People are urged to support the borough’s Olympians as they get ready to go for gold.

The 2016 games, held in Rio De Janeiro, begin on Saturday and will include athletes from 206 countries competing in 42 different sports.

Enfield has seven Olympians in Team GB. These include two London 2012 gold medallists - Charlotte Dujardin and Ben Maher, who triumphed in equestrian events.

The Dujardin Mews development in Ponders End is named after the Olympic champion, and the post box in Southbury Road, near Enfield Town station, was painted gold in her honour by Royal Mail.

The other five competitors from the borough in Rio are Robbie Grabarz, high jump bronze medallist from 2012, swimmer Chris Walker Hebborn, and runners Margaret Adeoye, Desiree Henry and Chinjindu Ujah.

Enfield Council’s cabinet member for community safety and public health, Cllr Krystle Fonyonga, said: “The Olympics is a global festival of sport and our borough is brilliantly represented by a wide selection of competitors across a range of incredibly demanding disciplines.

“We want everyone to back Enfield’s sporting heroes and the rest of Team GB as they search for glory on the ultimate sporting stage and I’d urge residents to use their exploits as inspiration to get up and about, be more active and embrace a healthier lifestyle.”

Cllr Fonyonga said she hoped Rio 2016 would encourage more people to take part in the ‘Move More’ campaign, to encourage people to take 10 minutes of exercise three times a day and reduce their chances of developing serious health problems in later life.

If Enfield had been an independent country it would have come 26th in the medal table for London 2012, above countries such as Kenya, Ireland, Canada and India, thanks to the three gold medals and one bronze.