NEARLY 4,000 young people across Suffolk have benefited from a programme aimed at boosting the sporting legacy of the London 2012 Olympics.

And now Sport England has confirmed that an extra £24million will be injected into the Sportivate programme, a national scheme operated locally by Suffolk Sport.

The National Lottery funding means Sportivate can continue helping 14 to 25-year-olds to get involved in sports – from judo and tennis to wakeboarding and parkour – until 2017.

New figures show that 3,861 teenagers and young adults in Suffolk have already benefited from free or discounted six-to-eight week sports coaching courses through Sportivate.

Of these, 2,848 have successfully completed their course, missing no more than one session.

Ben Jackson, sports development officer for Suffolk Sport, added: “I’m really pleased with the success of Sportivate so far and this additional funding will enable more sports clubs and organisations from across the county to offer exciting sporting opportunities, so even more young people can engage and enjoy sport.”

He said that basketball had proved particularly popular in Suffolk, with 19 sessions taking place across the county and 200 youngsters involved, and that the aim remains to make Suffolk the “most active county”.

The funding announcement was made by Sport England’s chief executive Jennie Price as she celebrated the success of the first two years of the programme.

She said: “Sportivate’s success is built on listening to what young people want from sport and then giving them great opportunities to get involved.

“With dozens of traditional and non-traditional sports on offer, lots of young people are getting active and discovering a sport they really enjoy and want to keep playing.”

Maria Miller, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said it was important to keep the momentum of the 2012 Games going.