Filmmaker Karan Johar and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have received an invitation to join 506 dignitaries at the London Olympics to be held on July 27. Johar, the official ambassador of the British Tourist Authority, Visit Britain, is the only other Indian apart from Singh to have received an invitation.

“I am truly humbled and excited. Had you asked me a few days ago if I intended to go to London — it’s virtually my second home — during the Olympics, I’d have said, ‘No chance’. I’ve been shooting non-stop for my film Student Of The Year and the TV show that I’m judging. Life has been very hectic. When this invitation came, I jumped at the opportunity. After all, it’s a very prestigious event,” says Johar.

“The 2012 Olympics is going to be a conglomerate of epic magnitude. The memory of having participated in it, even as a spectator, will stay with me for a lifetime. It is London’s big-ticket weekend and I’m not about to miss it for anything in the world,” he adds.

Johar candidly admits that sports has never been an area of interest. “But I know we are going to be well-represented at the Olympics. And, of course, I have my fingers crossed for the prospects of our participating sportspersons.”