Speaking at the latest Fitness Industry Association (FIA) Vanguard Group breakfast event, Hugh Robertson, shadow Sport and Olympics Minister, outlined Conservative party policy for London 2012.

He said that the Olympics will be a driving force behind emerging young talent, and added that lessons should be learnt from Sydney 2000 – where hosting the games did not equate to an automatic increase in participation.

He also said that the government should not restrict the involvement of the health and fitness industry in working towards this and invited the sector to contribute to developing new ideas and proposals to help.

Robertson claimed that the government’s challenge is to increase mass participation in physical activity, especially in light of the increasing obesity rate in the UK.

A discussion led by Rosi Prescott, CEO of Central YMCA, called for the industry to unite behind the work of the FIA and co-operate to the greatest degree possible.

“It is a great accomplishment that a large cross-section of the industry is represented in the Vanguard Group, which so capably strives for shared growth rather than competing within itself,” she said.

“Essential cross-sector co-operation in moving the industry forward, and increased access to circles of funding and political influence, is improving.”

The Vanguard Group, which funds overall communications for the FIA, provides guidance on matters of strategy, as well as direction for the FIA’s lobbying – acting as a consultative body on strategic decisions.