The benefits that sport bestows on society are well known. Physical activity funnels the natural energy of children while ingraining valuable life skills such as determination, perseverance and teamwork. This is not to mention the various health benefits of regular exercise. Sport is one of the best and cheapest defences against type 2 diabetes and obesity. A youth sporting culture is likely to lead to a healthier, more active lifestyle when children grow into adults. Therefore, plans to cultivate deeper local talent through the Champions of Tomorrow programme are welcome.
As The National reported yesterday, the campaign spearheaded by the Abu Dhabi Education Council is designed to grow local sporting talent and identify future sporting greats. The initiative rolled out as our national football team returned home from an impressive third-place finish at the Asian Cup. Their demonstration of sporting prowess on an international stage underlines the principle that when we invest in proper infrastructure and adequate facilitates, our society can produce excellence.
To fully realise the promise of the Champions of Tomorrow campaign, we need a sustained comittment to building better indoor sporting facilities, so training can continue all year round. In many ways, this is just as important as having mandatory sporting routines built into the school curriculum, as the plan correctly calls for.
Great athletes are not born overnight. They represent the work of their coaches, of their facilities and, ultimately, of their societies. We have seen success in football, thanks to the world class local facilities as well as our warm embrace of the sport in general. Smaller countries can dominate in sport when they focus on specific areas, as New Zealand does with rugby, as opposed to attempting to excel in multiple endeavours. The same idea works here. When we focus our energy into specific sports, we excel.
The formula is clear. Better infrastructure along with a focus on specific sports will result in our country’s athletes punching above their weight in international competition.
