YOUNG learners from communities throughout Gauteng, including Soweto, Orange

Farm, Midrand and Durban Deep, took part this past weekend, in the seventh

Kellogg’sR Health of the Nation 50-Hour Sports Challenge. The event, which

gets 5,000 young learners back ‘on the ball’ by keeping a ball in motion for

50 hours, took place at the Southern Suburbs Sport and Recreation Centre in

Rosettenville, Johannesburg from Friday 25 until Sunday 27 January 2013.

The learners kept the ball rolling in up to 15 different indoor and outdoor

sporting disciplines over the course of the three days and were exposed to a

huge variety of sports, including cricket, tennis, hockey, rounders, table

tennis, badminton, netball, soccer, rope skipping, athletics and touch

rugby.

The Challenge originated following a study in 2004, which revealed that an

alarmingly large percentage of South African children were already facing

probable obesity-related health problems. The Challenge aims to kick-start

an awareness of the importance of exercise and living a healthy lifestyle

amongst South Africa’s youth as research has shown that children develop

healthy habits by the age of 12. “If you’re not playing sport or leading an

active and healthy lifestyle by then, the chances are that sport and

physical activity will not feature in your adult life,” says event organiser

Brad Bing of Sporting Chance.