Sir Mo Farah, the Youth Sport Trust’s National School Sport Champion, has joined forces with fellow sporting icons to call for the British Government to harness the power of play and sport to improve the lives of young people.
He hand-delivered an open letter addressed to the Prime Minister to Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy, at Downing Street. The letter urges the Government to create a new national plan that ensures every child has the opportunity to be physically active every day.
The multi-Olympic, World and European champion has united leading figures from British sport to support his call for change. Co-signatories include seven-time Paralympic Champion and Youth Sport Trust Champion Hannah Cockroft OBE, triple Olympic champions Max Whitlock OBE and Adam Peaty OBE, the most successful British Paralympian of all time, Dame Sarah Storey, and Paris 2024 800m gold medallist Keely Hodgkinson.
Their intervention comes at a crucial time, as only 19% of children aged 1-5 and 47% of 5–18-year-olds are meeting the recommended daily levels of physical activity. The sporting icons are using World Children’s Day, which emphasises fundamental rights for children including health and play, to lay down a marker and call for change.
In the letter, the athletes state: “In the UK, far too many children are unable to access these rights through no fault of their own. Whether it’s the mental health crisis, rising obesity levels, increasing loneliness, or excessive exposure to screens and digital trauma, this generation risks failing to achieve their full potential. Now is the time to put children first.”
The athletes are calling for the Government’s new national plan to deliver change by:
- Ensuring early years providers support physical development so all children are healthy movers before starting school.
- Delivering greater physical activity in schools, including increased access to sport.
- Targeting activities towards those whose participation is hindered by systemic barriers.
Speaking on behalf of the letter's signatories, Sir Mo Farah stated: “While we compete in different events, we are united in our belief that, beyond the sporting field, our legacy should ensure every child in the UK has an active start in life. By encouraging more children to be active from their early years and throughout childhood, we can break down barriers to opportunity and create the healthiest and happiest generation of children ever in Britain.”
The Youth Sport Trust, the leading UK children’s charity for improving young people's health and wellbeing through sport and play, have released a new film to accompany the letter. The film aims to highlight how a lack of movement in childhood can have lasting impacts on a child’s health, including their brain development.
Ali Oliver OBE, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, added: “We are delighted to see some of Britain’s most-loved athletes using their platform to call for action that supports the next generation in becoming more physically active. Unhappy, unhealthy children can not learn effectively. By increasing physical activity, we can harness the power of play and sport to support development and improve wellbeing.
“Our research indicates that many parents are unaware of how much physical activity children should be doing. As a result, far too many children are missing out on the benefits of an active childhood. We want the Government to introduce a new plan that prioritises getting children moving at every age and stage of childhood to foster happier and healthier children.”
The full list of athlete signatories on the letter includes:
- Sir Mo Farah
- Georgia Bell
- Hannah Cockroft OBE
- Keely Hodgkinson
- Nathan Maguire
- Adam Peaty OBE
- Dame Sarah Storey
- Max Whitlock OBE
- Bianca Williams
A full copy of the letter delivered to No10 by Sir Mo Farah can be downloaded here.
