A chance to participate

Just spent another day with a miscellany of sports. It is extraordinary how we human beings have been able to create
competition, rules, techniques, history, records and governing bodies over so many different games stretching our
physical abilities, mental toughness and eye for making contact with a moving or still object.

It is this enormous variety of different challenges that makes sport so available to everyone, irrespective of skills, stamina or stature. Yet, of course, there are still many of us who do not participate. Despite the legacy of the Olympics, participation in sports has declined 1%, with the younger generation leaving in even greater numbers.

It is not enough to promote sport or improve facilities (though there is some evidence that these are declining in number and quality) to overcome apathy, the fear of competition or lack of confidence in one’s physicality or abilities. There needs to be a means of gently coaxing everyone into understanding the benefits of movement and effort before considering more demanding activity.

This is why Active Movement was created. It enables everyone to make small but significant changes in their sedentary behaviour with all the associated reductions in diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol levels and stress. At the same time, there are the positive gains in confidence, energy levels and vitality that can improve short-term health – and perhaps be the startpoint to one day participating in one of the many sports I have seen this past week.