London 2012 Olympic Games gold medal hope Paddy Barnes will be a guest at the launch of the Olympic Rings at Belfast’s City Hall on Saturday, May 19.

The light-flyweight star, a record-breaking Irish elite champion and bronze medal winner in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, has already started his countdown to the London showcase.

He said: “It’s great for the city that the Olympic Games fever is starting to build – you can feel the excitement in the air. I am going there with the aim of winning gold and bringing it back to Belfast and all of Ireland.”

The Olympic Torch Relay arrives in Belfast on Wednesday 6 June, with a free outdoor event to mark the occasion taking place at the City Hall that evening.