Britain's Foreign Office should set up a special unit ahead of the 2012 Olympics to rebuff or correct negative stories which could damage the country's reputation, lawmakers said on Sunday. It should also try to cash in on the Games in London by simultaneously running a major trade event, the foreign affairs committee said.
It expressed concern that the Foreign Office's overall message was ill-defined and that Britain should be promoted as a "diverse, inclusive and friendly country. Or in a word...generous". The Foreign Office (FCO) should also push London's status as the only city to have hosted the Games three times - in 1908, 1948 and now 2012.
"The FCO will have a responsibility for seeking to influence overseas perceptions of any problems that arise," the committee said in its report "FCO Public Diplomacy: The Olympics". About 25,000 journalists will attend the Games and four billion people will be watching on their televisions.
The Olympics can boost a country's profile, as was the case with Sydney when it hosted the 2000 Olympics, but there is a greater risk of a disastrous Games damaging a country's reputation.
In its evidence, the FCO recognised the Games can help with Britain's security, and said it would use the event to promote a message of tolerance and moderation in strategically important countries.
The Pakistan cricketer and England spin coach Mushtaq Ahmed is among others who will feature in a series of short films online talking about what Britain has meant to them.
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