TONIGHT’S official Olympic Opening Ceremony will see Portland ’s 470 contenders Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell parading proudly alongside their fellow Team GB athletes in London.

While the majority of the 16-strong British Sailing Team will be celebrating the start of the home Games with the revellers on Weymouth Beach, four local stars will be representing the borough in the capital.

Patience and Bithell, together with Weymouth’s 470 Girls Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark , are able to join in with the official ceremony’s festivities as their dinghy races do not get underway for another week.

Bithell, 25, of Weston said: “The 470 teams are late starters in the regatta, so we’re heading up to the Opening Ceremony.

“We’re extremely excited.”

Scottish-born Patience, 25, who now also lives in Weston, was Scotland’s first athlete to be selected for Team GB.

He said he would proudly be following his fellow countryman – Team GB flagbearer Chris Hoy – in the parade of athletes.

The Portland duo, who claimed silver at last month’s Skandia Sail for Gold regatta on Weymouth and Portland waters, said they were proud to see the borough in its Olympic finery.

Patience said: “Since London won the Games, it all changed and our lives became based down here. This is very much the home of British Olympic sailing.”

He added: “We’re looking forward to the Games beginning. It certainly is home, for sure.”

He added: “Me and Stu we’re great friends, we’ve dreamt about going to the Olympic Games and doing all we can to have our best performance.

“Hopefully that will lead us to the podium and on the highest bit of the podium. We can’t wait for race one, we’re mad for it.”

Bithell, who revealed they had been spearfishing to unwind this week and had caught their own bass for the Team GB chef to cook, said the squad led by Stephen ‘Sparky’ Park was a strong unit.

He added: “Sparky is doing a great job with setting up the team, the environment is fantastic for us to work in.

“There’s a huge amount of experience within the team that we can draw on and from myself and Luke, we bring youth and enthusiasm to the table.

“I’m sure some of the older boys who are doing a few cycles appreciate that.”

The 12 Team GB sailors will be taking to the stage at the Weymouth Beach Live Site at 7.50pm tonight.

The London Ceremony will be broadcast on giant screens from 9am and local celebrations will include a fireworks display over Weymouth Bay.