The next meeting of the world’s greatest athletes has been set. It will be in London, host of the Olympic Games as of 27 July 2012. In the virtual world it has already begun, though. Aiming to connect fans with their favourite sports and idols, the International Olympic Committee has launched the Olympic Athletes’ Hub.

The social media platform pools together the verified social media feeds of over a thousand competitors.  Supporters can have access to messages published in real time and may connect with one another and with athletes more intimately than ever before in the Olympic Movement.

The list of stars is increasingly longer, as the website is open for new signups. Fans may search the page of their idols by name, team, sport, discipline or event. The Olympic Athletes’ Hub also creates a ranking of athletes with most fans. USA basketball stars LeBron James and Kobe come first on the list, followed by tennis players Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Fans can not only follow their idols’ every moment before, during and after the Games, but also win awards by participating in the community and following their favourite Olympic athletes.

Through the Hub, the International Olympic Committee launched the contest I Copy U. Fans are tasked with tweeting a photo of themselves copying the poses of their favourite athletes. You can win a trip to London for the 2012 Games. Find out how to participate in the contest here!