The 34-year-old from Nottingham carried the flag for England at the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games last October and has experienced three Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Sydney in 2000, in Athens in 2004 and in Beijing in 2008.

His comments come after UK Athletics' head coach Charles van Commenee announced last week that he has imposed a blanket ban on the track and field team taking part in the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony.

The Games are due to open next year on July 27, a week before the athletics event begins on August 3, but van Commenee believes it would be counterproductive for the athletes to attend the event just days before the biggest competition of their lives.

However Robertson, who memorably claimed Olympic silver in Athens in the mixed doubles with Gail Emms, believes that missing the Opening Ceremony means that athletes risk missing out on some of the most special moments of the Olympics.

"If you have the opportunity to go to an Opening Ceremony and you don't think it will affect your performance, then it is an experience so amazing that you can't really explain it," Robertson told insidethegames.

"I was obviously fortunate enough to carry the England Flag at the Opening Ceremony at the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games and that was one of the best moments of my career.

"It is a long process and obviously there is a fair but of waiting around but I think that if you want to experience the full Olympics, you have to be at the Opening Ceremony because there is nothing quite like it.

"I know there are bans in place for athletes and that is fair enough but having the chance to go to an Olympic Games Opening Ceremony is a once in a life time event so if an athlete had the choice, I would definitely advise them to be there."

Sport and Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson though, admits that he supports the stance of van Commenee as he wants to see British athletes' perform to the best of their ability at London 2012.

"What I try and do as Minister for Sport and the Olympics is to influence the whole of the backdrop but I don't take focused decisions," he told insidethegames.

"My guess regarding the ban is that it is driven by the fact that the Opening Ceremony is quite long and involves long periods of walking around and so forth.

"So for athletes competing in the early heats, I can sort of see the logic.

"What I really want to see at London 2012 is Britain win as many gold medals as possible and I rely on people like Charles van Commenee to decide the best way to deliver those gold medals.

"If he decides that this is the best way to do it, then that is a decision for him and I will not second guess that.

"I'm certainly not going to order athletes to appear against his instructions because he knows the best plan of action to get British athletes medals at London 2012."

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