A bid to bring the biggest youth sporting event in the world to Scotland for the first time has been launched.

If successful, the International Children's Games will come to Lanarkshire in 2011 with between 2000 and 3000 children from around the world taking part.

North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire councils have combined to attempt to host the event and are competing against Singapore and Daegu in South Korea.

Lanarkshire has been involved in the "mini Olympics" since 2000 when it sent a team to Hamilton, Ontario, in Canada. This year an 18-strong Lanarkshire team took part in the games in Reykjavik, Iceland, where they returned with medals.

Kirsty Gilmour, 13, and Fiona Archibald, 14, won bronze in the girls' doubles badminton.

Fiona, a pupil at Larkhall Academy, said: "When I was asked to play at the games I was really chuffed, but I didn't know how big an event it was.

"After reading about it and realising there would be players from more than 60 countries I couldn't wait to go."

Kirsty added: "The experience I gained was amazing. Playing against the likes of Taipei, Bejiing and Korea was new and challenging.

"The ICG was hopefully the start of my international career, as I hope to compete in the 2012 Olympics and the 2014 Commonwealth Games."

A team will head to San Francisco to take part in next year's games where the decision for the 2011 games will be taken.

Council officials hope they will be able to stage the event and see some of their young stars progress to take part in the 2014 Commonwealth Games hopefully in Glasgow.

Young athletes aged 12 to 15 compete across a range of sports including football, athletics, golf and swimming.

Both councils have united with civic organisation New Lanarkshire to submit their bid. Jim McCabe, leader of North Lanarkshire council, said: "I am convinced the games would give a lift to the whole of Lanarkshire.

"What we want to avoid is a situation where the games are parachuted in and rocketed out without really touching or embracing the local community. Our aim to involve the local community in every way we can and for the games to create a lasting legacy that will be of real benefit for years to come puts us in with a very positive chance of being awarded the games."

South Lanarkshire Council leader Eddie McAvoy said: "It is a move that clearly acknowledges the positive impact the event would deliver to Lanarkshire, both in terms of international kudos and tangible economic benefits.

"This would let us bring on the young hopefuls bidding to represent Lanarkshire at the 2011 games and who knows, uncover potential competitors to carry Scotland's colours in what we all hope will be the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014."

The International Children's Games have been an annual event since the inaugural games in 1968 in Slovenia between teams from seven countries. It has grown to have more than 3000 competitors from 53 countries The Lanarkshire bid would make use of school and council facilities, Motherwell FC's Fir Park and Hamilton Academicals' New Douglas Park.