UK Sport, the national high performance sports agency, has unveiled plans to hold a major sporting event every two weeks in the lead up to the London 2012 Olympics.

A list of 64 events has been drawn up by the agency, which will incorporate 30 Olympic and Paralympic sports and has been developed in partnership with regional authorities and national governing bodies to include 20 cities and towns. Towns such as Dorchester (Dorset), Hereford and Largs (Ayrshire) are in line to host an event over the next 1,000 days in addition to the English Open Table Tennis Championships in Sheffield and the UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Manchester currently taking place.

UK Sport chief executive officer, John Steele, said: "We believe this is the most comprehensive programme of major events leading into a Games that any host country has ever put together. It will provide British athletes with the opportunity to perform in front of a home crowd and the public with a chance to experience world class sporting action in their local area. "Staging major events on home soil not only provides athletes with home support but is also a prime opportunity for the thousands of volunteers and officials that will be required for 2012. The 64 events in the run up to the Games will provide over 13,000 opportunities for such people to gain the necessary experience and key skills that will be needed."

Sebastian Coe, London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games chair, added: "UK Sport's support in staging world-level events that help train and develop the UK's technical officials ahead of 2012 is a vital part of the preparations for making sure that we hold a first class Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012."