“Competitive Sport Over-Emphasised”

Press, Volume C, Issue 29609, 4 September 1961, Page 12

“Competitive Sport Over-Emphasised”

The emphasis on competitive sport in New ZealSnd schools and universities was keeping too many people “on their backsides,” said Mr A. S. Lewis, physical education officer at the University of Canterbury, yesterday. Mr Lewis has just returned from several months’ refresher leave in Britain, Scandinavia and West Germany. “I believe there is too much emphasis in New Zealand and the rest of the world at present on competitive sport,” he said. “Non-comnetitive sport means wider participation for everyone, each at his own level. When sport is too competitive the recreation is in watching, not playing” Top Teams Favoured

He said he felt that when sport was too competitive the energies of the physical education experts were used to build up the prowess of the ton teams, while the others, who could find eniovment in sport. were neglected.

“Most people aim today at building up Olympic champions and the result is that a lot of people are left sittine on their backsides. “We should try to get all the mugs to do something as well.”

Mr Lewis said the modern conception of physical education was to make full provision for all sorts of recreation. One trend today was to blare emnhasis on individual snort, such as canoeing, horse-riding, yachting, camping and tramping. Mr Lewis said New Zealand's standard of physical education cruld be as high as any in the world if New Zealand universities and schools had the same opportunities and facilities as those in other countries. “In English schools.” he said, “just as much importance is attached to physical education as to any other study, “A school the size of one of our large city schools for example would probably have two gymnasia equipped with far better apparatus than we would find anywhere in this

country, and a heated pool for year-round swimming instruction. “There would be a head of department, with four or five teachers to assist him with a comprehensive pro. gramme of gymnastics, games, individual sports, swimming and outdoor pur. suits.” Important Phase He said the universities also attached a lot of importance to physical education and recreation in student life. “Most accord a higher status to staff and provide recreational facilities far in excess of anything found in New Zealand.” Mr Lewis said he paid par. ticular attention to the fact that most English universities were planning further expansion, and that many had building programmes for the near future. “I was interested in view of the development of the Ham site,” he said. “I feel that Canterbury has a unique opportunity to develop a Physical Education Centre there equal to anything in the Commonwealth.”