How sports drive academic success

WINNING COMBINATION

- ALEX GITLIN

SPORT is as important as any subject, and just as capable of cultivating intellect, confidence and empathy, says the writer. | FUAD ESACK

THERE'S a persistent myth in education that excellence in academics and excellence in sport are somehow in competition that students must sacrifice one to succeed in the other.

In my experience, the opposite is true. Sport doesn’t distract from academic achievement. It strengthens it.

As both an educator and a lifelong sportsman, I’ve seen the transformative effect that structured, competitive sport has on a young person's development not just physically, but cognitively, emotionally and socially. I've also experienced, firsthand, how my involvement in sport has energised and shaped my own leadership, both in the classroom and in school governance.