A club that uses boxing and the martial arts to steer youngsters away from crime has been chosen by the British Olympic Association as one of its charity partners for the Rio 2016 games.

Fight for Peace, which has academies in North Woolwich and Rio de Janeiro, is a Non-governmental Organisation which opened its doors in Newham in 2007.

As part of their partnership and with the purpose of encouraging inspirational exchanges between Olympians, athletes, coaches and the young people at Fight for Peace, the British Olympic Association will provide expertise and counsel for charity staff in developing a sport performance programme with support of Team GB and its sporting partners.

The association will also work with the charity to facilitate visits from Team GB athletes and training workshops for coaches at the Fight for Peace academies in London and Rio.

Luke Dowdney MBE, Founder of Fight for Peace, said: “It is an honour and pleasure to be working with the British Olympic Association. This is a fantastic opportunity for us to have access to the expertise and talent within the organisation and we are really excited about the opportunities ahead.

“We believe this partnership will add real value to the work that we already do at Fight for Peace as it will help to drive awareness of the charity and help improve our sport performance programme which plays a vital part in attracting young people to our Academies and away from an alternative life of crime and violence. “

London Mayor Boris Johnson recently visited the charity at its Woodman Street gym where he praised the staff and met some of the 1,100 youngsters who are involved in its work.