The basic aim is to get youngsters more active but the spin-off could be potential Olympic champions in London in 2012 or four years later.

For the last five years Chris has been a sports development manager employed by Rutland County Council to provide sporting opportunities for more kids in school and through local clubs.

The 32-year-old, who lives in Oakham, said: "What we are doing does inevitably make children healthier but we are not here to solve the obesity problem in this country.

"The main focus is to increase the number of children doing at least two hours of high quality sports every week.

"Last year the figure was up to 86 per cent when it had been only 54 per cent two years before.

"We want children to play more sport and keep playing sport when they leave school.

"If in a few years time we can say some of our children have gone on to take part in the Olympic Games then that that would be fantastic."

Chris is spearheading the scheme but he is indebted to the help of his three school sports co-ordinators, who liaise with seven sports specialist link teachers covering primary and secondary schools across the county.

The most high profile offshoot of the programme could be seen on Sunday when a squad of 120 youngsters represented this county in the Leicestershire and Rutland Youth Games at Loughborough University.

Trials were held earlier this year before children were selected.

Rutland has traditionally been good in tag rugby, netball, girls' football, cricket, hockey and athletics.

Chris said: "It's a great event and the children are really proud to represent their county."

It does produce excellence but the scheme's accent is more on taking part and enjoying sport.

"We tend to leave the mainstream sports alone," he continued. "Instead we concentrate on getting kids into sports like judo, fencing, trampolining and kite sports. One of the things I'm most proud of is the way we have gone into 14 schools to teach them judo skills, working with coaches from the Vale Judo Club in Oakham.

"Those schools have got together their own competition squads and on July 12 we will have the first ever Rutland schools' judo tournament. As a result of all this 40 kids have joined the club because they enjoy it so much."

The younger children do not specialise in particular sports. They undertake multi-skills sessions where they are taught the basic techniques of playing games and being active, such as catching and throwing balls, hand-eye co-ordination and running.

Chris, who is originally from Shropshire, did his teacher training at Loughborough University.

He modestly says he was "a jack of all trades but a master of none" in terms of his sporting abilities.

Chris was a PE teacher in Leicester for five years and it was there he had his first taste of the school sports co-ordinator scheme, which had been launched by the government at the start of the new century.

He worked for three years as a co-ordinator in the city before taking the opportunity to manage the Rutland programme when it began in September 2003.

Chris was surprised at what he found. "Given the size of the county, the quality of sports provided in schools is very good. The opportunity for kids here to get involved in sport is massive," he said.

The sports scheme also has an emphasis on developing pupils as coaches and officiators.

Youngsters can train as sports leaders, where they learn the skills to teach sports and referee or umpire matches. Around 150 schoolchildren are taking these courses this year.

From September, the initiative moves up a gear with the aim of providing youngsters with the opportunity to experience high quality sports coaching and playing for at least five hours a week, in school and through local clubs.

The enthusiasm with which Chris talks about his mission is infectious and someday soon Rutland may be celebrating Olympic medals as a result of his team's work.

He added: "We are trying not just to get kids interested in sport but to give them a lifelong passion for sport."