Survival of the fittest?
Areport that the Ministry of Education is to make sports a compulsory subject in schools is a welcome move, and so too this week's circular, renewing an older one, that children taking part in the more strenuous sporting events must first be checked for medical fitness.
"Mens sanain incorpore sano" (a healthy mind in a healthy body) is a sine qua non for youth.
There is a commendable drive by the Government to get ordinary citizens outdoors for physical exercise, especially city dwellers, with the opening of properly lit parks and properly paved walkways. University students are given a course in physical fitness and now, children are given lessons on keeping their bodies in shape.
In the US, obesity in youth is a major issue and the drive to get them to diet and exercise comes from the White House itself. The computer and TV are blamed for the 'couch potato' syndrome. Long years ago, PT (Physical Training) was part of our school curriculum, and many looked forward to it to get away from the drudgery of the classroom, but it was not a very serious programme.
The recent deaths of schoolgirls from Chilaw, Moratuwa and now Aranayake have, however, raised alarm bells over the fitness of many young people around the country, particularly when taking part in physically demanding sports like marathons or sea swims. Some of them may have conditions such as malnourishment, obesity and asthma and other serious congenital medical issues-- like cardiomyopathy -- that make such strenuous sports a high risk.
In an article in our MediScene supplement recently we said "Everyone assumes that those engaging in sports, as they are in the prime of their lives, are perfectly healthy". It is not always so. This 'keep fit' drive must come with suitable safeguards. The fact that a circular had to be re-issued shows that they are not followed. It cannot be a case of 'the survival of the fittest'. No. 08, Hunupitiya Cross Road, Colombo 02. P.O. Box 1136, Colombo
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