The 55-year-old from Ayr has been to the last three Olympics as part of Team GB and hopes having the Games in London can help with improving canoeing popularity.

"In my opinion this is the best canoe slalom white water facility in the world. We have been training here since January 2011 and it is technically more challenging than any other course in the UK," Anderson said.

"I see it (the Olympics) as a great opportunity to showcase this facility. It will be an iconic venue for the Games and for our athletes to compete at home in front of a British public, we will put on a great show."

But it is important that locations such as Lee Valley White Water Centre do not stagnate following the Games and with the 2015 World Championships already confirmed for the Hertfordshire venue Anderson wants to see the centre continue to build the sport in Britain.

Facility

"What we really needed in the UK was a facility like this and winning that London Olympic Games provided that to us, so this course means everything to us," he said.

"It is also then about legacy. It is to show how talented our athletes are here to inspire the next generation and this facility, just on the doorstep of London, I believe will become a hotbed for future talent in our sport.

"(It was) Absolutely crucial to get the 2015 World Championships on the back of the London Games and really ensures that we will have a vibrant canoeing community here."

The Olympics selection event for Team GB takes place next week and with only one boat entered into each class the squad will be significantly trimmed before the tournament begins.

But Anderson believes teamwork between then and now remains crucial if Team GB are to continue their international success in the sport.

Culture

"We have a great culture of canoe slalom in the UK you look back to Richard Fox, a six-time world champion, we've got many, many world champions and Olympic medalists in the sport." he said

"It is about our culture and these athletes want to be in the Olympic boat and be the Olympic athlete but they do collectively and collectively working we do raise the standard of the whole team."

With Lee Valley replacing an older facility in Nottingham as the leading British venue for canoe slalom Anderson is keen to source talent from the local area in the hunt for future Olympians.

He said: "Something I'm very keen on doing after the Games is some talent identifying locally. It is something we have done in canoe sprint before and really get the whole community inspired.

"(I want to) Provide opportunities for youngsters to get into canoe slalom and then build up a canoe club here and eventually a pathway into our squad.

"So not just having the best in the UK but a whole vertical structure and I'd like to think in 2020, or maybe 2024, the Olympic boats are full of athletes who don't live far away from Lee Valley."