President Trump is expected to sign an executive order that will see the Presidential Fitness Test return to public schools in the United States. The move, which expands his Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, will be marked at a White House event attended by several high-profile athletes, including Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker and golfer Bryson DeChambeau.
The Presidential Fitness Test was first introduced by Lyndon Johnson in 1966 and remained a fixture in public education until 2012, when Barack Obama replaced it with an alternative assessment known as the FitnessGram. The original test, based on an initiative from the Eisenhower era, included pull-ups, sit-ups, a shuttle run, standing broad jumps, a 50-yard dash and a softball throw, though these elements were modified over the years.
The order, which will be administered by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr., is designed to create school-based programmes that reward excellence in physical education and establish criteria for a Presidential Fitness Award. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: "President Trump wants every young American to have the opportunity to emphasise healthy, active lifestyles – creating a culture of strength and excellence for years to come."
The White House says the order is a response to a "widespread epidemic of declining health and physical fitness" and will see the presidential council partner with professional athletes and sports organisations. Mr DeChambeau, who recently played golf on the South Lawn of the White House, is to be named chairman of the council. The presence of Mr Butker is notable given his past controversial remarks about women and Pride Month.
Others expected to attend include former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor, WWE executive Paul "Triple H" Levesque, Swedish golfer Annika Sorenstam and physician Stephen Soloway. The president has increasingly used sporting events as a platform during his second term, and has sought to influence cultural issues, most recently threatening the Washington Commanders over their name.
