Youth Fitness & Sports:
YOUTH AND SPORTS ACTIVITIES

13. The total population of Myanmar is about (50) million and the population of Youth is more than 15%. The sports activities implementing by the state are as follows:-

(a) Integrated School for Sports and Education.

(1) One of the ten objectives of the Ministry of Sports is ---- ot effectively integrate sports and education in order that Myanmar Sports will have a firm foundation and for the Institute of Sports and Physical Education to implement Integrated Sports and
Physical Education Training Programme most effectively, in order to bring out a new generation of outstanding athletes, the Integrated School for Sports and Education was opened at the Institute of Sports and Physical Education in 1997-98. Academic year, on 1st August, 1997 A new generation of athletes from the states and divisions who are of the ages under 17 are brought forward.

(2) They are then permitted to take up whatever king of sports they are interested in and then train in peace of mind because education, which is the direct need for their future, is given at the high school itself which was esablished in the ISPE with
classes range from fifth to tenth standards. Moreover, arrangements have already been made to enable the trainees, who passed the tenth standard, to pursue further education at universities.

(3) These trainees are made to practise and traing in sports for 4 hours 30 minutes, pursue education for 3 hours 45 minutes, night study for (2) hours and sleeping time (8) hours everyday. The expenses incurred in giving training, academic education, board and lodging, medical care to the trainees are met by the State. Moreover, the state also constructed sports training grounds, gymnasiums, hostels and school buildings for training and giving education to the trainees and also the staff quarters.

(4) On 1st June, 2002, A New Institute of Sports and Physical Education (Mandalay) was established under the guidelines given by the Head of State. In these Institutes of Sports and Physical Education (Yangon) and (Mandalay) the Integrated schools for
Sports and Education and Sports Training Camps were opened regularly, and all the young and talented athletes are attending in their respective sports disciplines. These new generation of athletes are permitted to compete after one of training in
sports competitions staged by the Myanmar Sports Federations and in the International Competitions and are achieving successes.

(b) Integrated Schools for Sports and Education in States and Divisions

Simillarly to the Intergrated school for Sports and Education which had opened in Yangon, in the Institute of Sports and Physical Education, Integrated School for Sports and Education were opened starting from 1998-1999 academic year in those
suitable Basic Education High School in the various districts, in the various States and Divisions, in order to go for sport training without any interruption for the education. In those training schools the talented youth athletes can be trained in their respective sports disciplines for (2) hours (30) minutes after their school time everyday. The Ministry of Sport and Sports and Physical Education Department with the collaboration of Basic Education Department, had appointed coaches and contributed sports equipments, stadiums and gymnasiums accordingly.

(c) Sports Training Courses for Youths

Sports training course for youths are being conducted regularly to enable students and youths who are wishing to take up Sports during the spare time from schools as one of the mass movement of Sports and Physical Education Department.
The training courses are summer, monsoon and winter courses which are conducted throughout the country.

(d) Talent scouting and nurturing for the new blood and new generation
young athletes

Since it is vital to mainly depend upon the new blood youths and new generation in implementing the nations development for sports as long term plan, Ministry of Sports had started the talent scouting and nurturing for the new blood and new
generation young athletes programme systematically, since December, 1999. In implementing this programme the selection teams were formed with those technicians from Ministry of Sports, Sports and Physical Education Department and
National Sports Federations and selection of prominent young athletes had done in the respective States and Divisions. When implementing the programme the promising young athletes were selected systematically, trained systematically and participated systematically in the sports competitions and achieving successes.

(e) Coaching Courses for Youths

(i) Coaching Courses for Basic Education Physical Education Teachers.

In order to get systematic training for the students attending Basic Education Schools and those who wants to do sports, qualified coaches are required. To fufill this requirement the Ministry of Sports in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, "Coaching courses for Basic Education Physical Education Teachers" were opened in the Institute for Sports and Physical Education since 1999 - 2000 academic year. The duration of the course is (8) weeks and in every courses (80) participants from Basic Education Schools from respective States and Divisions are attended. In these courses subjects like, state sports policies, sports training theory, sports medicine, sports psychology etc. and (16) sports disciplines those which are included in the Students Sports Festivals are taught and trained theoretically and practically by those qualified personnels from Sports and Physical Education Department, Ministry of Sport and National Sports Federation.

