We Can’t All Be Mr. Universe
Source: agtl.co.uk
…But we can all be a bit more active.
As many of my fellow Londoners may have heard, the government had been planning bold and far-reaching sporting objectives in the run up (pun unintended) to the Olympics next year. The majority of those Londoners probably heard that these targets were to be scrapped as they were too financially ambitious for the government. Lo and behold the turning of the government’s back to these plans has now been made official.
“I do think it’s reasonable to ask whether, with resources as constrained as they are, if it’s an appropriate use of taxpayers money to be focusing on adult participation when really what we want is to be getting young people into a habit for life,” he [Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport] said. “We are looking very closely at whether we should target our resources more effectively in that respect. That would be a very significant shift that we’re actively talking to them about.” [source]
The reversal of this pledge to galvanize more than one million adults into regular sporting activity comes as quite a blow to the mighty city of London and is partially tainting our expectations for the Olympics to come. Will our government embarrass us?
Even if that is to be the case, it seems Boris is not likely to let the event blemish our city. A publicity campaign this week was the perfect counter-balance to the news of government sporting cutbacks: Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Governator, came swooping into the city to prop up Boris’ past campaigns (such as the 6,000 “Boris Bikes“) and put his support behind new initiatives that Boris may be going forth with.
Historically, the two had their “differences in style” but putting that behind them for the greater good is the sign of leaders who have the forward-thinking gene. They both have similar goals for the environmental sustainability and health of their regions of governance, and despite a huge contrast in political flair, they seem to be learning from one another.
Boris has claimed since 2008 that he promises to create a “massive sporting legacy” and without the coalition government’s support this could get a little more difficult. However, equipped with the brawny, athletic support of Arnie and the The Sports Participation Fund (£4 million) (which not only hopes to generate more exercise in the younger generation, but to lower crime levels too) Boris is onto a winning formula:
Source: eu2hell.blogspot.com
1. Supporting ‘at risk’ young adults aged 16 – 25 yrs of age
Projects that use physical activity to tackle issues such as crime, unemployment or drug and alcohol abuse. As well as using sport as a diversionary measure, the projects should also use other methods to tackle a range of issues that help return participants to employment, education or training or help develop young leaders and role models for local communities.
2. Increasing participation in sport
Projects which engage people who are currently ‘inactive’ and get them involved in sport to promote better health and healthy living.
3. Community Development
A holistic approach that encourages people to work in partnership for the benefits of their local communities and decide what type of sports project will help bring long term positive change.
Boris will be aiming his fund at grassroots level, the youth, which still leaves a gap in the older age groups. The government now seem to be scrambling back on their words as they try to stimulate more activity in the late teen to early twenties demographic. They hope that this could prove more important in creating a generational mindset of regular sporting interest. Needless to say, this has not been made official and one is not advised to hold their breath. The Olympics Minister has made it very clear that taxpayers money must be targeted elsewhere.
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