Young people in Wandsworth are being called on to represent the borough at the 2027 London Youth Games.
Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the event, Europe’s biggest annual youth sports festival, which sees youngsters from the capital’s 33 boroughs compete in 37 sports, from hockey to wheelchair basketball.
Team Wandsworth won a number of medals in the 2026 competition, and placed in the top 10 in 2025.
Councillor Ethan Brooks, Wandsworth Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, said the borough had a strong sporting culture and the council valued the games “enormously”.
He said: “When it comes to sports and physical activity in the borough, Wandsworth starts from a really good place.
“I definitely think of Wandsworth as one of London’s ‘jock’ boroughs, where people are naturally engaged in sports.”
The London Youth Games was founded in 1977 to give young people across the capital access to sport, regardless of their background or circumstances.
Since the games began, more than two million people have taken part. Several former competitors have become sports stars, including former England footballer Rio Ferdinand, four-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Mo Farah and Britain’s most-decorated athlete Dina Asher-Smith.
The council’s efforts to promote youth sport are linked to the Wandsworth Moves Together strategy, which aims to improve the health and fitness of residents.
Brooks said: “The Wandsworth Moves Together strategy has focused a lot on improving access for women and girls, people with disabilities, and also older residents, to make sure that sport and physical activity can play a part in more people’s lives and for longer.”
Although the council’s previous administration introduced the strategy, Brooks said that the current administration does not intend to significantly change it.
Anyone interested in the London Youth Games can register through the Wandsworth Council website.
Featured image credit: John Moloney.
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