Letter: Sport unlocks young people's potential

Her passionate call for politicians and voters to recognise the power of sport in helping shape the lives of young people in Scotland is both timely - and right.

At Winning Scotland Foundation (on whose advisory board Judy sits) we firmly believe sport can and must play a key role to inspire young people from all walks of life to unlock their potential and make a positive impact in our culture.

After all, the foundation's vision is a nation where sport is commonly recognised and used to develop all young people to be winners in life.

Through piloting pioneering programmes, in our schools and local communities, like Champions in Schools and Positive Coaching Scotland (now being rolled out nationally by SportScotland), the foundation and its partners are reaching out to engage with thousands of parents, teachers and coaches.

As Judy states, positive progress is being made, though much remains to be done. For the record, the foundation shares Judy's belief that all Scottish primary school-aged children must enjoy regular access to physical education.

Equally, we can ill afford to under-estimate the influence parents can and should play in "encouraging children to eat properly, exercise regularly and nurture a 'can do' attitude".

Judy Murray will hope politicians - and voters - are listening. For it is surely time to give our kids a sporting chance.

(Sir) Bill Gammell

Founder and chairman

Winning Scotland Foundation

Lothian Road

Edinburgh

Judy Murray is quite right in her splendid letter in emphasising the importance not only of exercise but of diet, and not only for those who will make it to the podium but for the general population in its lasting legacy of benefits.

She does not specifically mention swimming; surely almost every child should be able to swim by the age of six, as some other countries achieve.

Also, provision must be made for less mainstream physical activities such as judo, karate, tai chi, table tennis and dancing of all sorts, plus further expansion of the cycle track networks; as well as increased art, music, singing, drama and public speaking - for all, but certainly for those who, despite its forced inclusion in their school syllabus for a reasonable time, genuinely have no enjoyment, interest or ability in sport.

John Birkett

Horseleys Park

St Andrews

I noted with considerable annoyance that Judy Murray, a former tennis coach and mother of the millionaire tennis player Andy Murray, now joins the strident cacophony of health fascists and dares to tell the rest of us what to feed our children, and in effect how to live our lives.

My question to Ms Murray is this: what gives you the right to do this? What right have you to tell anyone what to do or how to live? Do you think that you can somehow shame the majority into becoming "fit"? The heath-obsessed, evangelising minority seems to forget that it represents a tiny fraction on the population, usually reasonably well heeled, who can afford to adopt whatever the current health fad is.

I suggest Ms Murray concerns herself with running her own life and leaves the rest of us to do the same.

Brian Allan

Keith Street

Kincardine-on-Forth, Alloa

Judy Murray is right to highlight the need for more physical education in schools.

I feel children nowadays are particularly missing out on the value of losing. By that, I don't mean that they should expect to fail, but that they should know how to compete (in every aspect of life, not just sport) and continue to strive even if they have not won - or don't have much chance of winning.

Dave Ashford

Dalziel Place

Edinburgh