Students in action at the launch of the 2019 Premier’s Sporting Challenge.
The Premier’s annual sporting challenge for NSW public schools has been officially launched for 2019.
The Challenge, which was launched at the Genea Netball Centre, is open to all public schools, with more than 400,000 students from 1,500 schools participating in 2018.
Premier’s Sporting Challenge Ambassadors joined students from six schools from across Sydney at the launch as they took part in a series of physical activities run by state sporting associations.
NSW Swifts netball players Abbey McCulloch and Paige Hadley, along with rising hockey star Ash Thomas and world champion Paralympic rower Erik Horrie, inspired the students to get physically active and become involved in this year’s Challenge.
Public school staff are also encouraged to participate, with more than 10,000 school and corporate staff signing up last year.
Leader of the NSW School Sport Unit, Ross Morrison, said the Challenge – now in its 12th year – aimed to engage young people in sport and physical activity.
“The Premier’s Sporting Challenge encourages students to lead healthy and active lifestyles,” Mr Morrison said.
One element of the program is the 10-week Challenge where students and staff record and track their physical activity over a school term as they aim to become more active, more often.
Students are recognised for their efforts with Bronze, Silver, Gold and Diamond awards based on their average daily activity time across the 10 weeks.
Mr Morrison said this can include physical activity during class time, lunchtime, school sport programs or after school and on weekends.
“Australia’s Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines recommend children and young people should accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day,” he said.
“Achieving 60 minutes of daily activity equates to a Gold award in the Sporting Challenge,” Mr Morrison said.
