Undoubtedly the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be a wonderful celebration of sport and culture. The greatest sporting event on Earth coming to London  is going to be an astonishing experience for all Londoners. But in my mind, there has been something missing until now. More than one-fifth of London's  children are classified as obese and 50% of Londoners are defined as 'inactive' – so surely the Games represent the chance for us to leave a real sporting and fitness legacy  for the capital? The important question to address is - 'How?'

It has been a pleasure to work with the Mayor of London to develop a clear plan for a legacy for sporting participation in London, which we have just published (A Sporting Future For London). Over the last year, I have been talking to all sorts of people to hear their views on the barriers preventing people taking part in sport, and to find out what we could do to change this. Community sports groups, politicians, local authorities, governing bodies of sport, volunteers, people who play sport, and - crucially - some of those who presently, do not. All have been consulted. Being active has huge health benefits, it's fun and it helps tackle youth crime, academic underachievement and the lack of community cohesion. Now is the time for us to work in partnership across London  to use the Games to inspire a step-change in participation by building on good work already happening and better utilising existing networks and structures.

A Sporting Future For London  sets out how the new London Community Sports Board will act as a strategic driving force empowering our communities and clubs to act as a catalyst for genuine change. Do read the plan and let me know what you think in the comments, which London 2012 will report back to me. Key elements of the plan include mobile swimming pools, street athletics in every borough, competitive sport for disabled children and a boost to our sporting facilities in parks and communities.

The Mayor and I are committed to develop and implement the plan in the run-up to and beyond the 2012 Games. We want the grassroots to be rejuvenated - and every Londoner to be engaged with the Games. For perhaps the first time all of us who love sport are pulling in the same direction. We must use the enthusiasm around 2012 to get more people playing sport in all of our communities, and in that way there will be a genuine legacy from 2012.