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    LEISURE & RECREATION

Leisure time is the free time a person has when not sleeping or working

What determines what people choose to do in their leisure time?

  • age/interests/social circumstances/facilities/where they live

Why has there been a growth in the amount of leisure time we have?

  • advances in technology mean that people have shorter working days/longer holidays

  • health care has improved so people live longer

  • growth in facilities and activities available

 

Recreation is a voluntary activity people choose to do for fun in their lesiure time. Physical recreation is when someone chooses to take part in physical activity.

What are some examples of recreational activities?

  • playing sport/visiting the theatre/reading

 

Local sports clubs are great for inccreasing participation in sport. They provide facilities and coaches, organise competitions and sometimes offer these service for free or at low costs.

Who is involved in running a local sports club?

  • Chairperson/secretary/treasurer/coach. Follow this link to read more about what each role requires.

How can a school promote particiation in sport?

  • offering a wide range of sports in PE/extra-curricular clubs/exams in PE/links with local sports clubs

GLOBAL EVENTS

Hosting a global event:

  • Global events such as the Football World Cup and the Olympic Games can have a positive impact on participation in sport because of the vast number of spectators being inspired by the athletes taking part

  • When the global event is held in a certain country, that is known as the host country - for example England were the host country for the 2012 Olympic Games

  • Advantages of being the host country include: development of sports facilities/ development of coaching systems/ money generated through ticket sales and tourism/ sense of pride and patriotism

  • However there are some disadvantages to hosting a global event such as: pressure on public services like transport/ the country may lose money if the event is not successful

The Olympic Games:

  • The Olympic Games is one of the largest global events in the world

  • Professional athletes get paid to play their sport full time

  • Amateur athletes do not get paid - they play sport when they are not working because they enoy it

  • Both professional and amateur athletes can compete in the Olympic Games. Read here to find out why

Diffferences between countries:

Different countries excel in different sports for a number of reasons:

  • Geographical and climatic- for example alpine/nordic countries are good at skiing as they have mountainous areas and snow to train on

  • Financial - for exmple Kenya excel at long-distance running, probably because they cannot affoord to build facilities for other sports

  • Traditional - for example Japan excel in Sumo Wrestling as it is a sport that originated in their country and features heavily in their history, therefore many Japanese people participate

  • Cultural - for example Brazil excel in football as it is the nation's favuorite sport and is loved and played by many

See images here >>>>>>>

 

FACILITIES, PARTICIPATION, EXCELLENCE

Facilities for physical activities depend on where you live -

Rural areas (countryside):

  • advantages: may be better for sports such as hiking, canoeing and skiing

  • disadvantages: may not have access to many facilities or coaches, transport may be an isssue, maybe lack of participants

Urban areas (towns/cities):

  • advantages: many facilities (such as swimming pools, football pitches and skate parks), access to high quality coaching, lots of people to participate

  • disadvantages: maybe not as many big open spaces

 

The facilities may be run by 3 different types of organisation -

  • private enterprises: these are companies that run sports facilities to make a profit. E.g. golf clubs

  • local authorities: these are government organisations that run the facilities for the community. E.g. a leisure centre like Likas Sports Complex

  • voluntary organisations: they run facilities to cater for local needs and the services are usually free. E.g. churches or scout groups

 

What different types of sports facility are there?

  • swimming pools, grass pitches, astro-turf, tennis courts, sports-halls, gymnasiums, fitness suites

 

What different groups of people do the facilities have to cater for?

  • different gender/age groups/disability/ethnic minorities

  • They can do this by offering a variety of sports and offering specialisied sessions for specific groups, for example females or the over 50s

 

Excellence in sport does not come easily. Professional athletes have many influences that help them get to the top of their game:

  • parental support/financial support/start at a young age/expert coaching/experience of high-level competition/personal attributes/determination

 

Sponsorship may be one way for an athlete to gain financial support. Sponsorship is when a company give money to an athlete, team or club in exchange for advertising their brand.

Advantages to the athlete: financial support, access to high-quality equipment and coaching, can focus on their sport and not worry about working.

Disadvantages to the athlete: a deal only lasts for a certain time, the sponsor may be bad for the sport's image, sponsor may tell them what to wear

Advantages to the sponsor: great advertising as their logo may be on the athletes clothes, the athlete may drive their car or use their product. It also gives the company a healthy image and the sponsor may get tickets to events which they can use to impress clients.

Disadvantages to the sponsor: the athlete may behave badly, which reflects badly on the brand. Also, they want the athlete to be successful but they can't guarantee this.

 

 

MEDIA

There are various different types of media including television, radio, internet, newspapers, magazines and books. Sport is represented through all of these types of media in some way.

Advantages of media coverage:

  • promotes sport/more people can see and hear about sport/creates role models/can inform and entertain/if on TV sport can attract sponsorship which can help to improve facilities etc

Disadvantages of media coverage:

  • more pressure on  managers and teams to do well/players may adopt a 'win at all costs attitude/players may cheat or take drugs/athletes have less privacy/media may demand changes to the rules of a sport/media may become critical of referees and other officials

Impact of TV on sport:

  • Sport occupies a large percentage of viewing time/TV allows people to see the biggest events in the world/analysis on TV allows people to see sport in more detail, e.g. slow motion/TV companies contribute to proze money/TV companies often decide which sports will be shown - this has an effect on minority sports e.g. women's football

ACCESS TO SPORT

Access to sport refers to the general availability of sport to all - regardless of gender, race, social class or any other factor. Acces to sport can be split into 3 main categories -

Athletes with disability:

  • there has been a rapid growth in the amount of participants in disability sport

  • this may be because there is a wider variety of sports available and and a willingness to adapt sports to suit people's needs

  • also the facilities have been improved for disability sports and there has been an increase in the number of specialist disability sports coaches

  • there are now open compeitions which invite both able-bodied and disabled athletes to compete together. An example is shooting or archery

  • there is a greater social acceptance of people with disabilities

  • finally, there has been an increase in the number of role models in disability sport e.g. Ellie Simmonds from Great Britain. Watch the video below to see her in action....

Gender:

  • women are now encouraged to take part in sport more (that was not always the case)

  • there is more money available for facilities and and certain activities that are targeted at women e.g. zumba

  • there are more female role models in sport

  • there is now recognition that women can compete in events that were previously though too strenuous for females. These are sports such as the marathon and boxing

  • there are some sports where men and women can compete against each other e.g. equestrain sport

  • Watch the video (<<<on the left) of Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to run an official marathon (against the rules!)

Social Equality:

  • local sports clubs have a role in offering traditional sports and sports and activities to cater for ethnic minority groups

  • local clubs can also develop a sense of inclusion through sporting activities by offering coaches that speak other languages or offering disability sports

  • sports facilities may relax certain rules to allow more people to particiapte. E.g. allowing women to wear clothing for swimming

  • sports facilities can also offer affordable sports so anyone can get involved, regardless of wealth

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