An Olympics-inspired sports initiative is encouraging hundreds of Cornish youngsters to take up sport – and revealing many hidden talents.

Sport England's Sportivate programme aims to use this year's London Olympics to inspire young people to get more active.

In Cornwall alone, almost 600 young people have taken up playing sport in the last ten months with the help of Cornwall Sports Partnership, which is managing the National Lottery-funded programme in the county.

As well as giving young people a chance to try out something new, potential sports stars of the future have also been discovered through the initiative.

Some of the participants who took part in a Sportivate project with Nankersey Rowing Club in Flushing have since been selected to take part in the 2012 Gig Rowing World Championships on the Isles of Scilly.

Oli Maskrey, 20, a science student from the University of Exeter Tremough Campus, said: "I love rowing because it gets me out on the water. We're all really excited about going to the world championships, which is a really great opportunity that I wouldn't have had without the Sportivate project."

Sportivate is giving teenagers and young adults not playing sport in their own time the chance to receive six to eight weeks of coaching in a sport of their choice.

The young people are then helped to find a club or venue where they can keep taking part. Mike Thomas, director of the Cornwall Sports Partnership, said: "Through Sportivate funding we have been able to invest in Cornish community clubs and organisations, providing essential resources to get more young people more active and to also work towards building a legacy from the 2012 Olympic Games."