Last week, Generation-Pep came out with its annual report on how active our children and young people are. Pretty bleak reading where there has been no improvement in the last five years. The screen is of course the big culprit!
30 percent of teenagers spend five hours or more in front of a screen daily, outside of school hours. 20 percent of children and young people meet the recommendations for physical activity, but only 3 percent live healthily if you also look at the well-balanced diet they eat. Then it is clear that economic inequality creates gaps when it comes to sports and health.
The government dribbles
The government has been dribbling for just over a year regarding a leisure card for children and young people. There was nothing this year either, of course.
I think we all see with the naked eye how public health is steadily deteriorating. Most of us also understand that things need to change and some of us understand that there are no easy shortcuts to get there. But when the government’s budget was presented last autumn, it was exactly as usual, no increased funding for sports. That budget has been unchanged for 15 years.
An extra support of SEK 250 million had also been promised (whale pork) for sporting purposes to 61 vulnerable areas around the country. Nothing came of it either.
When will those who govern really understand the power of sports in society as a preventive basis AGAINST crime and exclusion, and FOR better integration and public health?
Why not invest even more!
Over the years, sports issues have been bounced around in the government and belonged to several different ministries. It has been with the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Business, the Ministry of Culture and now it is back in the Ministry of Social Affairs. But we have never had a sports minister in this country.
Difficult to bowl
Jakob Forssmed is the Minister of Social Affairs with responsibility for sports matters, and this has been the case in the past as well. Sports is just one area of responsibility. How exactly is Forssmed supposed to ball everything at the same time? The responsibility of the Minister of Social Affairs is “civil society and sports, public health and youth policy”, according to the government’s website.
It is no small responsibility for a population that is becoming increasingly unhealthy, that has a lack of space on plans and halls and a society that is becoming increasingly uncivilized.
Assume that youth policy can be left a little aside at the moment.
I think that we in Sweden should have a purely sports minister. Kristersson can send a signal to Janne Andersson. He is free now. This is what he said in an interview with Expressen 19/9 2022:
– “I have actually met members of parliament from several parties on several occasions and registered my interest. I can run for sports minister in the future”.
Needs to be upgraded
In that case, Janne would have to help the municipalities with the lack of space in the big cities. Plans, halls and rinks are needed. Those around the country are in many cases substandard and need to be upgraded and maintained.
He can open the leisure centers again, train leaders who lead by example, turn all closed padel halls into activity areas and introduce more sports in the school.
Janne’s mantra during his years as national football captain was that he always lived in the present.
Then was then and now is now. Late is late.
In order not to become like all other politicians, I hope he can change to,
“Now is when we work too late!”
Now is the time to think long-term and preventively, not just stick your finger in the air and see which way the wind blows so you can turn your coat according to the wind.