Since the programme started in 2015, winter and summer programmes have been held on 27 different islands.

Sports Paths are an initiative that is designed and implemented by Sports Excellence under the scientific supervision of the 1st Orthopedic Clinic of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (UoA), with the exclusive financial support of Stavros Niarchos Foundation. It is a programme for promoting sports education through actions that boost mental and physical health. Its purpose is to improve quality of life for children on so-called “hard-to-reach islands”. 

The programme promotes children’s creative engagement with sports and aims at:

  • development of children’s basic motor skills
  • improvement of mental well-being through free and creative play
  • socialization of children (participation of children in group games)

After five years of implementation, Sports Paths now aim at becoming an integral part of each area’s daily life with a view to eventually growing into a long-term programme whose success is dependent on the mobilization and participation not only of the residents but also of the local bodies of hard-to-reach islands. 

Sports Paths 2015-2020

Sports Paths 2015-2016

The programme was launched in the summer of 2015, following a finding made by members of the Mobile Medical Units (MMUs), during their missions on hard-to-reach islands, of high rates of childhood obesity. The Mobile Medical Units are an initiative undertaken by Stavros Niachos Foundation in cooperation with Sports Excellence, which aims to offer health care programmes to residents of islands and remote regions all over Greece. 

In these two years (2015- 2016), pioneering actions, in which a total of 3,093 children participated, were developed on 26 different islands. Several collaborators specialized in a variety of fields have worked towards their successful completion.

Sports Paths Winter 2017

The programme Sports Paths, Winter 2017 (SPW 2017), was carried out on thirteen (13) hard-to-reach islands and lasted from January to April 2017.

The islands that participated in the programme were the following:

AG.EFSTRATIOS, AGATHONISI, ANAFI, ANO KOUFONISI. DONOUSA, IRAKLIA, KASOS, KASTELORIZO, KIMOLOS, TILOS, CHALKI, SIKINOS, SCHINOUSA

During that period of time, we managed to mobilize not only children but also a significant number of adults through an integrated and multifaceted training programme.

The total number of children that participated in the programme was 376 (i.e. 77% of the total number of children on the islands), whereas the number of adult participants stood at 352.

We trained, through seminars, fourteen (14) physical education teachers in the application of the most recent and innovative methods of improving physical skills whereas, at the same time, information was provided on the particularities of teaching sports on each island separately.

Sports Paths Summer 2017

The programme Sports Paths – Summer 2017 (SP 2017), which lasted 3 weeks, from 26 June to 14 July, was carried out on ten (10) hard-to reach islands: Αgathonisi, Agios Efstratios, Astipalea, Donousa, Kasos, Kastelorizo, Kimolos, Lipsi, Tilos and Psara.

The programme was aimed essentially at learning to swim and staying safe in the water, since, on the one hand, swimming is vital for the residents of the islands, whereas, on the other hand, the percentages of children who know how to swim at a satisfactory level are extremely low (3%).

The programme was attended by 388 children aged from 5 to 12 years. It is noteworthy that the rate of participation stood at 83.47% of the total number of nursery and primary school children.

The programme was carried out on pre-selected beaches which met the safety criteria, in appropriately designated spaces and in schools or other public buildings. All the equipment used for the programme has been donated to the islands’ municipalities for own use.

The successful implementation of this undertaking was spearheaded by 19 physical education teachers trained in the most recent and innovative methods of improving physical skills.

The programme included, in addition to daily swimming lessons, a large number of actions, innovative and modern sports activities, which were mainly intended to provide participants with an opportunity to get acquainted with and establish a first contact with a rich variety of sports. Particular importance was attached to the issue of healthy eating in the context of well-being and a balanced lifestyle. In this respect, the programme included learning and practice in basketball, volleyball, handball, fencing, tennis, track and field and table tennis. At the same time, a broad range of kinesthetic games took place on the themes of cooperation, trust, team spirit, balance and coordination of movements. On some islands there were traditional dance lessons as well as chess lessons.

Sports Paths 2018-2019

In September 2018, the annual programme  Sports Paths started to be implemented on four (4)  hard-to-reach islands, Agios Efstratios, Kastelorizo, Lipsi and Tilos, as a result of our effort to answer the residents’ need and call for our constant presence by their side.

