Last year Sainsbury's became the title sponsor of the UK School Games, which was launched by the Youth Sport Trust in 2006, but the annual competition is set to take place for the final time this year in Sheffield from September 1 until 4, 2011, before it is replaced by the new School Games.

The new evolved event will see schools and their pupils compete at local level before going through to national finals in a four-level pyramid structure that its predecessor did not have, and King stated that Sainsbury's is keen to partner with the new competition.

"It is early days at the moment with the new School Games competition but we are very hopeful of being a part of it," King told insidethegames.

"We are obviously still involved in the current UK School Games and before that we were involved in the English Schools Athletics Championships.

"In fact, even before that we were involved in the FA under-11 Football Championships so we have a long and proud tradition in school sport in the UK.

"Clearly the School Games event next year is going to be the biggest school competition ever, taking place as it does in the Olympic and Paralympic year and at the Olympic Park itself.

"It is also going to include an inter-school Paralympic-style competition supported by the British Paralympic Association (BPA), which is obviously a big thing for us after we became the first ever London 2012 Paralympic-only sponsor last year.

"So we certainly want to be involved in some way and I'm sure over the coming months we will be involved because I don't think anybody can demonstrate a longer and prouder track record in school sport than Sainsbury's can."

Plans for the new School Games were outlined by Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport at the Youth Sport Trust National Conference at the Telford International Centre earlier this year.

In a joint letter to schools last month, Hunt and London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe said: "London 2012 is going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity for all of us – we hope that these programmes will help you enable all the pupils at your school to feel they were part of it.

"Through the School Games you can make the inspiration of next year something that lasts for many generations of schoolchildren to come."

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