A record 71,025 youngsters aged between seven and 18 took part in a London Youth Games competition or took part in Borough training or trials on the competition pathway towards the Games, according to the monitoring and evaluation report from the 2011 Balfour Beatty London Youth Games season.

This figure represents a 10.4 per cent increase on the 64,330 young people who took part in the 2010 London Youth Games and is an all time record for the event, which is Europe's largest annual youth sports event with people from 33 boroughs taking part in 30 sports, since its launch in 1977.

This year's latest figures also highlight a notable success in disability sports, including athletics, swimming, boccia, football and adaptive indoor rowing, with participation numbers in all five sports totalling 5,353, up 31 per cent on last year.

Aquatics and regatta sports, such as kayaking, sailing and rowing, also faired particularly well with rises of 38 per cent and 37 per cent respectively.

Meanwhile, cross country, which was reintroduced one the London Youth Games programme this year after a gap of several years, was equally successful with 5,772 young athletes taking part in the sport.

Chairman of the London Youth Games Anthony Kendall said: "With the huge support of Balfour Beatty and Sport England National Lottery Funding, we have demonstrated we are capable of delivering the type of 2012 legacy that Seb Coe spoke about when bidding for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Singapore in 2005.

"He spoke of the 'need to inspire a generation of young people to take part in local volunteering and physical activity'.

"The London Youth Games Foundation is making good on those promises.

"As well as a record 71,025 participants, our young volunteer programme GamesForce has continued to blossom.

"In 2011 along with partner governing bodies - we delivered 15 training courses which produced around 200 new young sports officials for London.

"These people will be the backbone of London sport for generations to come.

"As for the coming year, we are delighted that with the backing of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and from Sport England, we have been entrusted to incorporate School Games into the London Youth Games competition calendar.

"In the coming years, we will make it our mission to directly involve every single London school in every London borough in the London Youth Games so that every young Londoner has the opportunity to participate or volunteer in sport.

"What a legacy for London that would be."

The new Balfour Beatty London Youth Games season starts next month, with the cross country competition taking place on Saturday (November 19) at Parliament Hill.

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