Kellogg’s marks 15 years supporting ‘On The Move’ Skolasport Programme

The new scholastic year 2015-16 marks the 15^th consecutive year Kellogg’s has been providing its support to the programme ‘On The Move’ Skolasport  making it one of the longest sponsorship relationships in Malta’s sports sector. As evident by its numerous global sports sponsorships, Kellogg’s is a firm believer in encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from a young age. For the past fifteen years, over 32,000 participants received training from Skolasport and have been acquainted with the concept that a healthy lifestyle is best achieved through a balanced diet and active sports participation.

A Kellogg’s spokesperson in Malta said: “This is a milestone year and Kellogg’s is proud to have been supporting On The Move Skolasport for all these years. Kellogg’s believes in its valuable service of developing sport talents among the young Maltese generation. Our sponsorship further accentuates our commitment towards promoting a healthy lifestyle  among the Maltese community.”

Robert Portelli, Head of Programmes, said: “Long standing partnerships are hugely important to government sports programmes, such as On The Move Skolasport. We are  honoured to have enjoyed such a long-term relationship with a globally respected brand like Kellogg’s. Following the success of the Horse Racing and Triathlon academies, this year we will be launching 4 new academies; Gymnastics, Basketball, Volleyball and Handball.  Held in conjunction with the respective National Association,  OnTheMove Skolasport participants can develop their talents even further ensuring that all children achieve their potential whilst supporting our vision of upgrading the quality of our programmes even further.”

Run by SportMalta , On The Move Skolasport programme covers the development of movement and physical exercise. Its main concern is to ensure that all children learn basic movement skills, enjoy being active, develop knowledge and training. On the other hand The On The Move Skolasport Adult Programme is designed to encourage parents and adults to take up a physical activity at least once a week. The programme for both children and adults is flexible enough to embrace all abilities from the beginner to a trained athlete. This year OnTheMove Skolasport is offering over 400 weekly sessions in more venues, on more days and a wider range of activities.  Apart from this, the programme has lowered the age such that toddlers as young as one year old can join the parent and child classes.  These classes are intended to preserve the instinctive abilities from pre-birth stage since toddlers are not afraid of water, and such skills such as not letting water get in through the nose and closing mouth when underwater are instinctive. Moreover the lessons strengthen the bond between the child and the parent but more importantly foster an active lifestyle in parents and toddlers from a very young age which is proven to influence children to have a more active lifestyle when they are older thus reducing the risk of obesity.

At the other end of the age spectrum, On the move Skolasport has been enriched with the 60+ programme with more Pilates, yoga, tai chi, aqua fitness, ballroom and line-dancing sessions across the island. This, together with other established initiatives such as the Walking & Jogging Club and free entrance for swimming at the National Pool, offer an excellent opportunity for the elderly to remain active and maintain fitness.

On The Move Skolasport offers various programme modules in different venues, including the Sports Complexes found in Cottonera, Marsa, Kirkop and Tal-Qroqq. Government colleges have also been roped in to reach a wider audience. These include Sta. Margerita Secondary School in Cospicua, St. Ignatius Secondary School in Tal-Handaq, St. Clare Secondary School in Pembroke and Maria Regina Secondary School in Mosta.

This year On the Move Skolasport has not only reached its target but exceeded the amount reaching an overwhelming 5400 participants. For this reason all classes are closed at the moment but will soon be opening again with the upcoming sport programmes. For further queries one can contact the Programmes Section at SportMalta Office on tel. 22036000 or via e-mail: programmes@sportmalta.org.mt or visit the SportMalta website: www.sportmalta.org.mt.