Health secretary Andrew Lansley has announced £30m of funding towards the creation of a new National Sports and Exercise Medicine Centre of Excellence at three UK locations.

Loughborough, Sheffield and London are the locations of three hubs that comprise the new facility, which is one of the government's main legacy commitments from the 2012 Games.

The new Centre of Excellence will help more people become active and treat injuries caused by exercise and conditions that are associated with a lack of physical activity.

It is hoped the facility will help people suffering from existing conditions such as diabetes benefit from exercise, while returning injured people to physical health and work quickly.

Lansley said: "Hosting the Olympics is a once in a life-time opportunity for Britain and it provides a great opportunity for the NHS too.

"The centre will share research findings and best practice with the entire NHS so that the whole country benefits. This will ensure we achieve a real Olympic legacy in the health service."

Loughborough University's Professor Myra Nimmo said: "This new way of working will crucially enable us to speed up the translation of pioneering academic research into clinical practice."

Sheffield International Venues chief executive Steve Brailey added: "We look forward to passing on our knowledge about increasing participation in physical activity to this project."

Details: www.dh.gov.uk

Image: shutterstock.com/Benis Arapovic