Olympian joins in playing fields row

Speaking after education officials admitted there had been an increase in the number of pitches sold, cyclist Dani King said playing fields were crucial to foster children’s talent.

The 21-year-old team pursuit medallist told a Sunday newspaper: “Playing fields are training venues for future Olympians. They can be used by runners to prepare for competitions during school time.”

She went on: Closing playing fields is going to have a negative effect on kids, it’s sending the wrong message to them. They aren’t doing enough exercise these days and that is only going to get worse if they don’t have anywhere to do it.”

Barton Peveril Sixth Form College in Hampshire, where Miss King took her A-levels, sold one-and-a-half acres of its land to a housing developer in 2003, four years before she started there.