THE STATUE of a Greek goddess will be unveiled in Woolwich by Olympian Jonathan Edwards to mark the close of Olympic festivities.

As London bids farewell to the Olympic games, a four-metre-high sculpture of the Ancient Greek Goddess of victory Nike will find a new home in front of the Dial Arch on the Woolwich Arsenal riverside on Sunday.

Greenwich was picked to receive the gift which the Ancient City of Olympia presents to each host city of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The ceremony will begin at 11.15am on the final day of the Paralympics and will be followed by free music and entertainment in General Gordon Square until 8pm.

Leader of Greenwich Council Cllr Roberts said: “Royal Greenwich is proud and honoured to receive this sculpture, on behalf of London, from the ancient city of Olympia.

“In Greenwich, and in London as a whole, the opportunity to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games has been welcomed wholeheartedly by the community, and as they draw to a close it is clear that the Games have indeed lived up to their promise of inspiring future generations.

“The feats of sporting excellence from athletes across the globe have been an inspiration for us all, and we have been honoured to witness the Olympic and Paralympic spirit and ideals being lived out in our own city over these past six weeks.

“The arrival of Nike in the Royal Arsenal is an important contribution to the cultural legacy of these Games. Her siting here is a fitting encounter between the old and the new, with this ancient Goddess now taking her place in a site that represents the kind of regenerated modern urban community that London’s civic leaders are keen to build.”