The county and the region are ideally placed to claim their share of the £6 billion worth of business contracts on offer as well as the estimated £2.1 billion tourism dividend expected as a result of the Games, she told businesses, sports people and cultural leaders from across the county in Norwich.
At the meeting with 2012 stakeholders, at Norwich City football ground, the minister heard about the region's plans to capitalise on the Games, including increasing the number of international and business tourists by three per cent a year between 2009 and 2015; ensuring businesses in the East of England win between five and 10 per cent of the value of contracts from the 2012 Games and use London 2012 to raise participation in culture and sporting activity.
The minister also met potential young athletes of the future during a visit to Notre Dame High School, Norwich. The school is a strong promoter of sporting excellence and equality in sport, recently competing in the Disability Games.
Tessa Jowell, Minister for the Olympics, said:
"Every part of the country has something to be gained from London hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. I want to make sure that every region does what it can to make the most of this once in a lifetime opportunity.
"The East of England, with two Olympic venues in Essex and Hertfordshire, has big ambitions for London 2012 and am I delighted that so many projects are already underway to get the region involved with the Games, contributing to its success and reaping a real dividend from the Games being in Britain.
"With five sports facilities in Norfolk meeting the tough criteria set for inclusion in the official guide to pre-Games training camps for 2012, the county has a real chance to experience the spirit of the Games right on its doorstep."
Daniel Cox, Leader of Norfolk County Council said:
"Norfolk is determined to play a significant part in the success of London 2012, either by fostering our home grown talent, through our very successful sports and cultural foundation to support rising talent, or through our Build Norfolk initiative to grow small and medium sized construction companies to ensure they grasp the sizeable opportunities which the Olympics present."
Tessa Jowell also visited the BBC Big Screen in Norwich which was the focus of the city's celebrations marking the handover ceremony at the close of the Beijing 2008 Games.
