Every Saturday morning, as the clock strikes 9 am, over 50,000 eager runners set off on a 5km journey around their local park. The Parkrun phenomenon, which originally began as a small gathering among a group of friends, has now boosted 400 events across the UK and numerous others globally. These events, fueled   by the dedication of thousands of volunteers, offer a free and inclusive opportunity for individuals of all ages   and abilities to participate. Runners range from four-year-olds to grandparents whose finishing times vary greatly, spanning from Andrew Baddeley’s world record of 13 minutes and 48 seconds to leisurely strolls lasting over an hour.

Parkru n is succeeding where London’s Olympic “legacy” has failed. Ten years ago on Monday, it was announced that the Games of the 30th Olympics would be held in London. Planning documents promised that the lasting legacy of the Games would be to move a nation of sport lovers away from their couches. The population would be fitter, healthier and produce more winners. This obviously has not happened. The number of adults doing weekly sport did rise, by nearly 2 million in the run-up to 2012, but the general population had already been growing faster than this number. Worse yet, the numbers are now falling at an accelerating rate. The opposition claims primary school pupils doing at least two hours of sport a week have been nearly halved. Obesity has risen among adults and children alike. Official retrospections (回顾) continue to speculate as to why London 2012 failed to “inspire a generation”. The success of Parkrun can offer us some answers.

Parkrun is not a race but a time trial: Your only competitor is the clock. Its concept welcomes everybody. There is as much joy for a puffed-out (上气不接下气) first-timer being clapped over the line as there is for the sport’s top talent. The Olympic bidders, by contrast, wanted to get more people doing sports and to produce more elite athletes. The dual aim was mixed up: The stress on success over taking part was off-putting to newcomers.

Indeed, there is something a little weird in the state getting involved in the planning of such a fundamentally “grassroots” concept as community sports associations. If there is a role for government, it should really be in getting involved in providing common public goods — making sure that there is space for playing fields and the money to pave tennis and netball courts, and encouraging the provision of all these activities in schools. But successive governments are to blame for selling green spaces, squeezing money from local authorities and declining attention on sport in education. Instead of wordy, worthy strategies, future governments need to do more to provide the conditions for sport to thrive. Or at least not make them worse.

Memo

A week ago, “Sports for Life” programme was sent to the parents, requiring them to select a sport they wanted their child to play. Since then, our staff have received lots of calls from parents asking for more information about it. Here is a memo for your reference when you answer the phones.

We expect that this will be the most popular of the four sports. Therefore, students should be advised to sign up as soon as possible. Students will take a private bus to and from Kwun Tong Sports Park. To cover the cost of hiring a bus, each student will have to pay $10 each time. There will be four basketball courts available for our use with one teacher watching over each game.

We will be using St. Peter’s Memorial Park. There are two reasons for choosing this park. Frist, it is not very busy and crowded before 6:00 pm. Second, it has lot of trees with plenty of shade. Students must bring along two bottles of water to prevent thirst. Three activities, skipping, jogging, outdoor aerobics, all of which are free of charge, will be arranged. And there will be a teacher on duty for each of the activities.

Hiking will take place at Kowloon Peak. The activity will start at 2:30 pm and finish 90 minutes later. Three teachers will accompany the students, and a hiking instructor will accompany each group of 15 hikers. Each instructor will cost $75/hr. Students are advised to bring plenty of water and sunscreen.

The Kowloon City Aquatic Centre is a 10-minute walk from our school. Four teachers will go to the pool and conduct the goings-on from the poolside. We will only be able to reserve the pool for one hour (i.e. 2:45pm to 3:45pm). Only students skillful at swimming can take up this activity. The pool will have two lifeguards present. Girls must wear a swimming suit. The cost is $10 per visit.

Sports can help us a lot. Taking exercises can make us strong. In collective sports like basketball, volleyball or football, we will learn the importance of cooperation. And sports can also help us relax after work or study.

However, as the saying goes, “there are two sides of everything.” Sometimes we may hurt other players or ourselves if we are not careful enough when participating in sports activities. What’s more, too much or hard practice can be bad for our health.

Sports can make us healthy both physically and psychologically. It is also a good way for people to know each other and can improve friendship between people. So long as we are careful enough, sports can do us nothing but good.