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 PISA in Focus N°86 - How is participation in sports related to students' performance and well-being?

Sports play a vital role in students’ life. Playing sports on a regular basis can reduce the risks of obesity, anxiety disorders, low self-esteem and bullying among adolescents, and it can help them live a more active and healthy life as adults. But physical education classes and extracurricular sports activities compete for time with many other important pursuits, including homework and study. Educators and parents may ask whether their children spend enough time (or perhaps too much time) in physical activities, and to what degree participation in sports is associated with students’ academic performance and well-being.