NORTH Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson has been elected as the co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Sport.

The self-defined sports fanatic was invited to take up the position by the Sport and Recreation Alliance.

His fellow co-chair is none other than Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, one of the most successful disabled athletes to ever represent Britain on the world stage.

All party parliamentary groups (APPGs) are informal cross-party bodies run by members of the commons and the lords.

They form links with individuals and organisations from outside the parliamentary arena to draw attention to initiatives and achievements of, in this case, the UK sporting community.

Justin is renowned for his love of sport – he can be seen on an almost weekly basis watching his favourite football team, Swindon Supermarine, both home and away.

He is also a big fan of cricket and enjoys taking in games when not on the Supermarine terraces.

Known for his loyalty to the government in the House of Commons, he took the decision to initially rebel against their position during the last parliament in order to demonstrate the importance of regular sport in schools in an effort to protect the school sports budget.

Justin now hopes to promote both the power of sport in creating a healthy society, as well as the potential it has to unlock opportunity in communities across the UK.

At the first meeting of the APPG for Sport, representatives from UK Sport announced their medal targets for the upcoming Rio Olympic Games and presented a breakdown of the investment that has gone into achieving those goals.

The build up to Rio 2016 has seen a staggering £274 million invested across the board with Team GB setting off with a target of at least 48 medals.

British preparations for the Paralympics, which will be hosted in Rio following the Olympics, has attracted an investment of £72.7 million with a target of 121 medals.

Justin Tomlinson said: “It was a great first meeting and I made a point of the importance of supporting local sports club with the inevitable upsurge in uptake and involvement as a result of the Olympics and the athletes which never fail to inspire.

“Sport to me is important because I went to a school which was bottom of the league table where some of my ex-classmates ended up in prison.

“The reason that I managed to stay out of trouble is because I was too tired after playing sport with my friends every day.

“Sport has amazing potential - whether it’s disability sport, as portrayed heroically by our utterly inspiring team of Paralympians or delivering sport to disadvantaged backgrounds, so that youngsters stay out of trouble.

“Or whether it is simply promoting a range of skills including teamwork, competitiveness and motivation, as well as general health & well-being – both mentally and physically.

“The power of sport is huge. Tanni and I have worked on a number of issues together including promoting disability sport so it is great to be co-chairing the group alongside her.”