It's the winning AND taking part that counts (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

It's the winning AND taking part that counts

3:42pm Tuesday 15th July 2008

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I must admit to having a Victor Meldrew moment this week.

On sifting through the daily bundle of letters, doodlings and party invitations my two children bring home from school every day, I was astonished to read a note about their sports day that summed up perfectly why we are a nation of sporting under-achievers.

Despite the note being sent out a week before the sports day was scheduled to take place, parents were informed the field would be too wet to host the races, which would now take place in one of the playgrounds.

Parents could still attend, continued the note, however the 'activities' would be non-competitive and children would take part in teams. There would be one overall winning team but rather than encourage competitiveness among the pupils, the school wanted to "encourage success for all." To this end, every child would receive a prize and there would be no "losers".

You couldn't make it up.

I laughed the other day when I heard a report on the radio about schools banning the three-legged race and sack race amid safety fears. Thousands of kids graze their knee at playtime every day of the week for Pete's sake. So what next, ban running in schools altogether? Perhaps a network of speed cameras can be set up along the perimeter fences, flashing if any child exceeds two miles per hour.

You may laugh, but every autumn you read in the papers about primary and high schools banning conkers because of the dangers involved. What dangers? The last time I bruised a knuckle it didn't require hospitalisation.

If only the NHS top brass employed the same high standards of health and safety at work - MRSA and C difficile would soon be a thing of the past.

I used to think stories like these were few and far between but now I'm not so sure. The 'health and safety tsars' seem to populate every organisation going in the government, civil service and school system.

I'm not saying kids should be told that winning is everything - of course it's not - but competition IS healthy.

We are talking about children as old as 11 (some future Olympians) who are being sent the message that it is the taking part that counts. Nonsense, it is the taking part AND the winning that counts.

The Australians must be laughing into their cans of Fosters at us Pommie softies.

Altogether now… I DON'T BELIEVE IT!