Lord Coe repeats promise to use London 2012 to inspire world's youth

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The London 2012 chairman, Lord Coe, has reiterated his promise to use the Olympic Games to inspire the youth of the world, on a trip to the 2008 host city, Beijing.

Since winning the right to host the Olympics in 2005, the London organising committee has won plaudits for its International Inspiration legacy programme abroad but has seen the promises made to inspire young people to take up sport in the UK come under increasing pressure.

Coe met Chinese athletes from the gymnastics and swimming teams at the Beijing Sports Administration Training Centre to discuss their preparations.

"I remember the many great performances of the Chinese athletes in Beijing in 2008," said Coe, the chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. "After meeting some of the new generation of Chinese swimmers and gymnasts here today, I am sure that they will achieve important things at London 2012."

London organisers have long accepted they will be unable to match the scale and grandeur of the Beijing Games but hope to make up for that in atmosphere and excitement. Coe assured Chinese athletes that, like other nations around the world, they would receive a warm welcome in London, due to the cultural diversity of the capital.

"The world is preparing to come to London for the Games next year and we are getting ready to provide a memorable welcome and memorable Games for the athletes and for everyone," Coe said.

Under a new initiative for London, more than 100 national Olympic and Paralympic teams will set up pre-Games training camps across the UK in the months running up to the Olympics. The Chinese team will be based in Leeds, while its track and field athletes have also trained at St Mary's University College in Twickenham.

"The athletes from China and all other Olympic teams and nations will help to inspire the world in London next year, especially young people," Coe said.

Coe also spoke at the International Paralympic Committee's general assembly while in Beijing, and was due to address a gathering at the British embassy on Sunday night.

Back home, London organisers have come under increasing pressure as to whether they will be able to balance their £2bn budget, raised privately from ticket sales and sponsorship.

Last week, the government said it would find an extra £41m from the £9.3bn public funding package to double the budget for the opening and closing ceremonies.

On Thursday, the issue of Dow Chemical's sponsorship of the £7m wrap that will surround the stadium at Games-time is also expected to be back on the agenda at a meeting of the Indian Olympic Association. While the threat of a boycott by Indian athletes is no longer on the cards, pressure on Locog to drop the sponsorship is expected to continue.

Campaigners claim that Dow has continued liabilities linked to the 1984 Bhopal disaster, which killed thousands.

Guardian