Although the growth of the web and the development of video games are often blamed for helping to fuel Britain's obesity crisis among the young, the London 2012 chairman will tell the Sportaccord conference in Beijing that sport risks losing young people forever unless they start engaging through media they understand.

 

Coe and the 2012 team are working on innovative plans which will attempt to engage children by launching London 2012 versions of community-based websites, such as MySpace and YouTube.

 

"We often bemoan the fact that young people spend a lot of time watching the television, surfing the internet or listening to their iPods," Coe said.

 

"But actually that technology is a golden opportunity because it's something that is familiar to them.

 

"We have got to be creative with the new technology that's available.

 

"We can't sit there any longer, listening to the same old arguments that we've lost a whole generation to a virtual world of 24-hour multi-channel entertainment.

 

"We have to actually get into that space and use it.

 

"We shouldn't despair - the challenge is to get them from the television screen to the tennis court or the running track.

 

"We can't sit there, supine, just wanting the world to roll back time."