How to make your kids exercise at home
- August 3, 2021
Downriver from the Olympic Village, a cluster of playgrounds sits empty, with a wooden ramp and the occasional sign that reads “kids exercise.”
But it’s the kids’ exercise equipment at the Olympic Park in Sochi that will be the focus of the next Olympic Games.
It’s a cluster that includes a playground for children with disabilities, a children’s basketball court, a pool for swimmers and the first outdoor pool for soccer players in the history of the sport.
“I think the most important thing is, the equipment needs to be accessible to all children,” said Erin McArthur, executive director of the International Olympic Committee’s children’s department.
“That includes those who are handicapped, who have developmental disabilities, who can’t walk.”
The equipment sits outside the Olympic Games, which begin on Friday.
It has no name or logo, but McArthur said she’s heard from athletes, coaches and parents who’ve said it was one of the most difficult things they’ve had to do.
“It’s really difficult to put this together, and it’s very time-consuming,” she said.
McArthur said the IOC will spend about $5 million on the Games in Sochi.
But she said it’s not enough to keep the equipment and infrastructure in place for the next Olympics.
“We don’t want to lose that work,” she told CBC News.
McGuire said she doesn’t want the IOC to “shut down” the program because the equipment doesn’t have a name.
“At the end of the day, I just think it’s so much more than just a name,” she added.
“Our focus is on the kids and that’s what we’re focusing on.”
The IOC will work with the Ministry of the Interior to set up a team of experts to help make sure the equipment is accessible to the Olympic community.
The Olympic Games will begin with a series of games on Aug. 6, with the final competition being held on Aug 15, 2024.
The Games have already hosted some of the biggest sporting events in the world, including the Commonwealth Games, the Commonwealth Cup, the Summer Olympics in Tokyo and the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
McGurk said the Games will be held in a “clean and sterile environment” and that the IOC has made the same recommendations that the World Health Organization makes for a clean and sterile Olympic Village.
McGrath said that the goal of the Games is to encourage children to play sport.
“It’s a game that kids can play, that’s not an excuse to throw things at the wall and have them get hurt,” she explained.
“When you’re playing a sport like hockey or basketball, you’re supposed to be safe.
When you’re in a playground, you can have your own little space.”
McGuirkson said the Olympic Organizing Committee is working to make sure that the athletes and their families are able to participate in the Games, as well as that the equipment can be used for the Games.
“They’ve made some great improvements,” she says.
“And they have to make some great corrections and they have a great track record in that regard.”
The Games will feature events including a women’s and men’s double-leg wrestling tournament, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, track and field and softball.
McArthursons family is already in the process of purchasing the equipment.
The family has been spending a lot of time looking into whether it can be included in the Olympics, she said, adding that the family would like to see it included in all the sports.
“If we can buy it for the kids, it’s going to be wonderful,” she concluded.
