring the opportunities offered by the London 2012 Olympics has been hosted at the University.

Students, staff and partners at Leeds Met welcomed Paul Deighton, chief executive of the London Organising Committee for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), when he arrived at Headingley Campus to discuss the influence of the 2012 Olympics within Yorkshire.

The region's ambitions for the games are couched within Yorkshire Gold, the strategy with which Yorkshire and Humber will explore benefits surrounding London 2012.

The University also hosted numerous sporting activities throughout the day. These included a schools partnerships sports competition, a Yorkshire Gold business lunch, a medal presentation by paralympic athlete David Stone, who won cycling gold at the Beijing Paralympics, and creative workshops for students.

There were also performances showcasing young talent with the region's internationally renowned arts companies including Opera North and Northern Ballet, and special guests Strike and Feeding the Fish, who fuse technical juggling, dance and object manipulation to provide a dazzling light show.

Organisers believed Leeds Met was the perfect venue for the Yorkshire Gold event, having acquired the status as the home of the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence in sport and disability sport earlier this year.