Sporting Heroes Inspire Children Into Sport
| Published: 29th August 2008 13:39 |
One in three children more likely to take up sport as a result of team GB's success
Team GB's success at the Olympics this year has not only given us a new set of sporting heroes but has got kids swapping the sofa for sporting activities.
Latest research out today from supermarket ASDA, showed that over a third of children's attitudes toward sport had changed with over a quarter of children going for swimming lessons and other sport seeing significant uplifts.
When quizzed about their children's Olympic icons over a quarter of parents said that the 19 year old swimmer Rebecca Adlington had proved the biggest inspiration to their kids. But it's not just the 800m and 400m freestyle gold winner who is encouraging youngsters into the pool - one in ten have been inspired to take up sport by Tom Daley, Britain's youngest Olympian in almost 50 years.
This year ASDA launched its Sporting Chance scheme that aims to link children with free sport sessions over the summer and school holidays and support emerging young athletes of the future by giving them a sponsorship deal for the next five years providing they carry on progressing in their chosen field.
With over four million vouchers distributed over the last two months, the initial results of Sporting Chance echo the findings of the research, with a 60% increase in redemptions of Sporting Chance vouchers over the Olympics this summer and a phenomenal xxx free sporting lessons already taken.
Karen Todd of ASDA comments
"The research shows that our Olympic success has been instrumental this summer for getting children into sports. At ASDA we are committed to making all sports, accessible to children and this summer schemes such as our Sporting Chance initiative will go a long way to help future Olympians to glory in 2012 and beyond."
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