Anthony Joshua praises National School Sport Week initiative in June

Planet Sport writerStaff Writer2 July 2020
Anthony Joshua and coach Robert McCracken during a media workout

Anthony Joshua and coach Robert McCracken during a media workout

Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has praised the initiative that has seen two million people exercise.

Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has praised all the children to have participated in the National School Sport Week in June.
The aim of the charity campaign was to help young people remain active in the UK after the coronavirus pandemic has forced school sports day to be cancelled this summer.

Joshua expressed his delighted with the collaboration between Sky Sports and the Youth Sport Trust, which reached out to an estimated two million people during the week-long initiative. 

"I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has taken part in the Youth Sport Trust National School Sports Week," Joshua said in a recorded message for Sky Sports.
 "It has been amazing to see the creativity and enthusiasm on show with sporting activities bringing together, families, schools and communities all across the country.
 "Sport has such power to bring people together and improve wellbeing, and young people have never needed this more than they do now."

"Physical Education and school sport will play an essential role"

Ali Oliver - Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust - said: "Thank you to everyone who has made it so special and such a success. We’ve had everyone from the Lionesses and sporting stars, to Westminster MPs and fire brigades, but most importantly schools and families joining in, playing together and investing in their wellbeing through physical activity.

“As young people start returning to school, Physical Education and school sport will play an essential role in helping them to recover from the toll that months of lockdown and school closures have taken on their wellbeing.”
According to research from YouGov, two million adults knew of the campaign with 51% of those either taking part with family and friends or knew someone who had got involved in the campaign. Nearly 8,000 businesses and organisations signed up for the week-long event, including the Lionesses, Westminster MPs and local authorities.