Sport is strength. The most amazing thing about sports is its ability to bring people together. Sports and physical education are one of the means through which physical and mental health and development are possible and I am probably the only country in the world where sports and physical education are the most neglected. The playing field of our countrys educational institutions is gradually diminishing. Sports are not just a competition, sports is now one of the means of entertainment, but students and parents are losing interest in it. Physical education and sports are not limited to personal gain but bring happiness-prosperity, fame-fame-honour economic development to a nation. And in this way, it will never be possible to form a healthy nation physically and mentally. Sports and physical education are of great social importance though neglected in our country.
Along with education, sports play the biggest role in developing physical strength and mental thinking and intelligence. Sports help children learn and grow in many ways including physical, mental, social development. Sports also help children develop creativity and imagination. The role of physical education and sports in building a healthy nation is undeniable. Sports are not only a physical activity but sports are also an advanced art. If the health is good, the mind is also good. A healthy body and mind increase interest in work and speed of work. And the importance of sports is immense to keep the body and mind healthy. Through sports, a person acquires the qualities of brotherhood, solidarity, and leadership besides gaining physical and mental fitness. However, due to the lack of adequate opportunities for sports and physical education in our country, the current generation is physically weak and mentally depressed, goes astray, gets addicted to drugs, and joins youth gangs and many even choose the path of suicide.
A study shows that in almost all countries of the world except Bangladesh, it is possible to contribute 2-3% of GDP directly and up to 10% indirectly. 2.25% of GDP in Scotland, 2.05% of GDP in the UK, 2% of GDP in the USA, and 1.5% of the GDP in Canada, and New Zealand have assessed the impact of sport. Any structured and/or repetitive physical activity performed or practiced where the primary objective is to achieve improved physical fitness.
The potential of sport-based approaches to contribute greatly to development outcomes has been recognized across international policy declarations, most notably the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Contribution of sport-based policies to sustainable development, physical activity and physical education policies Key to the SDGs is the need for efficient planning and design for sustainable development of sport, physical education, and physical activity policies, and both constructive and collective policies. Sport is an important sector of economic activity and extends to treatment and rehabilitation, research and development, sports tourism, sales and trade of sports products, construction and maintenance of sports venues, organization of sports events, and marketing and advertising.
It also creates various job and business opportunities (such as engineers and developers, modeling, coaches and sports doctors, sports journalists and commentators, sports goods and equipment retailers, etc.) In addition, it has far-reaching effects on the global economy due to its proximity to other almost all sectors including education, real estate, and tourism. The sport ranks among the top mainstream activities Sports tourism in the economy shows that an estimated $3 billion in direct economic impact was generated through overseas tourism in 2015 with 83 World Championships and multisport games. These 83 events generated more than 1.7 million bed nights and $437 million in direct economic impact from participants and media alone. The sports industry generates as much as 700 billion US dollars a year, or 1 percent of global GDP. When sporting goods, clothing, equipment, and health and fitness expenses are included. The global sports market will grow from $486.61 billion in 2022 to $512.14 billion in 2023. The market found for sporting events (i.e. revenue for tickets, media rights, and sponsorships) is worth close to US$80 billion. Annual growth between 2009 and 2013 was 7 percent, faster than most countries GDP. The market research firm expects this number to reach $623.63 billion by 2027.
The benefits of sports and physical education, economic development, prosperity, fraternity, recently, and in building a physically and mentally healthy and efficient nation, sports and physical education cannot be substituted. It is necessary to make sports and physical education compulsory at all levels of education from primary to higher secondary otherwise organizing two to four tournaments in a year is nothing but a financial waste for the state. Physical education and sports are grossly neglected, especially at the college level, despite having trained physical education teachers in secondary and higher secondary educational institutions. Not only physical education and sports are neglected at the college level, but physical education teachers (physical education teachers) are extremely neglected at the college level. They are uneducated.
By introducing the subject of physical education at the college level, it is possible to develop the creative talent, and physical and mental development of the students by improving the level of lecturers of this subject and developing their talent and skills. And the whole nation will enjoy the positive results. If we utilize the talent and skills of physical education teachers, we can build a physically, and mentally healthy, efficient, and economically prosperous country in the future. We believe that the government of our country, like other countries of the world, will take sports for life and physical education for life seriously, and move forward with an efficient and effective plan.
The writer is a Physical Education Teacher, Haimchar Government College, Haimchar, Chandpur
