WHAT a wonderful festival of sport we have seen at the London Olympics.

We can be very proud of all Team GB medal winners. It has been thrilling to watch so many produce fantastic performances to win medals.

Andy Murray's decisive win over Roger Federer to secure the gold medal will undoubtedly spur the Scot on to further tournament success.

And it has been tremendous to see Glasgow's Katherine Grainger and Michael Jamieson picking up medals for Team GB.

Katherine has set a wonderful example to all of us never to give up on a dream.

After winning silver medals in Sydney, Athens and Beijing, she finally won a richly deserved gold medal in London.

And Michael Jamieson became the Glasgow School Of Sport's first medal winning Olympian with a sensational performance in the pool to win silver in the 200m breaststroke.

While this was a fantastic achievement for Michael on a personal level it was also a proud day for Glasgow School Of Sport, which is playing a key role in helping prepare our sports stars of the future.

To qualify for your first Olympics and then reach the podium shows just what Michael is capable of and that bodes well for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games when he will be going for gold.

As we move towards 2014, it is important we build upon the successes of 2012.

For every young person inspired by the successes of Katherine, Michael, Bradley Wiggins or Sir Chris Hoy, we should support them to achieve their dreams and emulate their idols.

That means removing barriers to sport. In Glasgow, we do a great deal to promote participation for our young people by providing free access to our swimming pools, tennis courts, bowling greens and golf courses.

In the May local elections Labour in Glasgow promised to continue this free access, and this will not change.

But we can do more. For example, Labour also pledged to introduce a "happy hour" at the city's synthetic five-a-side pitches, providing under-18s with free access.

It is also committed to establishing a network of cycling hubs across the city, providing facilities to encourage people to take up cycling.

We also need to encourage and foster sporting excellence.

The Glasgow School Of Sport has delivered its first Olympian, but not its last.

Last week, Prime Minister David Cameron came to Glasgow to back our bid to host the Youth Olympics in 2018.

This will provide yet another springboard for the city to promote itself, grow the economy and, most importantly, inspire a new generation to become champions in their life.

Hosting events such as the Olympic Football, Commonwealth Games and, potentially, the Youth Olympics can have a transformative effect on the health and wellbeing of our city.

But only if we take advantage of the opportunities they present. I am determined we take these chances.