We have kids of flab, says sponsor of Kids of Steel mini triathlon

A survey done for Tata Steel, the sponsor of Kids of Steel mini triathlons, says that a third of all children don’t own bikes but that three out of four had a games console.

A “staggering” number of children cannot swim or ride a bike and have never run 400 metres, says the survey.

The survey is said to reveal a generation of children turning their backs on physical activity in favour of computer games and television.

A total of 1,500 children, aged between six and 15, were quizzed by a survey company.

The results showed twice as many children spent their free time watching TV than playing sport, while around half surfed the internet, chatted on social networks and played video games.

The survey found 15 per cent of children could not swim, one in 10 had not learnt how to ride a bike, and almost a quarter had never run 400 metres.

A third of those questioned did not own a bike, but two thirds had their own mobile phone and three out of four had a games console.

Tata Steel is the sponsor of Kids of Steel mini triathlons, a series of short-course swim/bike/run events being staged in areas including steel regions such as Scunthorpe, Corby, Teesside, Rotherham, Swansea and Shotton in North Wales.