Beckham to Make Appearance at Olympic Closing Ceremony

David Beckham is to star in a spectacular handover ceremony when Beijing passes the Olympic flag to London on Sunday.

Beckham, 33, will be driven into the Bird's Nest stadium on a red double decker bus watched by millions around the world.

He will then kick footballs to children representing every Olympic nation. The former England captain was a crucial member of the London bid team who travelled to Singapore in 2005 to help the capital clinch the 2012 Games.

Beckham will appear with fellow Londoners, singer Leona Lewis and Led Zeppelin legend Jimmy Page and Mayor Boris Johnson in the ceremony at the end of the Games.

Shows in Trafalgar Square and street parties in 10 other cities including Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester will be staged at the same time.

Beckham's appearance will be followed by a duet between Lewis, 23, and Page, 64, before hip hop dancers and ballerinas complete London's eight-minute contribution to the finale.

The LA Galaxy and former Manchester United player is hugely popular in China and the Far East and is sure of an ecstatic welcome from the 91,000-strong crowd in the stadium.