Four of the 2012 Olympic venues will be used to host the 2012 School Games finals, which will take place just over two months before the Olympic Games start.

Over 1,600 of the UK’s best young sports stars, both able-bodied and disabled, will get the chance to take part. The Games will include opening and closing ceremonies – just like the real Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Olympic venues that will host the finals are the Olympic Stadium, the Aquatics Centre, the Velodrome and the ExCel Centre. The Games will take place between 6–9 May next year.

The competition is open to all schools and has three different levels: class versus class, school versus school and county or city-wide competitions. The finals will take place at the Olympic Park.

The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, Jeremy Hunt, said: “The 2012 School Games finals will be the largest ever event of its kind in the UK. It will be an opportunity for our young athletes to run on the Olympic track before Usain Bolt, cut through the pool before Michael Phelps, and feel the speed of the Velodrome before Victoria Pendleton.”

Jeremy Hunt also revealed that the School Games has royal backing: “I’m very pleased to report that Prince Harry is an ardent supporter of the School Games. As a keen sportsman himself, he will be following the progress of the School Games competitors over the coming months.”

Your school can sign up at: www.yourschoolgames.com.