Olympics could inspire more kids to get involved in sports

Gloucestershire University's Jordan Wintle says young people should try less traditional sports

Published 11th Aug 2024

As Team GB head into the final day of the Olympics on a tally of 63 medals, an associate Head of School in Education and Science from the University of Gloucestershire, says the Games can inspire children to take up a new sport.

Jordan Wintle says it showcases sports that young people may not have heard of.

"The kids are more aware that something's going on in the world. It's on the TV when they get home, they're reading about it on social media.

"And the Olympics is such a great platform of such a wide variety of sport, that sometimes the kids will come across something that they didn't perhaps know was out there," he says.

Jordan says schools should also take inspiration from the wide range of sports on show.

"The Olympics is moving with youth culture, and sometimes physical education in schools can be a little bit slow to move with that youth culture - they really love their traditional sports, which certainly have their place."

"I think it would be a great inspiration from these games to go 'is there anything out there that the kids could be really interested in doing that we could bring into physical education lessons?''

And it's not just children who should be inspired, says Jordan. Adults should think about how to fit exercise around their daily routines.

"What you've got to do is look for those opportunities that maybe exist more naturally within your day. So lot's of people who are busy working - it might be your commute.

"Could you park your car a little bit further out and walk to the office or even jump on a bike?"

The closing ceremony of the Olympics takes place tonight at the Stade de France.

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