I have just got back from Vancouver and the captivating 2010 Winter Olympics. Such was the affect it had on me I’ve promised myself I will do my best to attend all future Olympics - Summer and Winter. Good job I won't have to travel far to attend the next one!

If - like me before my trip to Canada - you have not experienced the Games first hand, they’re not kidding when they say, "It’s the greatest show on earth". Sure, the Canadian public were critical of hosting the event but this all changed in the few weeks building up to it. 

A gloomy start to the event with the tragic death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili and some organisational and meteorological glitches could have spelled disaster. However the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and VANOC ensured that the show went on and went on in style.

It took a couple of days before the home team took their first ever Gold medal in a home Games - thanks to Alexandre Bilodeau in the men’s moguls - but the streets of Vancouver and Whistler were already bursting with excitement. The red mittens, which only a few months ago were regarded as a bit of a gimmick, were worn by seemingly everyone in British Columbia. For $10 (£6.50), half of which went to help support Canada's athletes, bought you a pair which are surely going to be cherished for years to come. 

The Olympic Superstore ran out of adult sizes weeks before the first competitors arrived. In total, an amazing more than three million were sold and even Jacques Rogge (pictured), the IOC President, wore them.

Something so simple yet so publicly engaging. They brought the whole of Canada together and lit the touch paper for tremendous sales in other Olympic merchandise with locals and visitors queuing for hours at the official store - the Hudson Bay Company - just to get some Team Canada apparel.

So there was no shortage of Olympic spirit in BC and Vancouver became an amazing party town day and night. The streets were teeming. 

The bars were full from 10am until late into the following morning. Blue coated volunteers greeted every stranger with a warm smile and able assistance. The Games would not have run so smoothly without them. 

The organisers had a stroke of genius with their "live sites" dotted all over downtown Vancouver. It was simply impossible to miss any of the coverage which was delivered brilliantly by CTV. 

The other thing that struck me was this Olympics captivated people of all ages like no other event I have attended or indeed viewed from the comfort of my living room. This alone created a special atmosphere.

What’s more every nation was represented and catered for so effectively that Vancouver became a home away from home for visitors. Koreans, Finns, Slovakians, Russians, Brits all wore their flags with pride and were welcomed with open arms by their hosts. In short, Canada impressed the world.

It’s hard to say whether the incredible atmosphere pushed the athletes of the host nation to a record gold medal haul or their success added to the daily excitement. My gut feeling is that both had an affect on each other. Nonetheless, for me, these two elements were the major ingredients in making the 2010 Winter Olympics the success that it was. And not just for Canada; for the watching and visiting world. The memories will live long.

So it’s all eyes on London now. Yes, there’s the small matter of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, which is sure to create interest as it always does but then the world’s sporting attention will truly turn to us. What a responsibility. What a challenge. What an honour!

I wouldn’t suggest that the task of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games is a simple one but we can make it a lot easier if we can create those two key elements; sporting success and captivating the imagination of the nation. Financial and practical support of our athletes and sports is critical to achieving a good medal haul and we will continue to look to the National Lottery and UK Sport and corporate sponsors to provide this. Now all we have to do is find our own version of Vancouver's "red mittens".

If we can do that, as well as the sports facilities, the legacy from London will be an emotional one.

Karim Bashir is a former British international fencer who is the founder and managing director of Catch Sport, an online sponsorship brokering service which is free to use for athletes from all sports. For more details click here.