Celebrating National School Sports Week (Monday 19th to Friday 23rd June 2023), some of the country’s top athletes travelled the UK to launch Sports Slam – Sports Direct’s children’s initiative, which encourages 7 to 11-year-olds to have fun and participate in at least 60 minutes of activity or sport a day. British long-distance runner Jess Piasecki, 3x current light-middleweight champion boxer Natasha Jonas, former England rugby player James Haskell and boxing’s brightest star Johnny Fisher, joined Youth Sport Trust athlete ambassadors including champion swimmer Michael Gunning, world champion inline skater Jenna Downing and renowned European skateboarder Neil Danns at primary schools across the country to promote the benefits of sport.
Kicking off on Monday 19th June, Youth Sport Trust Chief Executive Officer Ali Oliver MBE and Sports Direct’s Chief Marketing Officer Beckie Stanion were joined by former world number one Thai boxing champion Rachel Mackenzie who hosted a fun National School Sports Week and Sports Slam session for a primary school in east London.
Tuesday’s session in London saw a visit from Shadow Schools Minister Stephen Morgan, who watched the children of Parkside Primary School in Chingford learn key rugby techniques from former England rugby player James Haskell and top tips from former pro swimmer Michael Gunning.
Sports Slam’s programme of fun-fuelled activities and challenges, are designed to empower children and improve self development skills – such as confidence, courage and teamwork, through speed-dating of a variety of sports from basketball to boxing. Alongside getting active and discovering new sports, students will walk back into classrooms after the summer break, empowered by the development of personal skills like confidence, teamwork and mental wellbeing.
The launch is part of National School Sports Week, which is run by national children’s charity the Youth Sport Trust. The new partnership sees the charity and Sports Direct team up in a bid to raise awareness of the Chief Medical Officers’ recommendation that all children should be highly active with an elevated heart rate for at least 60 minutes a day as a minimum.
With almost 1 in 3 children now getting fewer than 30 active minutes per day, schools are being urged to take the #PledgeToPlay and commit to getting all young people active for at least 60 minutes a day during National School Sports Week and beyond. Schools, families, businesses and supportive partners can sign-up to participate in the campaign at https://www.youthsporttrust.org/nssw
Sports Direct is backing the campaign with the provision of free sports equipment as well as downloadable resources and teacher tools, open to all primary schools across the UK and Ireland.
With thanks to Pitch
