Thomas Daley stands on the diving platform of the indoor swimming pool in Plymouth, balancing with his toes on the concrete edge, his back to the pool. He stands motionless in his blue swimming trunks, his arms lifted so that they are at right angles to his body.

From this position, his posibilities are myriad. He could demonstrate a forward somersault. Complete with a twist if desired. He has pretty broad shoulders, not bad for a platform diver, and his stomach muscles are really impressive. Thomas Daley is just 12 years old. You don't get many children with a six-pack at that age.

Thomas trains every morning before school -- after classes he spends two more hours at the pool. Last year he took part in an international youth competition for the first time and won a silver and a bronze medal straight off. Kim White, a former British national diving coach, says: "I have waited 20 years to see a diver of this calibre at this age."

In six years, in the summer of 2012, when London hosts the Olympic Games, Thomas will be 18. A good age for a diver. And then he'll win gold for Great Britain. At least that's the plan.

The United Kingdom is aiming for fourth place in the medals rankings when it hosts the summer games four years after the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It is a pretty ambitious target given that the country only managed 10th place in Athens in 2004. But as of January, the hunt will be on -- for children athletes now between the ages of 11 and 16 who might be able to take a spot on the podium.

20 gold medalists wanted

The campaign is called "20-4-12": Twenty prospective gold medallists are being sought for 2012. A total of €439 million is earmarked for the goal of assembling the strongest British Olympic team ever.

Schools and youth clubs are being scoured for tomorrow's medal winners -- with a particular focus on run-down inner cities. Matthew Pinsent, four-time Olympic rowing champion and ambassador of the project, says 20-4-12 is aimed at those youngsters who might have become "marginalized or forgotten about."

No one is to escape the talent scouts. Assistants will measure the children and check their physique. Then experts determine what sport the candidate could be suitable for. The core sports are athletics, basket ball, cycling and rowing.

The best 100,000 candidates will reach the second round where sports scientists conduct one-day tests to check their performance. Only 1,000 children will be invited to the third round. Specialist coaches will monitor them in two-day regional camps. The elite will receive special coaching.

It's like panning for gold. There's nothing wrong with mud but a few nuggests should be sparkling in the sieve at the end.

The British are mobilizing their top names for the project. Daley Thompson, two-time Olympic decathlon gold medalist, has been charged with spotting talented athletes and is travelling to school tournaments around the country.

Linford Christie, who won the 100 meter gold medal in Barcelona in 1992, is being commissioned as coach for young sprinters. And Paula Radcliffe, current world record holder for the women's marathon, is e-mailing training tips to Emily Pidgeon, a 17-year-old runner from Gloucesershire. Radcliffe says: "She definitely has the talent but is also prepared to work hard and be patient, which is important."

Hoping for athletics revival

But at the moment British athletics still resembles a bankrupt company. Britain has similar problems to Germany: Good coaches are emigrating, the job has few prospects, pay is miserable.

The problem is compounded by the fact that 70 percent of young people shun sport when they leave school. The aim is to change that. "Enthusiasm for sport in the run-up to the Games is greater than it has ever been." Pinsent says. "It is such an opportunity for sport in this country."

Lora Long sits on the balance beam. Stomach in, chest out. She is small and thin and supple as wire. And because she's strong she's got the perfect body for a gymnast. She's 10 years old and lives in the county of Hampshire. She trains 20 hours a week at the Dynamo School of Gymnastics "Even though I get tired sometimes, I always want to go back the next day," she says.