Malta has, unfortunately, again ended up at the wrong end of the table in a recent Eurobarometer study, which found Maltese youths were the second least likely to participate in sports club activities.
Maltese youths ranked a lowly 11 per cent compared to the EU’s average 29 per cent engagement. This study, together with the alarming fact that, on average, 40 per cent of Maltese children are overweight or obese, does not paint a bright future for our future sporting stars. Nor does it augur well for the national authorities’ efforts in ensuring that youths are engaging in physical education activities.
Physical activity is vital for the holistic development of young people, fostering their physical, social and emotional values.
Sport at an educational level has an educational impact, with changes being seen in both motor skills development and realising educational potential.
Through participating in sport and physical education, young people learn vital life skills such as teamwork, fair play, honesty, adherence to rules and respect for themselves and those around them.
Sports education at the youth level creates a positive relationship between being involved in physical activities and psychological development. Blending sport with culture and education results in a concept called ‘Olympism’, which seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of a good example and respect for universal, fundamental, ethical principles.
At the core of engaging youths in sport are the three Olympic values: friendship, excellence and respect. These values must always be fostered by participants in sports, and thus it is vital that they are taught and adhered to from a young age.
Friendship relates to considering sport as a tool for understanding among individuals from all over the world, no matter their age, race, sex or religious background.
Excellence entails giving one’s best, both on the field of play and in the professional arena. Sport is not just about winning but also about participating. It is about striving to do one’s best in one’s daily life, making progress against personal goals and benefitting from the healthy combination of a strong body, mind and will.
Finally, but equally important, is respect for oneself, one’s body, for others, rules and regulations. Athletes must adhere to principles of fair play and the fight against doping and match-fixing, ensuring that the sport they participate in is fair and just.
The benefits of sport go beyond the impact on physical well-being
Governmental authorities and national sports bodies and associations need to unite to come up with further incentives for youths to engage in sports.
They need to invest in the development and maintenance of safe, open sports facilities so residents can practise their favourite sporting activities.
Schools must be provided with properly-maintained and utilised sports facilities, together with well-designed physical education programmes and trained instructors. Physical education needs to be on par with other educational subjects and not put on the back burner.
The misconstrued impression that sport affects the capability of a child in his or her academic studies needs to be changed once and for all.
Various independent studies have shown how physical education activities contribute to a child’s development, with the benefits forming a core part of that child’s evolution in life.
Sport at the youth level should never be underestimated nor put aside. The benefits of sport go beyond the impact on physical well-being.
A joint, team effort is needed to break the norm if we are to increase youth participation in sport.
Through a steady investment in the sports sector by both the government and public-private partnerships, Malta can continue to benefit from economic growth through business investments and employment, sustaining the environment through the protection of open spaces, promoting and making use of alternative modes of transport such as cycling and walking and, ultimately, enabling Maltese athletes to be better trained and equipped to compete against their foreign counterparts.
Robert Dingli is a sports lawyer and vice president of Swieqi United FC.