Barbados athletes training in Barnes; South African Olympians in Twickenham; and, of course, Team GB hopefuls preparing all over Richmond and Hounslow. It is less than three years until the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games arrives in London, and while these scenarios may seem like distant prospects, they could be just around the corner.

July 27 was the start of the three-year countdown to the games and all eyes were on Stratford as construction workers formed a giant “3” in the bowl of the future Olympic Stadium to mark the occasion.

But what can the people of Richmond and Hounslow expect come 2012? Will all the excitement be limited to east London? Will we have to settle for seeing Olympic stars on TV instead of in the flesh?

According to Dick Fisher, head of St Mary’s University’s 2012 preparations and sports strategy, there will be a lot going on here, the buzz is already growing and international athletes could be calling Richmond and Hounslow home for much of the summer.

He revealed that Team South Africa visited the Twickenham campus’ facilities last week as part of a nationwide tour of possible training venues.

He said: “They were here for two days, one day looking around the Roehampton University site and across to Crystal Palace and one day looking at us and the facilities here. It went very well.

“They have already contacted us to say they very much enjoyed the visit and found it very productive.”

Professor Fisher explained there was no guarantee the team would chose Twickenham as a training base but added: “They want to carry on linking up with us.

“We have forged an ongoing link up to 2012 and beyond.”

He admitted one of his priorities was to work with Richmond Council and various other partners to raise the level of Olympic exposure in the area.

He said: “One of the things we do have to do is make it a bit more visible – 2012 needs to be more up-front.

“People know of course and kids are getting more excited.”

Professor Fisher has met with the Catholic Youth Service to discuss launching initiatives around faith and values, inspired by the early Olympic Games in Greece, which were part of a religious festival.

He also expects to welcome more international teams scouting for bases in the build up to the event. Last month Wandsworth Council hosted a visit from Team Barbados, who were looking for places to train.

Because Wandsworth manages part of Barn Elms, Barnes residents could soon see Caribbean athletes warming up on its fields.

Professor Fisher said: “All of the south London boroughs have committed themselves jointly to attracting at least one team to the area.

“We will certainly have Olympians in this borough getting ready for 2012 – we have them now.”

He touted 19-year-old Stephanie Twell, who is studying at St Mary’s, as one to watch in three years time. In addition to winning the 1,500m at the World Junior Championships last year, Stephanie competed in the women’s 1,500m at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Established distance runner Mo Farah will be a familiar sight to many users of Bushy Park and the Somali-British athlete, based in Teddington, will be aiming to make an impact on the 3,000m and 5,000m races in 2012.

And Olympians will also be taking to the Thames in Teddington ahead of 2012. James Clark, director at the town’s Royal Canoe Club, said there were several members in the British team already.

“I think Jess Walker is a name to watch,” he revealed.

“She has got some European championship medals already so she has got some form.”

Mr Clark hopes that an international team will set up a training camp in south London and predicted there would at least be one set of foreign athletes preparing in the area.

Richmond could clearly be bustling with Olympic hopefuls and neighbouring Hounslow is not without its talent.

The head coach at Heathrow Gymnastics Club, Vincent Walduck, said he had four gymnasts in the 2012 squad: Rebecca Wing, Laura Mitchell, Nicole Hibbert and Danusia Francis.

Mr Walduck has high hopes for all four, particularly Nicole and Danusia, who he credited as being the club’s two biggest success stories, having just returned from competing at the Youth Olympics in Finland.

He said Laura, who contracted swine flu earlier this year, is set to make an impression on the bars, “where she has big ambitions for the European junior championships in Birmingham next year”.

He added: “Rebecca was part of the Beijing team and competed at the European Championships in April. She is really brainy but has the reputation of being Britain’s most elegant gymnast.”

Last year a list of possible Olympic training and event venues was published and, in addition to the sites mentioned already, Brentford Football Club, Isleworth’s Indian Gymkhana Club, the University of Westminster’s Chiswick sports fields and Twickenham Stadium were mentioned.

Whatever role Richmond and Hounslow play in the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Professor Fisher expects the next three years to be very busy, adding: “It won’t come again in our lifetime.”

The Olympics in London: Your verdict

Excitement is building for the London Olympics – athletes are gearing up for the games, training centres and venues are preparing for an influx of Olympians and organisations across the capital and beyond are getting involved.

But what do Londoners think?

Richmond Council leader, Councillor Serge Lourie, described the Olympics as a “big opportunity” for residents and said the council would be heavily involved in the cultural Olympiad that is running alongside the main events.

However, our reporter Jordanna -May Gargas discovered that public opinion was divided over whether the games are worth the cost when she took to the streets of Richmond and Hounslow.

Richmond resident, Perry Morrison, 70, said: “East London needs the money but we don't want any changes around here, Richmond is so well looked after already.

“I like that the money is being spent in an underdeveloped area so I feel involved in the sense that I'm a Londoner and the Olympics money is being spent looking after my town.”

However, Hounslow resident, Nora Sullivan, 71, commented: “It's a waste of money for two weeks when the hospitals and schools are stuck for money. I don't think they will make the money back and any investment isn’t reaching here.”