“WE want to motivate them, tell them to have fun, exercise as much as they can, with energy, and give them the techniques through our athletes so they do it well and do it right. It is a crucial program because many of our children are restricted outdoors. Amidst the limitation, it is vital to be committed to our journey for grassroots development.”
These were the words of Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association President Dr. Philip Ella Juico during the recent launch of the Kids’ Athletics online in partnership with Milo.
According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Recommendation on Physical Activity for Health, kids aged five and above should engage in physical activity for an accumulative 60 minutes every day to build their muscle strength, improve motor skills and promote bone development.
Here in the Philippines, children aged five and above get only 30 minutes of exercise once a week which doesn’t help the country’s rising cases of child obesity.
There are three age groups—10-under, 12-under and 15-under—in the program. The kids do eight exercises in a circuit training format performed by 2019 Southeast Asian Games gold medalists Kristina Knott, William Morrison and Nathalie Uy.
The kids submit their videos every Friday. Judging will be based on how well the child was able to perform the exercises. The online competition starts on Monday and ends in February 2021.
“This expanded partnership with PATAFA will further promote the importance of physical activity among school children,” said Lester Castillo, Assistant Vice President Nestlé Philippines-Milo.
The collaborative effort between the PATAFA and Nestlé’s Milo is a classic example of national sports associations working with private corporations in the common pursuit of grassroots development. There’s a saying that children should be seen and not heard. Well, they won’t only be seen but they’ll be seen being active, working out and exercising to keep them fit, to keep them away from playing too much gadgets and video games.