Olympic star Mo Farah and London mayor Boris Johnson have launched a new campaign aimed at getting more children to be active.
They gave their backing to a report that warns England faces an “epidemic of physical inactivity” unless the Government changes the nation’s sporting infrastructure.
The Move It report, written by the Young Foundation, found that while London 2012 provided a fantastic showcase for elite British sport, fewer people are taking part in physical activity.
Move It says that just 5 per cent, or one in 20, of adults are exercising at the government-recommended level of two and a half hours a week.
The London Mayor spoke of the importance of encouraging elite sports which give young people role models to aspire to and encourage it at grassroots levels.
A separate study, Designed To Move, found that today’s children are the first generation to have a life expectancy shorter than their parents and that a nine-year-old today in the UK will be 50 per cent less active by the time they turn 15.
Mo Farah said: “If you don’t do a certain amount of exercise you could have five years less of your life. It important to think about that as a parent.”