Walton’s Tim Brabants MBE thinks London can put on the best Olympic Games ever.

Brabants, 32, was supporting last week’s Thames Water London Youth Games Regatta at the London Regatta Centre, Docklands, and watched more than 400 youngsters from 33 London boroughs take part in canoeing, rowing and sailing finals.

Brabants was impressed by the event, which took place just a stone’s throw from the Olympic Park site in Stratford.

He said: “With support like this, the future of rowing, canoeing and sailing in the capital is guaranteed and makes me believe we can put on the best Olympics ever here in the capital.”

On the competitors he watched Brabants commented: “This weekend reminds me of when I first got in a kayak, I was aged 10 and never thought I would compete competitively. But I was hooked after a week and maybe some here will go on and try to do what I do.

Hopefully, having met most of the competitors and shown them my gold medal, even if I have inspired just a handful then that is why I am here and who knows some may be representing Team GB in the future.”

Russell Findlay, CEO of the London Youth Games was delighted with how the event ran: “It is fantastic to see how the event has grown this year, the boroughs have really got behind the Games and this can only be good for youth sport in the capital. Having Tim Brabant s here has been inspiring for us all, but for the kids to meet such a fantastic role model such as Tim will help us in our goal to get as many youngsters involved in sport as possible.”

Graham Mallett, Project Director of Thames Water was pleased with the turn out: “We do a lot of work in the boroughs and an event such as this helps us to work in a positive way with them all. Our aim is to get more kids involved with sport and being associated with the London Youth Games Regatta enables us to achieve our goals.”

Tim Brabants was speaking at the Thames Water London Youth Games Regatta. For information visit londonyouthgames.org