Artist Raphael Pepper can now claim to have something in common with US president Barack Obama.
Both have received special recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Last year, Mr Obama received a commemorative diploma for supporting Chicago’s unsuccessful bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games, while Mr Pepper has been honoured with a diploma for his drawing of London’s 2012 Olympic stadium site.
Mr Pepper’s picture, The Raising of the Stadium was originally commissioned by the Guildhall Art Gallery to mark the regeneration of east London.
The piece has since received international acclaim and was acquired by the IOC for their official museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Mr Pepper, 30, tells People: “The stadium has been much maligned because it is costing so much, but the drawing has made people feel much more positive about the Games.
"I am very honoured to receive this diploma and glad that people have responded to the drawing. Watching the 2012 stadium grow day by day was incredible as I witnessed the landscape change and rise up against the mist of the past.”
A graduate from the Camberwell College of Arts, Mr Pepper is known for only producing drawings. “I just draw whatever I feel I need to. I do it because I love drawing.”
The IOC awards diplomas to those who have achieved something on behalf of the Committee.
