Four-time Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy witnessed a slice of history as he officially declared Bank of Scotland National School Sport Week open at Glasgow’s Scotstoun Stadium on Monday 6th June.

Sir Chris met 700 of the 330,000 children anticipated to be involved from every region of Scotland at the launch day with activities ranging from opening and closing ceremonies to a range of sports including hockey, basketball, football and badminton.

Delivered in partnership with sportscotland, Bank of Scotland National School Sport Week has broken new boundaries this year with 1,400 schools, almost double the figure from last year, participating.

So used to making history himself, Sir Chris also watched it being made in Glasgow with 191 pupils setting a new Guinness World Record for the most people to run 100m in a one-hour relay.

And Sir Chris – not only a four-time Olympic champion but ten-time world champion – is adamant the week-long event will inspire children to follow in his successful wheel tracks.

“It was great to see so many kids involved in the record attempt as well as them being able to try lots of other different sports,” said Sir Chris.

Of the 191 pupils involved in the successful world record attempt ten-year-old Rachael Lee, of Dunard Primary, had the honour of running the last leg and crossing the finish line.

There she was met by Sir Chris, and Rachael said: “It was great to meet Sir Chris Hoy, I didn’t realise when I came that I was going to be the last person to run and so it was a really nice surprise in the end.”

Sir Chris Hoy wasn’t the only Olympic star in attendance with Athens 2004 sprint relay gold medallist Jason Gardener also on hand to offer pupils advice and support.

Gardener said: “Having nearly 330,000 young people involved in the Bank of Scotland National School Sport Week is a great opportunity with the Olympics to be held in just over a year.

“I was fortunate in my experience in that my introduction into the sport was through my school which organised races and had sports days and that was very important for me and today has been a great day for everyone.”

While Sir Chris was in Glasgow fellow Scot and Commonwealth champion Steve Frew was at Bell’s Sports Centre in Perth inspiring youngsters to get involved in coaching and volunteering.

Frew – who won Scotland’s first ever Commonwealth gymnastics gold medal in 2002 in the rings – performed and gave an inspirational speech in front of ten secondary schools from Perth and Kinross.

“It was absolutely brilliant and volunteers have a huge part to play,” said Frew. “And with the Olympics coming up the more we can bring people together the better the harmony will be.”

And in Edinburgh Firrhill High School active schools-co-ordinator Fiona Damen, with the help of Bank of Scotland Morningside branch manager Rae Howieson, organised for a Bike Pump Track to test the pupils cycling skills in the playground.

“It was certainly a challenge for the pupils but they really enjoyed it as it was quite different to the cycling they are used to,” said Damen.

Bank of Scotland National School Sport Week, in partnership with sportscotland, uses London 2012 to inspire children to achieve a personal best in Olympic and Paralympic sports.  

To help your local school carry the Olympic Flame in the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, or to win tickets, visit: www.bankofscotland.co.uk/nationalschoolsportweek