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On World Children’s Day (November 20), Sir Mo Farah, decorated former Olympian and National School Sport Champion for the Youth Sport Trust, joined other British sports icons in urging the UK Government to leverage sport and play to improve young people’s lives. Farah hand-delivered an open letter calling for a new national plan that ensures every child has the opportunity to be physically active every day.
Only 19% of children aged 1-5 and 47% of youth aged 5-18 meet the recommended daily levels of physical activity. Youth Sport Trust’s annual report shows that 1 in 5 children in the country are obese or overweight by the time they’re five years old. Additionally, nearly half of parents believe the cost-of-living has reduced opportunities for their child to be active.
The open letter was addressed to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. Co-signatories include seven-time Paralympic Champion and Youth Sport Trust Champion Hannah Cockroft OBE, triple Olympic champions Max Whitlock OBE and Adam Peaty OBE, British Paralympic star, Dame Sarah Storey and Paris 2024 800m gold medalist Keely Hodgkinson, alongside other Team GB Olympians and Paralympians.
The Youth Sport Trust, a leading UK charity focused on improving children’s health and well-being through sport, released a film alongside the open letter. It aims to raise awareness about the long-term impacts of insufficient physical activity during childhood, including its effects on brain development and overall health.
“In the UK, far too many children are unable to access these rights through no fault of their own. Whether it’s the mental health crisis, rising obesity levels, increasing loneliness or excessive exposure to screens and digital trauma, this generation risks failing to achieve their full potential. Now is the time to put children first,” the letter states.
The letter details for the new national plan to deliver change by:
- Ensuring early years providers support physical development so all children are healthy movers before starting school.
- Delivering greater physical activity in schools, including increased access to sport.
- Targeting activities towards those whose participation is hindered by systemic barriers.
Speaking on behalf of the letter’s signatories, Farah stated: “While we compete in different events, we are united in our belief that, beyond the sporting field, our legacy should ensure every child in the UK has an active start in life. By encouraging more children to be active from their early years and throughout childhood, we can break down barriers to opportunity and create the healthiest and happiest generation of children ever in Britain.”
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