London Mayor Boris Johnson has waded in on to the row over school sports, insisting that children should be expected to do at least two hours of physical exercise per week.

Mr Johnson has been a prominent figure since the Olympics Games got underway and has revealed his determination to improve schools sport provision in the UK.

In the lead up to the Games, government ministers and others claimed that it represented a great opportunity to tackle the country's obesity crisis.

"The government totally understands people's appetite for this, they can see the benefits of sport and what it does for young people," commented Mr Johnson.

"They understand very, very clearly the social and economic advantages."

Echoing this view is culture secretary Jeremy Hunt, who said that the Games is inspiring millions of young people throughout the country and elsewhere.

Despite this, he said that introducing specific targets is no guarantee of success on the athletics track.

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