British Government announces School Olympics

The British Government has revealed it will invest up to US$15 million to fund a schools’ Olympics.

The money will be spent on creating a local league structure for primary and secondary schools. Winning teams will compete in 60 county finals before going on to a national final.

Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, claimed the idea was created to dispel the myth that competitive sport is bad for children. He said: “We have to realise that sport is a good thing. It does not damage your self-esteem, it helps to strengthen your self-esteem because sport is often about picking yourself up.

“Sport – whether you win or lose – teaches young people great lessons for life. It encourages teamwork, dedication and striving to be the best that you can be. This will be a key part of our drive to leave a real lasting sports legacy from London’s Games.”

However, the move has been criticised by some who say that it is not different enough from existing school sports events and that it comes at a time when budgets in most other sections are being cut.

Education Secretary, Michael Gove, defended this saying : “We need to revive competitive sport in our schools.

“Fewer than a third of school pupils take part in regular competitive sport within schools, and fewer than one-in-five take part in regular competition between schools. The School Olympics gives us a chance to change that for good.”