Olympic hero Farah slams funding cuts

Prime Minister David Cameron once hailed the London 2012 gold medallist as "a true British hero," but the sprinter's wife said that the PM's plans to scrap school sports partnerships had brought shame on the Olympic legacy.

Tania Farah, who with her husband founded the Mo Farah Foundation, told the Observer that they were "acutely aware" of the importance of access to PE programmes.

"It was this particular system, along with the 'eye for talent' and useful knowledge from teachers such as [coach] Alan Watkinson, that opened up the path of success for Mo," she said.

"It is therefore a huge shame that six months on from the Olympics, which inspired the next generation of potential Olympic champions, there are to be budget cuts in primary PE and school sports partnerships.

"Not only should sport for youngsters be encouraged and practised on a regular basis for health reasons, but is is also at these early stages that gifted youngsters are 'discovered' and nurtured - Mo being a leading example of this."

The volley comes as the government moves to pull all funding for the partnerships, which offer PE teachers paid leave to co-ordinate competitions and programmes.

Education secretary Michael Gove had already cut ring-fenced funding for the scheme from £162 million to just £51m since 2010, with more than a quarter of local authorities lacking any partnerships at all.

The scheme's funding runs out later this year.