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Former Prime Minister Tony Blair insisted that preparations for the 2012 Olympics in London are ahead of schedule.

Blair helped win the bid when he was in office and is confident the organisers will deliver a successful Games in three years time.

"They're ahead of schedule on most of the building which is incredible at this stage and the preparations are going extremely well," Blair told BBC Five Live's Sportsweek programme.

"If you take where most bids have got to at this stage they have done a remarkable job. The delivery of the infrastructure and the stadiums has been done superbly."

He believes London would still have bid for the Games even in the current economic downturn.

"It would be crazy not to," said Blair. "The commercial and business spin-off is enormous. Look at the last two Olympics, Athens and Beijing. Both cities have been transformed and both countries benefited enormously.

"For me if you can get the Olympics as a country these days it is a complete no-brainer. Do it.

"The legacy will be in the facilities created but it will be phenomenal in generating interest in sport among young people. I am a passionate believer that sport is a great social policy as well as great fun."

Blair, however, could not guarantee that the Games would not exceed the 9.3 billion pound budget, nearly four times the estimate when London's bid succeeded four years ago.

He said: "I'm not the right person to be asking about that. I honestly don't know. But it's not the single most important thing. The fact is it is an investment worth making.

"When the Olympics happens, for those weeks and in the run-up it is the major event in the world. There is no doubt at all it is going to be worth London's while to have hosted the Olympics which is why there is such strong competition now for any Olympic bid."

AFP