The Sports Paths programme aims to trigger the overall mobilization of residents to engage in activities that improve their lives. Sports activities are a means for the physical, mental and emotional development of children. Moreover, the diptych of sports and healthy eating is the secret to good health.

Sports Paths give children and adults the opportunity to adopt as an integral part of their everyday life activities that will help them remain healthy and, at the same time, “initiate” them into using mechanisms for a positive perception of reality. Furthermore, this is, in many cases, the sole outlet not only for children but also for adults on hard-to-reach islands. Our vision is to instill in the residents of the islands the need to adopt a different perspective, one that aims at a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

The programme is now carried out on an annual basis and its duration is extended so that its goals are achieved and so that it becomes an integral part of the local island community with a view to operate autonomously in the future.  

The three-week summer swimming learning programme will take place at the end of June to mid-July 2019.

Sports Paths Summer 2019

For one more summer, Sports Paths travelled to 13 remote islands of the Aegean Sea and, for the first time, to the mountainous village of Vamvakou in Laconia, from 1 to 21 July. During these 3 weeks, 46 physical education teachers, 13 chess teachers and 1 robotics teacher kept creatively occupied 659 children aged between 5 and 15 years in 14 destinations: Agathonisi, Agios Efstratios, Amorgos, Vamvakou, Donousa, Kasos, Kastelorizo, Kimolos, Lipsi, Nisiros, Samothraki, Tilos, Folegandros and Fourni.

We consider that the goals of the programme, namely improvement of motor skills, mental well-being, socialization and the learning of new sports and activities, have been achieved, according to the feedback we received, to a great extent. Moreover, our main concerns are keeping children safe and maintaining a high quality of services.

Learning to swim safely is a significant part of the summer programme and a key measure for the prevention of death by drowning. Given the disheartening fact that only 3% of children on the islands know how to swim safely and taking into account that Greece ranks first at European level with regard to death by drowning (Hellenic Statistical Authority), it is deemed necessary to reinforce swimming education in order to prevent drowning. On the basis of swimming assessments according to the 5 swimming competence assessment criteria,  the children’s swimming skills improved by 26.6% during the 3 weeks of the programme.

In this year’s programme, we also assessed the performance of 526 children aged between 4 and 15 years. The results of the performance assessment were, on average, 8.75% worse than those of 2015, which indicates an increase in hypoactivity. Another worrying indicator was the increase in obesity rates. As compared to 2015, obesity rates increased by 10% for boys and by 7% for girls.

Sports Paths 2019-2020

For one more summer, Sports Paths travelled to 13 remote islands of the Aegean Sea and, for the first time, to the mountainous village of Vamvakou in Laconia, from 1 to 21 July. During these 3 weeks, 46 physical education teachers, 13 chess teachers and 1 robotics teacher kept creatively occupied 659 children aged between 5 and 15 years in 14 destinations: Agathonisi, Agios Efstratios, Amorgos, Vamvakou, Donousa, Kasos, Kastelorizo, Kimolos, Lipsi, Nisiros, Samothraki, Tilos, Folegandros and Fourni.

We consider that the goals of the programme, namely improvement of motor skills, mental well-being, socialization and the learning of new sports and activities, have been achieved, according to the feedback we received, to a great extent. Moreover, our main concerns are keeping children safe and maintaining a high quality of services.

Learning to swim safely is a significant part of the summer programme and a key measure for the prevention of death by drowning. Given the disheartening fact that only 3% of children on the islands know how to swim safely and taking into account that Greece ranks first at European level with regard to death by drowning (Hellenic Statistical Authority), it is deemed necessary to reinforce swimming education in order to prevent drowning. On the basis of swimming assessments according to the 5 swimming competence assessment criteria,  the children’s swimming skills improved by 26.6% during the 3 weeks of the programme.

In this year’s programme, we also assessed the performance of 526 children aged between 4 and 15 years. The results of the performance assessment were, on average, 8.75% worse than those of 2015, which indicates an increase in hypoactivity. Another worrying indicator was the increase in obesity rates. As compared to 2015, obesity rates increased by 10% for boys and by 7% for girls.

9

programs

27

islands

>4.000

children

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