The survey of 2,000 youngsters indicated that 51 percent of the young people asked were not particularly excited about the upcoming Olympics, with 36 per cent saying they were "not really bothered" and a further 15 per cent stating they "didn't care at all".

The remaining 49 per cent said they are excited about the Games, but of those, only 12 per cent - less than one in eight youngsters - described themselves as "very excited" - even though Olympic organisers have made huge efforts to enthuse youngsters across the country.

Surprisingly, London kids are only the third most excited.

Of those surveyed, 55 per cent of Londoners say they are very or a little excited compared with 59 per cent in Yorkshire and Humberside and 57 pe rcent in the West Midlands, neither of which are staging any Olympic events.

When London first won the rights to stage the Olympics, bid leader Sebastian Coe said that the London Games would "show a new generation why sport matters and why, in a world of distractions, Olympic sport matters".

He also said that the bid was being submitted "on behalf of the youth of today ... and the athletes of tomorrow".

While these latest survey results raise concerns about attitudes towards the Games themselves, it reveals a heartening picture of their effect.

The survey, which was carried out in support of the Ambition AXA Awards earlier this month, indicates that it is perhaps the idea of participation, not observation, that's the real winner amongst young Britons, with one in four 11 to 18-year-olds saying that the 2012 Games are making them want to participate in more sport.

This rises to 37 per cent among those living in the Capital, perhaps inspired by the visible reminders that their hometown will soon be centre stage.

This enthusiasm is even more apparent amongst younger children, with a third - 33 per cent - of 11 to 13-year-olds saying it will make them do more sports; this drops to 21 per cent of 14 to 16-year-olds and 20 per cent of 17 to 18-year-olds.

It is this ambition to get involved in sport that shows how the Olympics could still be a catalyst for extraordinary success.

The survey showed that there is plenty of interest among young people in trying out new sports - with one runaway winner.

Asked to pick out Olympic sports that they would like to try, but which they do not currently participate in, the most popular choice was archery, in which Britain's Alison Williamson (pictured) will be among the contenders for a medal at London 2012 when the sport is held at Lord's Cricket Ground.


It was named by 27 per cent of young people across the country, putting it way ahead of swimming in second place.

After that, children would like to try out athletics, badminton, football, basketball and shooting.

Amy Williams, who won gold at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and is one of the Ambition AXA Awards judges, said: "The Olympic Games plays a crucial role in introducing a new generation to sport.

"It's not only the buzz around hosting such a world event that can inspire people, but seeing the range that's out there.

"They can watch someone perform brilliantly at a sport they'd perhaps never come across before, and feel inspired to give it a go - you never know what can come from it.

"I was a track athlete, but I was open-minded about trying out a new sport - and that turned out to be the best decision of my sporting career.

"There was a time when I'd never even heard of the skeleton bobsleigh, and now I'm proud to be the Olympic Champion.

"Wouldn't it be great to think that these Games could inspire someone to try out a sport such as archery for the first time, and for that youngster to then blossom into an Olympic Champion?"

It is just this sort of desire to try a new sport and become the athletes of tomorrow that led to the creation of the £200,000 ($319,201) AXA Ambition Awards, which were launched in April to reward young talent in this country and inspire 11 to 18-year-olds to fulfil their ambitions in Enterprise, Science, Community, Sport and The Arts.

Five talented young people could each win a bespoke mentoring prize worth up to £40,000, with the judging panel helping the winners to create a development package that will help them to achieve their goals.

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