Hugh Robertson warns government that it will fail to deliver key Olympic commitment of increasing participation in sport

Hugh Robertson, the Conservative Shadow Minister for Sport and the Olympics, has today warned the government that it will fail to deliver the legacy for sport, promised as part of London's Olympic bid, unless it takes action now.

Hugh Robertson, the Conservative Shadow Minister for Sport and the Olympics, has today warned the government that it will fail to deliver the legacy for sport, promised as part of London’s Olympic bid, unless it takes action now. The call came as part of a full Parliamentary debate on the Olympic Legacy, called by The Conservative Party, and supported by the cross party DCMS Select Committee and a wide range of sporting bodies.

In his speech, Hugh Robertson called for three things. The first was to restore the funding cut from sport in Labour’s reforms to the National Lottery. The second was to continue with the reform of Sport England, the government body responsible for mass participation and the third was to set up a ring-fenced community sport fund to enable local communities to develop their own London 2012 sports legacy.

Hugh Robertson said, “The commitment to use London 2012 to drive up sports participation was the key pledge when we won the right to host the Games. However, it remains the commitment least likely to be delivered.

Action needs to be taken now by restoring community sports funding, cut from the National Lottery, if sport is to see a tangible benefit from London 2012”.