SENIOR figures in the world of sport are backing handball to lead the way as part of plans for an Olympic legacy, and have called on the Government to back minor sports in the future.

Lord Moynihan, chairman of the British Olympic Association, told a media conference that the huge public support shown to handball and other smaller sports during the London 2012 Olympics should serve as an indicator to the Government to continue funding across all sports.

“One of my reflections on week one of the Olympics has been the huge public support for some of the sports that haven’t been headline sports,” he said.

“For those of us who went along to support these sports like handball, boxing and fencing, they are now in the public eye in the way some of them have never been, and we need to support those sports.

“A number of them came in because we wanted to see a legacy for these sports. Take handball for example. Let’s get it rolled out in schools, in local communities, wherever there are facilities in place.

“Clive Woodward has said he’d like to see handball as a second sport because of the hand to eye coordination you have to have and the fitness levels involved and you can see why.

“It’s great that the BBC have got behind handball, they got very enthusiastic about it during week one and I hope that part of the sporting legacy I’ve been talking about today is to work with those governing bodies and government to make sure that there is a legacy for all the sports.

“If we can’t do something about it as a nation now, then we never will and we need to give these inspired children the opportunity to take part.”