London 2012: Government sanctions 21 school games field sell-offs

News that the government has sold off 21 school playing fields since the last general election has come under attack from Olympics fans, who are keen to encourage the next generation of GB athletes.

Education secretary Michael Gove has approved the sale since the Coalition came to power - which has outraged some commentators as Team GB's multiple medal winning successes take place at London 2012.

Many of the school fields were sold off to housing developers or sold when schools closed down.

Gove was also responsible for axing School Sports Partnerships to save £163 million a year in 2010. He justified the move at the time by sayin "I want competitive sport to be at the centre of a truly rounded education that all schools offer. But this must be led by schools and parents, not by top-down policies from Whitehall."

Even Prince Harry has added his opinion to the argument, possibly taking cue from his dad's passion for architecture and town planning, speaking about "what is left" of sports fields now "everyone wants to build everywhere nowadays."

Speaking to The Guardian, Tory Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said this week "I think at the moment school sport provision is patchy in some places, and we need to do what we can to make sure that the very best examples are spread throughout the whole country, and this is absolutely going to be a focus over the next few months and one of the things that we really want to take away from these Games."

Main image: Michael Gove (Getty images)

As Torys take credit for the Olympic success, just remember Michael Gove cut school sports funding by £162m so don't expect a lot from Rio!
— Unnamed Insider (@Unnamedinsider) August 7, 2012

And the Gold medal for sheer idiocy goes to...Michael Gove for slashing school sports funding by £162m a year guardian.co.uk/education/2012…
— John Prescott (@johnprescott) August 7, 2012

Looking forward to hearing from Gove & co how they will bring state school sports facilities up to the level of private schools.
— Fiona Millar (@schooltruth) August 3, 2012