The last week saw students going back to school for the new academic year, as well as the proceedings at the 2009 UK School Games.  The four-day event took place throughout Wales from 3rd-6th September, buying medicine online showcasing the best of sporting talent in schools throughout the nation.  Sports included were traditional Athletics, Badminton, Fencing, Gymnastics, Hockey, Judo, Swimming, Table Tennis, Track Cycling and Volleyball.  The games were an overriding success and a great way to start off the 2009/10 academic year, but there seemed to be one question that simply had to be asked: were the UK School Games a true representation of gifted and talented individuals across the UK or were there many that hadn’t been given the opportunity?

Exclusion in traditional competition

To take part in any of the sports that made up the UK School Games, schools have to have the facilities to train budding athletes.  The schools with the best Hockey teams will undoubtedly have access to grass or Astroturf pitches that are expensive.  The same goes for the other sports mentioned above.  What happened to the children that were gifted and talented enough to take part in the Games, but could not be identified and developed because their school did not have the resources for a good quality sports education?

Talent that gets left behind

Unfortunately, as much as the government engages with drives to widen participation to disadvantaged, deprived areas, it is still incredibly difficult for schools with a limited budget to find their rising stars, let alone to develop and support them in their training.  Those schools need school sports initiatives that allow good quality sports to be implemented without an enormous price tag attached.

Virtual competition: the solution

Moving school sports into the digital age is one answer as it removes many of the practical logistics of organising competitive school sports that swallow so many resources.  Virtual competitions erases many of the day-to-day difficulties such as travel costs by placing the competitive element of school sports online, ensuring that schools in deprived areas can also be sure to participate in high quality competitive sports.

Software such as Active revolves around skills-based sessions, which means that it is easier to identify talent and develop the foundations of physical activity.

If more schools from deprived areas can be sure to offer their students good quality physical education, then perhaps we can finally rise to the challenge of taking those talented individuals who have never had the opportunity to attend events such as the UK School Games and give them the break they deserve.