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Australians are watching closely as London counts down to the start of the Olympics and are asking themselves if it will steal the title "best Games ever" - which they are largely credited with holding onto for the last 12 years.
The phrase was used at the end of the Sydney Games by the then-International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch.
Sydney residents are following news reports from the UK about the failure of security contractor G4S to provide enough staff, are aware of transport and industrial action concerns and of course have noted the lack of sunshine in recent weeks as final preparations get under way.
Graham Richardson, who was heavily involved in the planning of the Sydney Games and mayor of the athletes' village, told Sky News that issues in the days running up to the opening ceremony can be ironed out in time.
He recalled Sydney had its fair share of concerns as the Olympics got close, including a crisis with the contractor providing the buses.
"Things got so serious that the staff at the athletes' village couldn't get home at night and the athletes couldn't get anywhere - it was becoming a complete mess," he said.
"One week before the Games began we had to do an entire (new) transport plan... it was only really one day before the Olympics that it was working."
Even the current International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge has commented on the problems Sydney faced.
"Just before the very successful Sydney Games we had the bankruptcy of the company that was to deliver the buses. Overnight the organising committee found more than 300 buses to cover the shortfall," he said.
"Other issues come up in other Games.
"I think and I hope London is going to be successful. There has been a good preparation, in spite of the problems of the security."
Sydney radio presenter Murray Olds, who has reported from the last four Olympics and will in be in the UK for the London Games, recalled the negativity from many Australians in the days leading up to the start of the event.
"People were very worried. We had all sorts of naysayers saying 'it's going to be terrible'. They were getting out of town, they were flying to Fiji, flying to New Zealand, doing anything to get away from the 'chaos' of Sydney.
"There were issues, there is nothing that size that is going to go 100% smoothly, but it's going to be alright on the night. That was the experience of Sydney and I bet it's the same in London."
As well as trying to overcome public complacency in the build up, organisers also were hit by a ticketing fiasco, with the public misled about the number of best seats reserved for high profile figures and corporations.
In the end though it all came good for Sydney and, despite the huge sporting rivalry between Australia and Britain, Graham Richardson was happy to offer some advice for London's organisers.
"Remain calm, take three deep breaths, go and have a pint, and turn up on the day," he said.
