Jordan Wintle, Associate Head of the School of Education & Science, University of Gloucestershire.
With the Paris 2024 Olympics now here, the excitement is building. It’s not just about the traditional events, but also the innovative new sports that mirror the evolving landscape of youth culture. The introduction of skateboarding, surfing, and climbing at the 2021 Tokyo Games, along with Breaking (competitive breakdancing) and 3v3 basketball in Paris, sets a compelling precedent for inclusivity and relevance. The addition of sports like kitesurfing and kayak-cross further underscores this shift towards modern movement cultures. But what can physical education glean from these changes to stay current and resonate more deeply with today’s youth?
Personal relevance is a cornerstone of meaningful physical education (Beni et al., 2017; Fletcher et al., 2021). It’s about enabling children to bridge what they learn in school with their interests and activities outside the school gates. The inclusion of non-traditional sports in the Olympics underscores a crucial truth: to stay relevant, we must embrace change. The sports landscape is evolving, and so are the interests and lifestyles of young people. Traditional physical education curricula, often centred on traditional team sports like football, netball, and cricket, may no longer capture the diverse interests of students. By integrating activities that mirror current trends and youth culture, physical education can potentially become more engaging and meaningful for students.
One of the most crucial takeaways for physical education from the Olympics is the necessity to mirror youth culture. This is a point that has been emphasised in recent discussions on the need for physical education to adapt by incorporating a more diverse range of activities (Beaumont & Warburton 2020; Stidder, 2023). Skateboarding, surfing, climbing, kitesurfing, and kayak-cross are not just sports; they are lifestyles. They resonate with young people because they represent freedom, creativity, and a connection to nature/place. These sports also offer opportunities for self-expression and personal challenge, which are highly valued by today’s youth. Integrating lifestyle sports into physical education curricula can foster a stronger bond between students and physical activity, allowing them to view physical education to explore their interests and develop new skills. This alignment with youth culture can lead to higher levels of participation and enthusiasm.
The addition of 3v3 basketball and Breaking to the Olympics highlights another critical lesson: the value of informal and flexible sport options (O’Connor & Penney, 2021). Traditional physical education often emphasises structured team sports with rigid rules and large groups, which can be intimidating or unappealing to some students. By contrast, sports like 3v3 basketball offer a more relaxed, inclusive environment that encourages participation from all skill levels. Incorporating more informal sport options in physical education can help create a more inclusive and enjoyable experience. Smaller team formats, for instance, can reduce the pressure on individual students and provide more opportunities for participation and skill development. Similarly, activities like Breaking can offer a fun and creative outlet that combines physical activity with artistic expression.
One of the ultimate goals of physical education is to instil a love of physical activity that lasts a lifetime. By keeping up with the times and incorporating activities that resonate with students, PE can play a crucial role in promoting lifelong fitness. The diverse range of sports now featured in the Olympics shows that there are many pathways to staying active and healthy. Programs that include a variety of activities—ranging from traditional team sports to lifestyle and informal sports—can help students discover what they enjoy. This can lead to a lifelong passion for physical activity, whether it’s through surfing, climbing, dance, kitesurfing, kayak-cross, or a pick-up game of basketball. Of course, the Olympics showcases competitive versions of these sports, but for most participants, these activities are about passion and participation rather than formal competition.
The Olympics has shown that staying relevant and engaging requires a willingness to adapt and embrace new trends. To thrive, we must adapt. By learning from the Olympics and incorporating lifestyle sports and more informal, flexible options, physical education can better connect with today’s youth. This not only makes physical education more enjoyable but also fosters a lifelong love of physical activity, setting students up for healthier, happier lives.
Of course, implementing the activities with a complementary pedagogical approach is also key, but that’s for another blog!
References
Beaumont, L.; Warburton, V. (2020) Lifestyle sports, pedagogy and physical education. In Capel, S. A., & Whitehead, M. (2020). Debates in physical education (Second edition). Routledge.
Beni, S., Fletcher, T., & Nà ChróinÃn, D. (2017). Meaningful experiences in physical education and youth sport: a review of the literature. Quest, 69(3), 291–312.
Fletcher, T., ChróinÃn, D. N., Gleddie, D., & Beni, S (2021) The why, what, and how of Meaningful Physical Education. In Fletcher, T., ChróinÃn, D. N., Gleddie, D., & Beni, S. (Eds.). (2021). Meaningful Physical Education: An approach for teaching and learning. Routledge.
O’Connor, J., & Penney, D. (2021). Informal sport and curriculum futures: An investigation of the knowledge, skills and understandings for participation and the possibilities for physical education. European Physical Education Review, 27(1), 3-26.
Stidder, G. (2023) Modernisation of physical education. In Stidder, G. (2023). Teaching physical education: contemporary issues for teachers, educators and students. Routledge, Taylor &Francis Group.
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