Are ‘non-competitive sports days’ really better for school children?

'It's not just winning, it's the taking part that matters'

According to a recent survey, 57% of parents with children at primary school say their sports day is “non-competitive”.

This means an event in which “everyone joins in via a team-focused event where individuals are not singled out”, says Families Online, which conducted the survey. In practice, this often results in schools dividing the children into groups that do compete, while parents yell encouragement from the sidelines. There are no school records to be broken and no tears on podiums.

The survey found that 86% of its responders do not approve. There will be no winners, no losers. There will simply be participants. Is this what we really want for our future generations?

What are your views?  Is competition important for children?  Is it essential in life to learn how to be a good loser? Should sports day just be about fun and taking part? Is the humiliation of losing going to switch children off sport at a young age? What was your school sports day like?