The last line of Tennyson's poem Ulysses, "To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield" were nominated by the public and chosen by a panel which included Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy and author Sebastian Faulks.

Tennyson's words will be seen daily by the athletes and officials living and working in the Village during the summer of 2012.

After the Games, the Village will be converted into new housing with a school, healthcare facilities and parklands and the inscribed wall will be a part of the lasting legacy for residents and the wider community.

Sarah Weir, head of Arts and Cultural Strategy at the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), said: "The panel of judges deliberated the public's nominations until we whittled it down to the final line from Ulysses by Alfred Lord Tennyson.

"These are words we felt could be an inspiration for the athletes preparing for their Olympic and Paralympic moments in 2012 and equally for the future residents, generations of pupils at the school and all the thousands of visitors to the Olympic Park after the Games."

Sebastian Coe, the chairman of London 2012, said: "Competing at an Olympic and Paralympic Games is the pinnacle of an athlete's career.

"We are committed to providing an environment that helps them deliver the performance of a lifetime for London 2012.

"These poems will not only contribute to the inspiring environment we are creating for the athletes, but also for the generations of families who will live in the Park after the Games."


Tennyson was Britain's Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign and he is the second most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations after William Shakespeare.

Other famous lines of his include "Tis better to have loved and lost/Than never to have loved at all" and "Theirs not to reason why,/Theirs but to do and die."

The project is part of "Winning Words" - an initiative conceived by William Sieghart, founder of National Poetry Day, to incorporate poetry into the 2012 Games.

Other commissions include a new poem called "Spark Catchers" by Lemn Sissay which will be etched into a wooden structure in the north of the Olympic Park.

Inspired by the history of the site, Sissay has written about the history of the Bryant and May match factory which still exists on the edge of the Park in Bow. 

Further poems are expected to be chosen for other Olympic Park locations over the coming year.

Sieghart said: "It has been exciting to see the response to the Winning Words poetry call-to-arms with inspiring nominations including both traditional and contemporary poets.

"Tennyson is a powerful choice for the Olympic Village and we look forward to announcing more locations of poetry within the Olympic Park.

"A huge thank you to the panel for their deliberation and to the ODA and LOCOG for recognising the power of poetry to motivate and rouse people."