The campaign was created in April 2011 to encourage children of all ages and abilities to give a Paralympic sport a go and the latest figures show a remarkable response to the campaign, particularly considering that it was announced less than six months ago.

The pledges have come from 5,726 schools who have already started to take delivery of free Paralympic sports equipment from Sainsbury's.

London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe said: "The news that nearly two million children have pledged to participate in the Sainsbury's 1 million Kids Challenge demonstrates the nation's enthusiasm to be involved and take part in every aspect of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

"We're delighted to be working with a company such as Sainsbury's who are making a success of promoting Paralympic sports and are committed to inspire young people."

British Paralympic Association (BPA) vice-chair Ann Cutcliffe said: "The British Paralympic Association is absolutely delighted to hear such excitement has been shown towards participating in the Paralympic sports on offer at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

"We are pleased that so many kids will give these sports a go and look forward to hearing the fantastic stories coming from the participating children from communities across the UK."

Participating schools are also eligible to win the opportunity to become involved in the Paralympic Torch Relay, as Sainsbury's are one of three sponsors of the 2012 Paralympic Torch Relay, along with BT and Lloyds TSB.

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