What alternative does the author suggest for a more active population?
Governments justify spending on elite athletes by pointing to the inspiration their victories give. Medals, it is said, make the nation more active. The claim is plausible but poorly supported: studies that look for a rise in participation after major events find short-lived or negligible effects. If the aim is a more active population, money is probably better spent on local pitches, swimming pools and safe routes to school. That is not to say that elite sport has no value. Success can give pleasure and pride in its own right, and some countries may legitimately wish to pursue it. But the pride is not the same as public health, and to claim that medals will make people fitter is to offer a justification that the evidence does not support.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Spending on local facilities such as pitches, pools and safe routes to school
- Step 1: The passage says money is probably better spent on local pitches, swimming pools and safe routes to school.
- Step 2: The only choice consistent with this is "Spending on local facilities such as pitches, pools and safe routes to school".
Answer
Spending on local facilities such as pitches, pools and safe routes to school.
Why not the others: More medals, advertising, television coverage and professional equipment are not the local facilities the author recommends for a more active population.
Practise more Sport.
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