OPINION: Taking pressure off the youth is a big step forward for athletics

When I first attended the annual sports day at my daughters’ primary school, I was surprised that they gave no weight to performances and results. They focussed entirely on participation.

At first, I didn’t like the approach of eliminating the competitive nature of track and field events. I’ve since changed my mind.

As an athletics fan, I am obsessed with times and distances, but at grassroots level, these things shouldn’t matter at all.

There are valuable lessons that can be learned through competitive sport which children can carry with them into their adult lives. Being a team player is one. Learning to win or lose graciously is another.

But having watched a fair bit of sub-youth athletics in the last couple of years, I don’t think these values need to be taught to primary school kids.

Enjoyment is key

We say this so much that it has become a cliche, but the most important thing for children taking part in sport is that they have fun.

If a child performs well at a very young age, and is pushed too hard by coaches, teachers and parents, that child is unlikely to become an elite athlete at senior level.

The only way to keep kids in any sport is to ensure they are enjoying it. If they’re not having fun, as soon as they have the chance to quit, they will.

A few years ago, World Athletics made the decision to scratch the World U18 Championships, having realised that youth athletes were being pushed too fast into elite-level international competition.

Now, the global body has taken another step forward by launching Kids Athletics, a programme which “uses the power of athletics to inspire children and young people to be more active, develop their skills and confidence, and to connect with the sport for life”.

Introduced in South Africa

On Friday, ahead of the SA Sub-Youth Championships in Bloemfontein, Athletics South Africa high performance manager Hezekiel Sepeng launched Kids Athletics in South Africa, and in future this should be the focus for coaches, teachers and parents whose children are in primary school.

Largely ignoring performances and results takes the pressure off the kids, and focussing instead on enjoyment will ensure more of them stay involved in athletics as they get older.

When they get to high school, teenagers can be introduced to more competitive environments, and in athletics, by the time they turn 18 they will have opportunities to compete internationally.

Until then, the only thing that anyone needs to ensure is that children participating in athletics are having fun. If we want to keep people in the sport, that’s where it starts.