Couch potato culture that kills 54,000 'must end'

A 20-year strategy to combat Britain's "couch potato" culture and produce a new generation of sporting world champions was unveiled yesterday by Downing Street.

It contrasted this country's woeful record on keeping fit when compared with other European countries, saying this country should learn from Finland, where participation levels in sport are twice as high.

A report from the Number 10 strategy unit and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said inactivity contributed to some 54,000 premature deaths a year, at a cost of £2bn to the taxpayer in health spending. It unveiled a new government goal of 75 per cent of children receiving two hours' exercise a week at school by 2006.

And, with Britain having the sharpest post-school fall in sports participation, it sets a long-term target for getting adults off their armchairs. It envisages 70 per cent of people doing "reasonable" levels of exercise – about 30 minutes, five times a week – of activities such as walking, gardening or waxing the car.

Among the ideas it suggests to boost participation include setting up mobile gyms to encourage sports in deprived areas. It calls for Britain's approach to elite sports to be modelled on Australia, which transformed its international sporting performance in the 20 years leading to the successful 2000 Sydney Olympics. It also wants better "pathways" for nurturing the talents of potential champions.

National teams should aim to "sustain rankings within the top five, particularly in more popular sports", the Downing Street report says.

It recommended a shake-up of the priorities for sports funding, with high-profile sports, such as tennis, football, cricket and rugby, receiving more money because their popularity creates a bigger public "feel-good factor" when home teams win than success in more obscure sports.

It also called for an overhaul of the complex sporting bureaucracy and more business expertise on the boards of Sport England and UK Sport.

Ahead of next month's Cabinet decision on whether to back an attempt to bring the 2012 Olympics to London, it leaves the way open for a bid. However, it said England must take a "more cautious" approach to hosting major international sporting events, condemning the "poor management, co-ordination and inadequate assessment of costs" in previous sporting bids.

To tackle these failings, ministers should be involved in the process from the earliest stages of bidding. The report suggests hosting events should be seen "as an occasional celebration of success rather than a means to achieve other government objectives".

The report urges a 20-year plan to co-ordinate bids and establishing a Centre of Expertise at the DCMS for major sporting and cultural events.