Dozens of British Olympic medal-winners have written to PM condemning decision to withdraw £162m of annual funding
Dozens of British Olympic medal-winners have made a direct plea to David Cameron to reverse the planned ending of the £162m annual grant to schools that helps encourage pupils to play sport.
Olympic champions such as heptathlete Denise Lewis, javelin thrower Tessa Sanderson and cyclist Jason Queally are among 75 athletes who have written to the prime minister seeking an urgent meeting and demanding a rethink of an "ill-conceived" policy they claim will damage children's health.
The strongly worded letter was organised by Gail Emms, who won a silver medal in the badminton mixed doubles at the 2004 Olympics.
It comes as concern mounts about the potential impact of education secretary Michael Gove's decision to axe £162m-a-year in funding, from the end of March 2011, for 450 school sports partnerships (SSPs) across England.
"With one ill-conceived cut you are on the brink of destroying everything schools, clubs and the national governing bodies of sport are doing to ensure this and future generations embrace sport and physical activity, not shun it", they write.
"As past and present Olympic, World, Commonwealth and European athletes, we cannot stand by and watch as your government threatens to destroy any hopes this country has of delivering a genuine London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic legacy."
The move is potentially embarrassing for Cameron, who this week flies to Zurich to help lobby members of Fifa, football's world governing body, for England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
Gove has said he is handing responsibility for pupils' participation in sports to schools themselves because the SSPs, set up under Labour, have failed to get enough children playing sport regularly.
But the athletes' letter warns that: "The future health of all our children is at risk if you axe this funding. We urge you to act now, please, prime minister, and look again at the permanent withdrawal of funding for school sport partnerships before you condemn millions of children to a lack of sporting opportunities and therefore a bleak future of lethargy, obesity and unhappiness."
Ivan Lewis, the shadow culture, media and sport secretary, seized on the athletes' letter. "David Cameron needs to understand that the sense of anger among our elite athletes is growing. We strongly urge the prime minister to take personal responsibility and reverse this decision. On his return from Zurich he should meet urgently with our elite athletes who are best placed to tell him how we guarantee the future success of sport in our country."
Brigid Simmonds, chair of the CCPR (Central Council of Physical Recreation), which represents UK sports' governing bodies, warned that primary schools would be particularly badly hit by Gove's decision, as they were less able than secondaries to teach sport.
"Ring-fenced sports funding has ensured that sport isn't the Cinderella of the education department, as it has often become. It's easy to overlook the benefits of a good physical education – school sport not only keeps kids fit. It is also proven to increase educational attainment", she said.
The signatories also include sprinters Marlon Devonish and Jason Gardener, who won gold in the 4x100m relay in 2004; boxer James DeGale, who took gold in Beijing in 2008; and Leon Taylor, who won a silver medal in diving in 2004 in Athens.