Pushy parents have admitted to training their children in preparation for school sports day and even encouraging them to cheat, it has emerged.

A third of parents would not stop their child from cheating, while more than one in 10 confess to actively encouraging their offspring to win by dishonest means.

Children are being told to poke feet holes in sacks, trip other competitors up or distract them during races. One in five parents have helped their child to stick eggs to spoons while 25% offer bribes to their children in a bid to encourage them to win - with one mother even offering a trip to EuroDisney as an incentive.

A further one in five parents owned up to cheating themselves in the parents' race.

One mother admitted going for runs every night during the run up to the parents' sprint race, while another confessed to using chewing gum to stick the egg to the spoon during the egg and spoon race.

And "disappointed, upset, angry and let down" parents are now laying the blame on schools if their child loses at sports day, with 36% saying schools don't encourage pupils to be competitive enough.

The study, conducted by the Early Learning Centre, questioned more than 2,000 parents.

An ELC spokesperson said it is important to teach children it's the taking part that counts.

"Encouraging children to do well and practicing a few different sports in the garden is one thing but encouraging children to cheat is taking things too far."

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• The Egg And Spoon Race

  Stick your egg to your spoon. A variety of adhesives can be used here: glue, blu-tack, chewing gum...

• The Relay Race

  Grease the other team's relay baton with oil or butter

• Sports Day - General Tips

  Attempt to trip your opponent up at all times

• Sports Day - General Tips

  Superglue the soles of your opponent's shoes so they stick to the ground and can't move

• Tug Of War

  Weigh your pockets down with stones so you weigh more, or just eat A LOT before the competition

• The Sack Race

  Gluing your feet to the corners of the sack and running

• Sports Day - General Tips

  Feed your opponent lots of Tic Tacs/Polos/mints so they have to keep running off to the toilet

• Sports Day - The Prize

  Tell your fellow competitors first prize is a kiss from the elderly head teacher. Who may have a hint of moustache about her lips..