BBC SportOlympics

Stuart Campbell ditched rugby union for the GB handball team

The programme, which picks volleyball, handball and rowing hopefuls based on height, received almost 4,000 entries.

Sporting Giants launched in 2007 and now 52 athletes are at the second stage training with British squads.

Redgrave said: "A number of them will be competing in 2012. The standard is amazing, that's been the big surprise."

Sir Steve Redgrave on BBC Breakfast

606: DEBATE Will the scheme produce Olympians for the 2012 Games?

The five-times Olympic gold medallist, who launched the Sporting Giants campaign in Trafalgar Square last year, has been impressed by the standard of the applicants.

"I always felt there was a lot of talent out there but I didn't realise there'd be so much enthusiasm from people wanting to be involved in the scheme," he told BBC Breakfast.

I knew little to nothing about handball, to be honest. Rugby was pretty much my life Stuart Campbell, GB handball

"Some of them have had sporting backgrounds in different areas, and they've just been guided into sports where they've got the opportunity of succeeding."

Stuart Campbell, a 25-year-old from Worsley, applied to become a Sporting Giant and has since abandoned rugby union in favour of the GB handball team.

"I knew little to nothing about handball, to be honest," said Campbell.

"I'd watched bits on TV but I had no knowledge of it, rugby was pretty much my life.

"It's been fantastic. You're thrown into the professional environment and the expectations are getting greater and greater."

UK Sport, the Government agency behind the Sporting Giants scheme, says it intends to launch further recruitment drives this year.

Among its plans is a campaign to discover female sporting talent in British universities.