The Olympic rings will be made from aluminium with vinyl colouring and will be able to be seen from the English Channel, which played host to the sailing events last year and saw British sailors claim one gold and four silver medals, including an historic fourth gold medal for Sir Ben Ainslie.

Sir Ben and the rest of his Team GB Olympic and Paralympic teammates will have their names permanently etched into the special Portland stone carving which will be made from locally sourced stone which has been used in the construction of a number of well-known public buildings, including Buckingham Palace and St Paul's Cathedral.


"The Academy has entered a new phase in its evolution post Games, but as a 2012 venue the Olympics and Paralympics are still very much part of this sporting facility's DNA," said John Tweed, the WPSNA chief executive.

"It has been a long term vision of ours to ensure an onsite legacy at Weymouth and Portland.

"The world renowned rings offer such a strong visual representation of the Games; they will bring back wonderful memories from the summer of sport to both the local community and visitors."

The WPSNA was the first of the London 2012 venues to be completed when additional reclamation of the harbour, new slipways, construction of a breakwater and pontoons were finished in 2008.

It is hoped that the installation of the Olympic rings has been completed at the Dorset venue by the autumn.

In September last year, a set of Olympic rings made from local stone were moved from Weymouth railway station where they were on display for the duration of the Games, to a permanent location overlooking the WPSNA.

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