21 July 2012 Last updated at 12:23 ET

London 2012: US and Jamaican athletes at Birmingham service

Members of the Jamaican team gathered outside the cathedral

Athletes from the US and Jamaican Olympic teams have attended a cathedral service to welcome them to Birmingham.

About 20 US athletes and about 10 of their Jamaican counterparts were among more than 200 people at the service held at St Philip's Cathedral.

The US track and field team is based at the Alexander Stadium while Jamaica's stars have a training camp at the University of Birmingham.

US athletes attended a reception at the Council House after the service.

Those who attended included two-time 400m hurdles world champion Kerron Clement, from the US, and discus throwers Jarred Rome (US) and Jason Morgan (Jamaica).

London 2012 - One extraordinary year

• The BBC's home of 2012: Latest Olympic news, sport, culture, torch relay, video and audio

However, world record holder and Olympic champion Usain Bolt, world champion and fellow Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake and another sprinter, former world champion Tyson Gay of the US, were among those who were missing.

Prayers and a moment of remembrance were offered for the 12 people shot dead and those injured at a Batman film screening in Denver, Colorado, on Friday and for their families and friends.

About 50 members of the public gathered at an entrance to the cathedral grounds to welcome members of the teams who arrived on two separate coaches before the service began at 11:30 BST.

Asked about being seated opposite their counterparts at the service, US shot put competitor Michelle Carter said: "A lot of us are friends so it was fine because we see them all the time.

Jamaican and US athletes faced each other at the service

"The weather hasn't been bad the last couple of days. It hasn't rained - the last two days have been great."

The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham, The Most Reverend Bernard Longley, said in his sermon: "Like the Olympic tradition, the Christian faith has a long record of celebrating the extraordinary gift that is the human body."

The archbishop added: "It is understandable that some will ask whether it is morally justifiable to spend so much public money on staging the 2012 London Olympics in a time of austerity.

"But the Olympic Games also offer a unique opportunity to raise awareness of global issues."