Sports promotes health and unity

IS Physical Education (PE) being neglected in our school system due to an educational philosophy which places more emphasis on knowledge acquisition and scoring many As in the national examinations?

The importance of PE cannot be over-emphasised. It aims to develop a child into a balanced individual and good citizen. But this importance has slipped into obscurity in our present education system.

We see a sharp decline of our youth participation in team-based sporting activities, and the implications for the lifelong physical, mental and social well-being of our youths.

Many youths are now meddling with drugs, Mat Rempits, gangster- ism or getting addicted to online games, resulting in mental health problems.

Reduced physical activity and poor eating habits, resulting in obesity, are not only seen among our youths but also our adult population. We are topping South-East Asia as the fattest nation.

Medically, it has been proven that participation in sports will lower chances of getting depression and getting involved in risky behaviours.

The Youth and Sports Ministry and Education Ministry need to work as partners to address the decline in youth participation in sporting activities. They should encourage more youth participa- tion in sporting activities.

The decline in youth sports participation may be due to a combination of factors: parents’ attitude towards sports due to safety concerns, their apprehension about coaches and cost, as well as over-emphasis on winning over having fun.

Other barriers to youth participation in sports include a lack of recreation space in our neighbourhood. Very often, our football fields are hijacked for commercial development. There are also too few sporting options to accommodate the interests of youths.

Our youths must indulge in sporting activities, rather than becoming more and more seden- tary. We have become unhealthy, with 13.3% of Malaysians being obese and 38.5% overweight.

Besides the push for better health and fitness, sports and games also promote unity among our youths. Programmes like Unity Carnival Games, Sukma, Marathon runs and Inter-club football are examples that can unite people. Sporting games for under-12 in bowling, basketball and football organised by associations such as Sport Unite will reduce the trust deficit among various races. Such activities must be continued.

Happy New Year 2018, folks.

C. SATHASIVAM SITHERAVELLU Seremban