Athletics Fiji successfully hosted a Primary School Teachers, Kids Athletics Workshop in Late December 2021. Fourteen teachers completed the two-day workshop led by Albert Miller, Development Officer for Athletics Fiji and supported by Natoaika District School Management. On day two, the teachers were responsible for organising a practical session; thus, 30 students from the neighbouring villages were invited to participate in the practical session – deemed a great success by all involved.
“The Kids Athletics program would be an excellent tool to use to bring the students together once they are back in school, especially after their long absences because of the COVID 19 lockdown.”
Master Prasad from Korovou
The kids Athletics Program is an initiative of World Athletics, formerly known as the IAAF. The program has been around for a number of years and has just recently been restructured and was re-launched about 2 years ago. World Athletics believes that every child is born to move, to play, to explore. They also believe that every child, no matter their individual circumstances, has the fundamental right to have access to sport.
Aims of the program is to:
- Promote a healthy lifestyle and foundations of physical activity.
- create lifelong participants and fans of the sport.
- Provide the framework for potential champions.
- create a world movement that puts young children and young people at the heart of Athletics, and athletics in the heart of community health and fitness.
The teachers were grateful of the opportunity to be part of the KA Workshop which was something totally new for them. They appreciated how relevant the program was in assisting students in their physical development through fundamental movement skills and also teachers’ them life skills and values that they can use as they journey through life.
As Master Prasad had stated at the end of the session, “the important role that Kids Athletics could play in bringing the students back into the school environment after having to deal with the effects of COVID -19 and the long absences from classroom work. Organizing a Kids Athletics program would be a way to bring the students together as they slowly adjust to the new norm’’.
We had agreed to a follow up session with the teachers who were encouraged to organize a Kids Athletics Program in their respective schools. The teachers were also reminded of the pathway they could follow to obtaining a higher coaching qualification in Athletics through the World Athletics Coaching Certification Education Systems (CECS). The next level for the teachers would be the Oceania Basic Athletics System (OBAS), which is a level 0 certification on basic coaching skills specializing in either Run, Jump, or Throw components of Trach & Field.
