The Quebec government has missed the mark by seeking only to develop high-level athletes, rather than encouraging all young people to get active and try several sports, according to Pierre Lavoie.
“We focus a lot on performance and that gives people who win medals, but behind the scenes it’s a public health disaster,” said co-founder of the Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie in an interview with Qub radio.
According to him, we must review our approach as quickly as possible by focusing before the age of 14 on competence and not performance.
“You have to quickly give children the most tools to be active for life,” said Pierre Lavoie a few minutes before the start of the twelfth edition of the Grand Défi, a 1,000 km bike course.
He also notes that the pandemic has aggravated the problem.
“With the pandemic, a lot of people have gone outside to move more, but a lot have become sedentary,” he said. I am in contact with the schools and the problem of a sedentary lifestyle has increased. We lose 71% of young people who stop moving between secondary one and three.
“There is an emergency for our children especially with the pandemic. COVID-19 has multiplied by 10 the problem of obesity. We cannot afford for a child to have type 2 diabetes at the age of 15,” he added.
He pleads for the Minister of Sports Isabelle Charest and the government to create a concrete plan before health problems continue to increase.
