Mr. James Galvin:

We are trying to gain further insights in terms of dropout rates. I think it is reasonable to say that at some point we need to articulate a vision for physical activity in sport. Countries such as New Zealand and Finland speak about being the most physically active nations in the world. In terms of the national physical activity plan, I think we need to start working towards that sort of a vision. In terms of transitions into and out of sport, the reasons are myriad and complex. It would appear from the research that the pinch point, or that point at which most people drop out of sport, is the point at which they leave secondary school education, for a variety of reasons. Then there are issues around girls and young women staying in sport, again for a variety of reasons. There is some research now which is showing that older people are becoming more physically active through a variety of sports, and the two sports that have been identified as being the most consistent in terms of participation throughout an individual's life cycle are swimming and cycling. In order to increase and maintain participation in sports, we need to look in an innovative way at how sports deliver their programmes. The traditional approach to particular sports does not have to be maintained. Perhaps the sports could be modified to make them more attractive.