Sport, sport, sport. There is a lot of talk about it in Italy, but the numbers tell a different reality: just 27 percent of the population over the age of 18 plays sports and one in two is over 45. We talked about this with Alberto Cei, sports psychologist and professor at the Universities of Tor Vergata and San Raffaele.
Interview by Alessandro Bartolini for the press office of the Olympics and Paralympics of the Metropolitan City of Florence sent with newsletter of UISP Florence
What are the reasons for this move away from sports at a very young age?
“The peak of activity is at age 12 for boys and 11 for girls, from there the descent begins. There are many reasons: first of all, school organization does not consistently provide for motor activity, then there is a significant lack of facilities, which certainly does not help. Growing up then increases the commitment with study and consequently also the difficulties, because teachers do not always recognize the value of these activities, there is not adequate attention. Finally, there is another aspect related to family needs: it is always parents or at any rate relatives who have to accompany the younger ones to sports, not everyone has this possibility and it is a further limitation.”
The pandemic has dealt a further blow: according to Istat data, once again the worst numbers are in the youth groups, with a double-digit decrease: from 66 to 48.9 percent for elementary school children, from 68 to 54.8% for middle school children.
“Undoubtedly the pandemic has weighed heavily; at that age it is unnatural to be locked inside the house. Instead, they were urged to lead sedentary lives, and eventually the use of technological tools, starting with smartphones, became an alternative to socializing in presence, since they still allow them to maintain relationships. Those who already had little motivation to play sports or did so occasionally, having to stay locked in their apartments, got used to it and gave up. Of course, it is not a homogeneous situation, maybe those who live in big cities suffered more than those who live in small towns where it is easier to be in contact with nature.”
We were talking earlier about the somewhat complicated relationship between sports and schools. How much work needs to be done to strengthen this synergy?
“Unfortunately, schools do not consider sports activity as a central element in the education of girls and boys; there is also an underestimation of the role of teachers specialized in this area. Significantly, many schools either do not have gymnasiums or these facilities are unusable for years. We saw, for example, what happened during the pandemic: gymnasiums often became the repository for unused rolling desks or for stacking old ones. It is a problem of mentality that comes from a long time ago; in the last 30-40 years not much has changed. There have been and there are projects, but it’s one thing to reach 10,000 or 20,000 students, it’s another to involve everyone and make sports a decisive activity for youth development.”
In this perspective, how much can events such as the Metropolitan City Olympics and Paralympics “serve”?
“Any sports event is certainly welcome, all the more so if, as in this case, it is an entire territory, one of the largest and most important provinces in Italy, moving in the same direction. It is a strong signal to be able to change the culture, and it is crucial that these do not remain isolated events, but serve as a stimulus for others so as to trigger a virtuous circle.”
