IELTS Essay # 82 - In some countries people of all ages place extra emphasis on sports and exercising. Do you think it is a positive development? Give your opinion and relevant examples from your own experience.

Essay # 82

In some countries people of all ages place extra emphasis on sports and exercising. Do you think it is a positive development? Give your opinion and relevant examples from your own experience.

Some countries focus and promote sporting activities a lot for their citizens. This helps them get good athletes and make a mark in worldwide sports as well. I believe this to be a good development on the whole, and this essay shall elaborate this viewpoint further.

It is always a good thing in life to know how to play at least one sport. By emphasizing on sports and exercises these countries make sure their citizens are fit and healthy and are also active in sports. For this, they start training their children early. This enables the country to enter itself in a wide range of sporting activities when it comes to tournaments like the Olympics. Take for example Australia; Australian players have always been ranked high in many sports like cricket, tennis, swimming, football, cycling and many more. The fact that Australia produced these sporting successes has made the country shine amongst all, and according to a survey, Australians have been recognized as one of the healthiest people in the world.

Besides the obvious benefits on physical health, sporting activities contribute a lot in bringing a community, a group or a country together. People who are sports fans bond instantly regardless of the race or ethnicity they belong to. This is a very good advantage according to me. There is however a con to becoming very obsessive about sports, that a sportsman’s career is timed. Usually, sportspersons need to retire before the general retirement age, owing to their bodily capacity, and at that point they might not have an idea as to what else to do in life. But again, there are decisions and future plans that can easily be made for a settled life after retirement from sports, so this can be considered a drawback in theory.

Summing up, I’d say that placing emphasis on sports is not a negative thing at all. Looking at the talent and abilities, a country should prepare its citizens for appropriate sports.

(329 words)