The health secretary has announced that sports medicine is to become an officially recognised speciality for doctors.

John Reid said the move would help avert a "brain drain" of talent in the area away from Britain and boost London's 2012 Olympic bid.

Investing in sports and exercise medicine (SEM) will also form part of the government's public health strategy - focusing on preventions as well as cures - and provide less excuses for staff to call in absent from work, ministers claimed.

"We are committed to making sure that the public is not only fit, active and healthy, but has access to the right healthcare provision to support their lifestyle - we want to make the NHS not just a sickness service but a keep well service for patients and public," Reid said.

"By establishing the specialty of sports and exercise medicine, we are proving our dedication not only to supporting an active lifestyle but to raising the profile of the benefits of healthy living."

No new money has been put towards the scheme, but doctors will now be able to train and qualify as sports registrars and consultants working in the community and/or clinics, as local priorities demand.

Those who already have an interest in or particularly knowledge of the area could hold the qualification as early as next year.

'Brain drain'

Sports minister Richard Caborn added that Britain was belatedly catching up with other countries, which already practice the specialism, as it seeks to show commitment to sport by bidding for the 2012 games.

"Up to now many young British doctors who have wanted to concentrate on sport and exercise have moved abroad and often stayed abroad, leading to a 'brain drain' of experts in this important field. With this speciality now available in the UK, the effect will be wide ranging," he said.

"From treating injuries to our top line sports stars to improving the health of the general public, SEM doctors will be a part of the daily lives of many different people.

"Research shows that if we can increase adult physical activity by as little as 10 per cent we could prevent 6,000 premature deaths a year. SEM doctors will play a big part helping us hit this target."

Chief medical officer Liam Donaldson said: "These NHS doctors will not only treat sports injuries but also look to improve the general health of the nation - setting exercise regimes and tackling the growing problem of obesity in children.

"However, if London hosts the Olympics in 2012, then I have no doubt that the SEM doctors of the NHS would be on hand to offer treatment, advice and support to thousands of elite athletes and also spectators."