A couple of news articles have caught my eye over the past couple of days. The first was regarding Michael Gove's decision that the Government cuts £162 million of sports funding in English schools. This is despite a supposed commitment of providing a lasting sports legacy for the country following the 2012 Olympics and the fact that England is currently bidding for the 2018 World Cup.
Figures show that when the last Conservative government had power in 1997 only 25% of children at state schools were given the statutory minimum of 2hrs PE per week. Under the last Labour government this figure, by 2010, had risen to 93%.
Surely reducing funding to such a degree will result in this figure dropping again, as well as having an adverse effect on other initiatives, such as the fight against child obesity. Which we are being told is increasing to epidemic proportions in this country and the resulting burdening effect this will have on such institutions (and their associated costs) as the health service.
The other article, which appeared in 'The Observer' discussed how fast man could ultimately run, featuring particularly the 100m and the marathon.
Frequently statistics of past performances and trends in performance are used to predict the possible limits of how fast a man can run. However, the article set out, that scientists are still only in the early stages of understanding the limits of human performance and that humans will continue to throw up unpredictable variables which make the prediction of ultimate world record times impossible.
I don't think many people are expecting British athletes breaking world record times in the near future, but when looking at the way things are going funding wise I think that any that do will do so despite funding and support as much as because of funding and support.
Meanwhile, from a personal running point of view, I have picked up a heavy cold and since my training has already been curtailed do to hamstring problems, this is probably the best time to have caught cold.
Finally congratulations to Catherine who knocked a minute and a half of her 10km pb at the Leeds Abbey Dash.
Figures show that when the last Conservative government had power in 1997 only 25% of children at state schools were given the statutory minimum of 2hrs PE per week. Under the last Labour government this figure, by 2010, had risen to 93%.
Surely reducing funding to such a degree will result in this figure dropping again, as well as having an adverse effect on other initiatives, such as the fight against child obesity. Which we are being told is increasing to epidemic proportions in this country and the resulting burdening effect this will have on such institutions (and their associated costs) as the health service.
The other article, which appeared in 'The Observer' discussed how fast man could ultimately run, featuring particularly the 100m and the marathon.
Frequently statistics of past performances and trends in performance are used to predict the possible limits of how fast a man can run. However, the article set out, that scientists are still only in the early stages of understanding the limits of human performance and that humans will continue to throw up unpredictable variables which make the prediction of ultimate world record times impossible.
I don't think many people are expecting British athletes breaking world record times in the near future, but when looking at the way things are going funding wise I think that any that do will do so despite funding and support as much as because of funding and support.
Meanwhile, from a personal running point of view, I have picked up a heavy cold and since my training has already been curtailed do to hamstring problems, this is probably the best time to have caught cold.
Finally congratulations to Catherine who knocked a minute and a half of her 10km pb at the Leeds Abbey Dash.
Comments
Personally, I don't think schools/PE lessons alone are enough to fight childhood obesity. Proper eating habits need to be taught at the home front too.
I agree that PE lessons by themselves will not be enough to reduce childhood obesity and you are right that proper eating habits need to be taught at home also - but PE lessons help and reducing or taking away these lessons does not send out the right message