The video, called Inspiration, was designed to show London as the city that unites the world .features four children, aged about eight and each from a different continent, who are shown watching the 2012 Games.

 

They are inspired by the sight of the world coming together in London to take up sport in the hope of becoming future competitors. It has won several industry awards.

 

The cinema version of Inspiration will feature five youngsters from five countries who are spurred on by sport to better their lives and, they hope, compete at a future Olympics.

 

“It was very cute of Paramount to spot the feature film potential here,” said Puttnam, who has advised Goodrich and Rowland on the film and how to approach Hollywood.

 

Twenty-five years ago Chariots of Fire, the story of two athletes fighting the Establishment to represent Britain at the 1924 Olympics, won huge critical and audience acclaim as well as four Oscars.

 

While Puttnam’s film depicted athletes overcoming barriers of class and religion to compete for their country, Inspiration is a tribute to global rather than national unity. The children in the film were a Mexican who wanted to become a cyclist; a South African runner; a Chinese girl who became a gymnast, and an East European swimmer.

 

It was the centrepiece of London’s presentation at the 2012 selection contest in Singapore last July. Its pitch as a “global city” was backed up by Tony Blair citing the support of Nelson Mandela. Ken Livingstone, the capital’s mayor, described the film as a “powerful message which won us the Olympics”.

 

It beat off far more lavish productions from Paris, for which a video was made by Luc Besson, director of Nikita, and from New York, which hired Steven Spielberg.

 

The five characters in the movie version will symbolise the five Olympic rings. To exploit the link even further, the film is expected to be called Legend of the Rings.

 

Goodrich and Rowland, who before they made Inspiration had only been involved in commercials and television programmes, are this weekend in Hollywood finalising the deal. “It will be a family film,” said Goodrich, “an inspirational one.”

 

The pair have been discussing the plot and the scripts, three of which are under consideration. Initially both Goodrich and Rowland had favoured an English girl playing a single lead role, but they have been persuaded of the merits of having actors from around the world so that different characters can appeal to different countries.

 

Both Goodrich and Rowland have been inspired by sport. Goodrich competed at an international level in karate; Rowland, who was born in Britain and has lived here for 18 years, swam for South Africa.

 

“I was spurred on by Mark Spitz who won so many swimming golds,” she said.

 

However, the pair are anxious the film should avoid sentimentality. “We will make sure not everybody in the film succeeds,” said Rowland. “It’s important to address the issue of failure too. This must not simply be a rose-tinted movie.”

 

Puttnam, who from 1986 to 1988 ran Columbia Pictures, warned Rowland and Goodrich to stand up to Hollywood pressures. “I remember the studio never wanted Chariots of Fire to begin and end, as it did, with a memorial service,” he said. “They thought that too gloomy. But we fought and won.”

 

To watch the video go to http://www.webcast.ukcouncil.net/hosted/london2012/