2012 Games 'must encourage more people to take up sport'

MPs said there was no evidence that the prospect of the London games was encouraging more to become active and fitter - and said urgent work was needed to secure the "sports legacy".

Sports officials also spoke today of their concern at the failure of the London games to engage people in grassroots sport.

The head of the British Olympic Association urged the Government to "grasp the nettle" of delivering a legacy.

Chairman Lord Moynihan said "a lot of fine words" had not been matched by extra funding, improved facilities, school sports and clear targets to boost participation on the back of 2012.

He said: "We need to push very hard in the interests of sports legacy from these Games. The challenge for us as a host nation is to make sure there is a serious and long-lasting sports legacy for the kids of this country. I don't believe that we have grasped the nettle in that context.

"We have focused on the Olympic Park as a regeneration project and that is commendable but equally it is important that sport should benefit in facilities, in investment, in participation and in the number of hours in school.

"There are a lot of fine words out there but we need to deliver a legacy of being host nation in 2012."

His warning came as the Commons Public Accounts Committee warned ministers that the aim of Britain coming fourth in the 2012 medals table could distract from the Government target of getting two million more people involved in sport by 2012.

The legacy plan helped convince the International Olympic Committee to vote for London as hosts.

The PAC report made several recommendations to prevent the intended legacy becoming a flop. It said:

Britain's 1,400 lottery-funded athletes should do more to promote grassroots sport.

a government working group should be set up to analyse the chances of a grassroots legacy.

the quango UK Sport should fund a study towards ensuring Olympic sports such as rowing, sailing and equestrian sports are viewed as less elitist.

Lack of facilities was also identified as a "barrier" to achieving the legacy. London suffered a chronic shortage of some facilities, especially in diving where 90 per cent of boards had been closed off by health and safety inspectors.

The PAC report Preparing For Sporting Success At London 2012 concentrated on the role of elite sports agency UK Sport which will receive £700 million towards 2012 medal success.

The report states: "There is a risk that, unless the activities of a wide range of public, private and voluntary bodies are properly co-ordinated, the focus on winning medals could distract the Department of Culture, Media and Sport's attention from encouraging ordinary people to participate.

"There is no clear evidence that elite sporting achievement influences people to take up sport in the long term, and Olympic medalists in certain sports such as rowing and equestrianism do not represent the make-up of the wider population, with a disproportionate number coming from privileged backgrounds."

The biggest single initiative to encourage participation has been free swimming for the over-60s, which is set to cost £140 million.

Olympics minister Tessa Jowell told MPs in a statement: "In June this year we published the Legacy Action Plan which sets out the long-term benefits we hope to stimulate through hosting the Olympic and Paralympic games in 2012, and how we plan to achieve them. This is unprecedented as no other host city has ever been at this stage of planning - nor so committed to a broad and sustainable legacy - this early in preparations."