Sport England is offering hundreds of tickets to youngsters Young people are to be given the chance to win free tickets for next year’s Olympic Games in London, in return for taking part in sport.
To qualify for the ballot they will have to join in the Sportivate mass participation scheme.
Sportivate aims to give 14- to 25-year-olds the chance of six to eight weeks of sports coaching.
The whole programme will cost £32m and is designed to get 300,000 youngsters playing sport.
Sport England chief executive Jennie Price said: “Lots of young people think sport isn’t for them.
“I would like them to have the chance to discover whether there is a sport they really enjoy, so this programme is all about choice.
“Everyone who takes part will receive high-quality coaching – giving them the confidence and skills which will make them want to keep playing in the future.”
To be eligible for free Olympics tickets participants must complete the sports course, missing no more than one session, and then participate for three months.
An eight-week judo course in Lincoln, wakeboarding courses in the Cotswolds and an eight-week introduction to golf for disabled teenagers and young adults in Bedfordshire are among the courses on offer.
There is also mixed tennis sessions for 17- to 24-year-olds in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and football sessions for women in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.
Athletics courses in Tooting Bec, south London, and parkour introductory courses at Waveney in Suffolk are also available.
Sport England hope the 49 county sports partnerships and local providers and sports clubs, who will run the scheme on the ground, will help those taking part to continue with sport after they have completed their course.
A team of top athletes, current and retired, will act as sporting champions and visit Sportivate sessions to share their experiences.
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