[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