The UK government has unveiled a new sport strategy, its first in eight years, aiming to tackle what it describes as 'stubbornly high levels of inactivity'. The Get Active initiative sets ambitious targets: one million more adults and 2.5 million more children physically active by 2030. However, critics question the feasibility given that over a decade after the London 2012 Olympics, inactivity remains widespread.
Currently, 25% of adults in England are inactive, with more than 11 million doing less than 30 minutes of activity per week. Among children and young people, just over 50% fail to meet the recommended 60 minutes of daily activity, with 30% doing less than 30 minutes a day. The UK ranks joint 12th out of 15 comparable European nations for physical activity levels, according to the Sport and Recreation Alliance.
The strategy comes amid rising obesity rates: almost a quarter of Year 6 children in England were obese in 2021-2022, up 3% from 2018-19. Additionally, there has been a 4,000-hour drop in PE and sport provision in state-funded secondary schools in the last academic year, a 12% decline since 2012. The Youth Sport Trust calls this 'a matter of immediate national concern'.
The government estimates that every £1 spent on sport generates nearly £4 in health, wellbeing, and economic returns, preventing 900,000 cases of diabetes and 93,000 cases of dementia annually. A new cross-government taskforce will be established to prioritise tackling inactivity, with targeted investment for the most inactive groups and a review of school sport provision.
However, the strategy has been criticised for lacking new investment. Emily Robinson, chief executive of London Sport, said: 'Crucially this strategy does not contain any new investment, or details on how there will be more joined-up government working.' The government also cut the cycling and walking budget earlier this year, despite committing to 'facilitating active travel' in the new plan.
