    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 133, 116th Congress, 1st Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    Proclamation 9870 of April 30, 2019

    National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, 2019

    By the President of the United States of America

    A Proclamation

    National Physical Fitness and Sports Month highlights the important role
    of physical fitness and sports in uniting us as Americans and enabling
    us to live more active and healthy lives. The countless benefits of
    routine exercise and participation in sports extend beyond physical
    health and help improve overall mental health, teach valuable life
    skills, and build camaraderie and friendship.
    Each day across our country, thousands of coaches, parents, and teachers
    work to break down barriers to youth participation in sports to help
    young people improve their lives and empower them to reach their full
    potential. Sports and physical activity help children and adolescents
    improve cardiorespiratory fitness, build strong bones and muscles, lower
    the likelihood of obesity, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression,
    and reduce the risk of developing chronic health conditions. In
    addition, organized sports help our youth discover the importance of
    teamwork, social skills, hard work, determination, and the ability to
    overcome adversity. Students who participate in sports have up to 40
    percent higher test scores and are 15 percent more likely to attend
    college.
    Unfortunately, despite the numerous benefits, youth sports participation
    has been decreasing. In 2016, only 37 percent of youth played team
    sports on a regular basis, down from 45 percent 11 years ago. This
    decline is even more apparent among students from low-income families.
    To address this issue, I have directed the President's Council on
    Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition (the Council) to work with the White
    House and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a
    national strategy to increase youth sports participation. Through this
    strategy, we are increasing awareness of the benefits of participation
    in sports and regular physical activity and of the importance of good
    nutrition. We are also working to recruit people devoted to encouraging
    and supporting youth participation in sports and regular physical
    activity through coaching, mentoring, teaching, and offering athletic
    and nutritional programs.
    The strategy includes a focus on accessible, inclusive physical activity
    for Americans of all abilities. Girls, youth with disabilities, and
    those from economically distressed areas have lower rates of regular
    physical activity and face significant barriers in their pursuit of
    sports participation compared to their peers. Both the Council's
    Presidential Active Lifestyle Award and the HHS I Can Do It! (ICDI)
    program model will support the need for increased access to inclusive
    program models for American youth of all backgrounds and abilities. When
    children of all abilities play, practice, and compete together, we can
    build a more inclusive Nation.
    This month, we celebrate and promote the countless benefits of both
    competitive and recreational sports, including better health, the
    opportunity to forge lifelong friendships, and the satisfaction of
    leaving it all

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    on the field. Most importantly, we want our youth to learn the valuable
    lessons sports teach in order to create opportunities in the future for
    themselves, their families, and their communities.
    NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of
    America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
    the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2019 as National
    Physical Fitness and Sports Month. I call upon the people of the United
    States to make physical activity and sports participation a priority in
    their lives.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of
    April, in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
    third.
    DONALD J. TRUMP