The coalition government “destroyed” the chance of creating a participation legacy following London 2012 after scrapping ring-fenced school sport funding, according to the former Olympics minister.

Talking on BBC2’s flagship current affairs programme Newsnight, Tessa Jowell said that the Conservative/Liberal Democrat government elected in 2010 was “misguided” in its decision, and that children’s participation in physical activity had declined as a result.

“What the coalition government did was really destroy the School Sport Programme that was on course to seeing the majority of children playing at least five hours of sport a week, choosing from 14 different sports, with renewed facilities and proper coaching,” said Jowell.

“In 2002 25 per cent of children were playing two hours of sport a week. By the time we got to 2010 and the change of government, 60 per cent of children were playing five hours or more, with 98 per cent playing two hours of sport. That was the infrastructure to drive this generation through sport and the coalition government dismantled it.”

Jowell also called for funds to be ring-fenced specifically for school sport “and beyond”, otherwise “money is not spent on sport”.

Statistics published in the Department of Culture Media and Sport's (DCMS) Taking Part report last month revealed that 69.8 per cent of 5-10 year-olds had taken part in sport in the week before the data was captured compared to 77.8 per cent in 2010. However, 90.1 per cent of 11-15 year-olds had participated in 2016 compared in 88 per cent in 2010.

The same study found that 69.6 per cent of 5-10 year-olds and 42.2 per cent of 11-15 year-olds had not been encouraged by the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics to get involved in sport.

Debbie Jevans, vice-chair of Sport England – the arm-length body which is responsible for participation – agreed that continued investment in school sport was vital. She added that while money was no longer ring-fenced for school sport, the government does invest £9,000 (US$11,967, €10,750) in every primary school through Sport England’s Primary Premium.

Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes – who shared a platform with Jowell and Jevans on Newsnight – said she was convinced there was a legacy being created in East London following the government’s £9.3bn (US$12.4bn, €11.1bn) investment in the area for the Games, but in other parts of the country she was “not so sure”.