(ii) Sports Coaching Courses

To train systematically in the sports trainings for the youths not only for those who are attending schools but also for the other youths, sports coaching courses for various disciplines are conducted since 1992 in the Institute of Sports and Physical Education, Sports and Physical Education Department. The duration of the courses is (1) month and the participants from States & Divisions and the Ministries are attended. In the courses, subjects like Olympism, Olympic principles, Olympic movements and subjects on administrations, basic-advanced techniques, tactics and training theory are lectured and trained theoretically and practically. After the courses the trainees became the sports leaders & coaches for the youths.

(f) Sports Competitions for Youths

(i) Inter Basic Education Schools Sports Competition.
(Students Sports Festival)

During the time of the States Peace and Development Council, Inter Basic Education School Sports Competition (Students Sports Festival) which is participated by youths from States and Divisions are being held annually begining
from 1990 under the aegis of the Stage. The Students Sports Festival are held each year alternately in the vairous States and Divisions and now it has been held eight times. The objectives of the Student Sports Festival are:

--- to help implement the motto -- "Myanmar Sports - the World to Conquer";

--- to turn out more fit and healthy students;

--- to turn out students with sporting spirtit;

--- to contribute to sporting movements of the State,

--- to promote the standard of Myanmar Sports and to turn out brilliant, selected Myanmar athletes; and

--- to further strengthen Union spirit and patriotism.

Many outstanding and promising young athletes are brought forward from those Students Sports Festivals and National Selected athletes are nurtured.

(ii) National Sports Festival

National Sports Festival is the biggest, most grand and highest level sports festival in Myanmar. At the National Sports Festival sports events are held simultaneously in three levels, namely iner-ministry level, State/Division level and interuniversity and insitute level. This sports festivals is being held every two years since 1992. Many athletes took part in the competitions and over 75 percent of them were youths. The number of athletes who took part in the festival is mentioned asbelow.

The seven objectives of the National Sports Festival are:-

1. to works as a national for the realization of the motto : Myanmar Sports--the World to Conquer;
2. to bear in mind promotion of sports amounts to the defence of the country;
3. to enliven patriotism and national pride in conjunction with sports activities;
4. to nurture a new generation of world class athlets;
5. to organize the public to join in encouraging the promotion of Myanmar Sport;
6. to call for the active participation of responsible personnel at all levels to train outstanding athletes employing modern techniques; and
7. to vitalize Union Spirit by creating a chance for up and coming athletes all over the country to get together and breed friendship among them.

(iii) Age Groups Sports Competitions

In order to have more effectiveness for long term in implementing the state development of sports it has to be based on new generation young athletes. Therefore with the close collaboration of Ministry of Sports, Myanmar Olympic Committee, Sports and Physical Education Department and Myanmar National Sports Federations, many age groups sports competitions (eg. under (17), under (15), under (13) football competitions, under (12), under (14) and under (16) swimming competitions under (20) athletic meets, under (20) volleyball competitions ) were held and many young and talented promising athletes were
took part.

(g) Sports Education Programmes for Youths

To attain sporting sprirt and morale among youths, Ministry of Sports, Sports and Physical Education Department, Mass Sports and Education Department has implemented the mass sport movement programme since December, 1964 Since that
time, sports education journals are distributed and at the moment Ah-Kar Magazine (Sports & Physical Education Magazine), Olympic Journals are distributing two months a time and fortnightly respectively. In every open season in November,
December and January, it was marked as Mass Sports seasons and mass hiking, mass sports movements and physical efficiency test competitions are held on Saturdays and Sundays weekly.

Furthermore, seasonal sports training coureses like, summer, monsoon and winter courses and opened systematically without inerruption. Phyiscal exercises (aerobic training ) under the progrmme “Let’s play for Health” is on the screen in MRTV every
morning and sports education radio talks under the programme “Health and Fitness is our Goal” is in the air twice a week through Myanmar Radio. In the Defence Services Historical Museum, in the Ministry of Sports pavillion, (12) National objectives’
pavillion and patriotic pavillion many exhibitions are exhibited.

Furthermore, in many courses conducted under the aegis of the State ( Central Services Institute (Upper / Lower Myanmar ), Institute for Union Solidarity and Development Association (Hmawbi), University for the development of the Union and
in many other Institutions and Universities Sports and Physical Education lectures have been given accordingly.