The sports minister Tracey Crouch says the London Olympics continues to inspire people to get involved in sport - despite a fall in the numbers taking up some kind of physical activity.

The Chatham and Aylesford MP said the legacy of the hugely successful 2012 games continued to have an impact but acknowledged the figures had flatlined after peaking in the immediate aftermath of the London games.

Official figures suggest there has been a modest fall in the number of people regularly taking part in some kind of physical exercise.

But Ms Crouch, who will be travelling to Rio this week in her capacity as sports minister, said both Kent and Medway continued to benefit from the games.

On falling participation rates, she said:

“What we have to remember is that more people are participating in sport than they were in 2005 when we won the bid and more people are participating than in 2010.”

“What we are seeing is a stagnation and flatlining in participation which peaked in 2012 immediately after the games; what we want to do is to continue that growth, which is why I have published the sports strategy. We want to reenergise and re-invigorate what has been going on.”

The legacy was not just about bringing on the next generation of top athletes.

“We have seen huge investment in both Kent and Medway. We need to remember that it is not just about the elite athletes and creating the next medal winners; it is about getting people physically active who have never been active at all before. We get much more of a return on our investment on those people than we do from people who are running and cycling at an elite level.”

The minister made her comments on the latest edition of "Paul On Politics" on KMTV.

She denied that some might feel uneasy about getting involved because they felt intimidated by elite performers and their high standards.

We need to remember that it is not just about the elite athletes and creating the next medal winners; it is about getting people physically active who have never been active at all before - sports minister

“It is quite the opposite - they are the ones that inspire the next generation. What you are seeing is girls joining boxing clubs in Chatham inspired by Nicola Adams...the legacy is something that happens over a long period of time. Our gymnasts might not inspire a 30-year-old to get involved but they may inspire a 13-year-old.”

“That is something we quite often underestimate.”

On the same programme, Stephanie Holt, who is in charge of sports development at KCC, said: “Participation in Kent has gone up and up in Kent and that is something we are very proud of. We recognise that working with sports clubs and supporting their volunteers is very much how we get participation going up.”

The introduction of the Kent School Games before 2102 had been a pivotal element of the council’s strategy to get children involved - even if they were not competitive.

“There is a big festival element to it so children who either do not think they are sporty or they think it is all about pure competition can get involved.”