Eight times British 100m champion and European record holder Dwain Chambers has joined forces with North London’s Lee Valley Athletics Centre to launch Mini Racers - a new sprint competition for six to 11-year-olds.

The first of its kind, the event aims to ignite a passion for athletics as well as encouraging a fit and healthy lifestyle among primary school-aged children.

During the event, aspiring young athletes will compete in 60m, 80m and 100m races as well as learning key competition skills from Dwain himself; from basic running technique to standing starts and lane etiquette.

Dwain, who is one of the fastest European sprinters in the history of athletics, said: “According to Public Health England, almost 60 per cent more children in their last year of primary school are classified as ‘severely obese’ than in their first year.

“This is why I wanted to create a fun and exciting way to promote fitness amongst younger children while also encouraging an early passion for athletics.

“The event will be an enjoyable and interactive day and the perfect introduction into the world of sprinting. And who knows, we might discover our next Olympic champions.”

The event will be held on the outside track at Lee Valley Athletics Centre, the largest indoor and outdoor athletics centre in the south of England.

The elite location hosted the 2014 Invictus Games and was also used as the training ground for gold medalists Greg Rutherford and Jonnie Peacock before the London 2012 Games.

James Wright, duty manager at Lee Valley Athletics Centre, said: “We’re delighted to announce that we’ve teamed up with Dwain to create Mini Racers. It’s fantastic to see one of our most successful sprinters using his knowledge and talent to pass on the athletics torch and create a legacy for our future athletes. We hope that this event will be the first of many to be held at our venue.”

To find out more information please go to visitleevalley.org.uk/athletics.