Daley Thompson to fight gang crime with Manchester to London bike ride

Olympic decathlon hero Daley Thompson is getting on his bike to ride from Manchester to London to highlight how sport can help fight gang and youth crime in Britain.

Thompson, 50, will finish the 367-mile ride at Downing Street on July 14 where he will meet Richard Taylor, the father of murdered teenager Damilola Taylor, now Prime Minister Gordon Brown's special envoy on knife crime.

Thompson, who sets off from Manchester United's Old Trafford football ground on July 8, will be joined at various stages by supporters including London 2012 chair and old team mate Lord Coe, Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell, golfer Gary Player, rowing legend Sir Matthew Pinsent and former sprinters Roger Black and Kris Akabusi.

Thompson, who won gold at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics, said he was driven to focus on the gang violence problem after reading research commissioned by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation which looked at the similarities between sport and gangs.

"The report really struck a chord," he said. "A gang is actually not that different from a sports team, both provide you with a sense of belonging, status and excitement. But, while sport also helps you develop control over your emotions and learn to respect certain boundaries, being in a gang can be destructive."

During the seven-day ride, which travels through Stoke-on-Trent, Coventry, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Newbury and Brent, Thompson will visit community projects which use sport to keep young people off the streets and provide positive life lessons.

On arrival at Downing Street Mr Taylor is to present Thompson with the report Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, on the role which sport can play in fighting the evil of gang violence and gun and knife crime.

It looks at how sporting activities aimed at gang members can work if they are targeted at existing gang hierarchies and involve peer mentors who are realistic role models. The projects also need to have strong local community roots.

Edwin Moses, the Laureus World Sports Academy chair, said: "I have visited over 200 sport and development projects during my 10 years as chairman and seen with my own eyes the unique ability of sport to transform the most complex of social challenges."