“Mapping of School Sport in Europe” Laurent Thieule’s Foreword

Childhood and youth offer a uniquely important window to learn and practice skills likely to improve fitness and good health. Indeed, we know that the first ten years of life are instrumental to secure good habits for physical activity. Because it is guaranteed to reach virtually all children, physical education is the only sure opportunity for nearly all school-age children to access health-enhancing physical activities.

In a world where cognitive skills and developing the mind is the ultimate goal (and where we reward students for learning while seated), physical education as part of education provides the only opportunity for all children to learn about physical movement and engage in physical activity.

However, not all physical activity opportunities fall into the remit of physical education lessons within the school context. Although often overlooked, school sport organisations/federations offer a wide range of programmes, activities and opportunities to go beyond the academic curricula when it comes to movement.

In a century where physical activity levels are dropping and where life expectancy is even declining in some parts of Europe, it is worth exploring every sector likely to bring a contribution to the physical inactivity epidemic.

With this panorama, released with the International School Sport Federation (ISF) and its EU members, we wanted to bring the contribution of school sport forward. It is about taking stock of the existing landscape of school sport in Europe and understanding the status quo of this sector. We are happy to present the first-ever mapping of school sport in Europe.

Laurent Thieule, Sport and Citizenship Think tank President