17 July 2012 Last updated at 07:04 ET

Belfast Interface Games get under way in North Belfast

The Belfast Interface Games are under way for children living on either side of the sectarian divide.

The games are a cross-community sports camps and will run during the London Olympics.

Over the next three weeks, they will take place in north, west and east Belfast.

The games are for children aged between nine and 13, and the north Belfast event is happening for three days from Tuesday at Crusaders football ground.

The governing bodies for football, rugby and gaelic have all backed the games which bring together young people from Belfast's sectarian interfaces.

Organisers hope the events will be repeated in the future, in parallel with the forthcoming World Police and Fire Games and Commonwealth Games.

They want this to be more than a quick diversion during a period of crisis.

Children will be invited to play "a game of three halves" - a mixture of soccer, rugby and gaelic football.

The camps will culminate in what is being billed as a flagship event on 10 August - two days before the Olympics are due to end.

The initiative is being organised by the Belfast Interface Project which represents 45 community organisations from nationalist and unionist areas and the charity, Peace Players International.