Commonwealth Games England's chief executive Mark Osikoya has welcomed the Get Active scheme ©Getty Images

Commonwealth Games England chief executive Mark Osikoya has praised the British Government's new sport strategy "Get Active".

The initiative was published at the end of last month and aims to tackle inactivity by ensuring that the sport and physical activity sector is accessible, inclusive and sustainable.

The Government is set to work with former sports stars and health professionals to help an additional 3.5 million people get physically active by 2030.

The Get Active strategy aims to get 3.5 million people in Britain physically active by 2030 ©GOV.UK
The Get Active strategy aims to get 3.5 million people in Britain physically active by 2030 ©GOV.UK

"We welcome the Government's new sport strategy 'Get Active', which could not come at a more important time for our sector," said Osikoya.

"Its alignment with our mission to promote sports excellence and inclusivity in the Commonwealth movement is reassuring and it is particularly encouraging to see the incredible success of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games as a positive case study.

"The Birmingham Games not only delivered a socio-economic benefit but also provided a platform to inspire more people to get active, and create the next generation of sports stars, something Team England prides itself on.

"This summer we saw the huge success of 57 young talented English athletes bringing home 49 medals from the Commonwealth Youth Games and creating memorable moments in the first steps of their sporting careers."


The success of Team England at the Commonwealth Games can help encourage more people to become physically active, it is claimed ©Getty Images
The success of Team England at the Commonwealth Games can help encourage more people to become physically active, it is claimed ©Getty Images

The Sport England Active Lives Survey indicated that a quarter of adults are currently deemed to be "inactive" in England, with more than 11 million doing less than 30 minutes of activity in total per week.


Figures also state that 53 per cent of children and young people are not meeting guidance of at least 60 minutes of activity a day.

The strategy is also due to target minority groups to help make sport and physical activity as inclusive as possible.

"It is encouraging to see reference to the importance of tackling inequalities in sport and the strategy correctly highlights how the sector needs to be a welcoming, inclusive and fair environment for everyone to partake in whilst showing determination to ensure welfare and safeguarding issues are dealt with efficiently.

"I look forward to supporting the new strategy for Sport and working in partnership to establish a sustainable future for Commonwealth Sport."