Summary
A review of the evolution, challenges, and opportunities offered by the renewal of the policy that will be in force from 2026 to 2037, aiming to identify and address the main issues affecting the development of sports and physical activity in the country.
Could the new National Policy, which will be ready by the end of the year, improve participation in sports participation, obesity and overweight rates, and support for high-performance athletes?
M. Constanza Campos Correa
@Créditos: Sergio Maureira / Corporación Santiago 2023
Imagine a group of players running after a ball with a long stick, curved at the end, trying to get to the end of the field. This could be the practice of sports such as hockey or even shinty in Scotland, but it’s called palín, the ancestral game or sport popular the 15th and 18th centuries (Cañete Museum, n.d.) among, the Mapuche people, one of the native peoples now part of Chile. It was recognized as the national sport in 2004, and though not commonly practiced in the country today, is among the origins of games and sports in Chile.
Why talk about palín? Because several centuries after its creation, the country is revisiting the current National Physical Activity and Sports Policy (PNAFD) 2016-2025, which will lead to a new policy document that will be in force from 2026 to 2037, laying the foundation for the future of physical activity and sports in the country. The update’s primary purpose is to respond to new population needs such as ageing, incorporate new technologies, strengthen equity, and increase inter-sectoral collaboration, among others (Mindep, 2024).
Just as palín reflected social cohesion and community well-being in its time, the new policy seeks to revitalise sports as an essential component for social development and public health (Cañete Museum, n.d.). This update offers an opportunity to integrate the advances made under the current policy with today’s challenges, ensuring that sports remain a key tool for improving the quality of life of Chile’s residents.
Physical Education in Chile
The first signs in Chile’s history of the state’s concern for physical education date back to the late 19th century. High infant mortality rates led the Chilean state to implement welfare policies to ensure children’s survival and improve hygiene habits. The need to include physical education in national schools arose to achieve this and foster increased social order and a decree issued in 1889 made physical education mandatory in schools. “With this measure, the aim was not just to raise strong children with good physical health, but also to educate their personality and will through physical exercise, both of which were important aspects of the comprehensive education—intellectual, physical, and moral—that was sought for students” (Chilean National Library, n.a.).
Subsequent governments continued to promote physical culture and recreation as essential tools for developing good habits among the population. Many years later, in 1990, with the return of democracy in the country, the lack of a medium- and long-term sports policy (PNAFD) was identified, leading to the creation of the first National Sports Policy in 2002 (Mindep, 2024). This document was key to structuring and fostering the development of sports at various levels, from physical activity to high performance sports, recognizing them as integral tools for society (IND, 2002; Mindep, 2024).
After being in force for 14 years, a new National Physical Activity and Sports Policy was subsequently drafted for 2016-2025, which is now under review and will be updated for the next 11 years. Its objective is to promote “comprehensive, individual, and community development of the population through the systematic practice of physical activity and sports in its various forms, throughout life, from a rights-based approach that ensures gender equity, inter-culturality, and broad social inclusion” (Mindep, 2016).
One of the changes in the 2016-2025 policy compared to its predecessor is its expanded scope. While the 2002 policy focused on the structuring, promotion, and encouragement of sports from the grassroots to high performance, the 2016-2025 policy expanded to a more comprehensive vision, incorporating aspects such as physical activity as a public health tool, social equity, and greater inter-sectoral cooperation between education, health, and sports (IND, 2002; Retamal et al., 2020; Mindep, 2016).
Where Does Chile Stand in Sports and Health?
Sports Culture: When it comes to sports culture and physical activity, football, like most countries in the region, is undoubtedly the one that attracts the most participants, accounting for around 26% of total exercise, followed by activities such as running and fitness conditioning, each with 10% (Mindep, 2015).
Participation Habits:
The latest National Survey on Physical Activity and Sports Habits showed a slight increase in the percentage of active adults (aged 18 and over), from 19.6% in 2018 to 22.6% in 2021. This percentage is even lower among adolescents, with 16.1% considered partially active in 2021 (Mindep, 2021; Thomas-Lange, 2023).
Mindep (2021) recommendations suggest that the renewal of the current National Physical Activity Policy “should be an opportunity to adjust processes, considering the potential effects on various sectors of the population due to COVID-19. Moreover, its reformulation in key areas could guide certain actions to enhance the impact of improving sports habits, albeit cautiously, as some critiques of the Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018-2030 have argued that it is very complex to achieve the suggested reductions in inactivity.”
High Performance Sports:
Regarding high-level sports, the country has won 15 medals in the 23 Summer Olympic Games in which it has participated, with none in the Winter Olympics. It won two medals (one gold and one silver) in the 2024 Paris Games, after 16 years without winning any. In the Paralympic Games, Chile has won 13 medals in the nine Summer Games in which it has participated, with no medals in the Winter Games.
When it comes to football, the most widely practiced sport, the best results have been third-place in the 1962 World Cup, held in Chile, and first place in the Copa América in 2015 and the Copa América Bicentenario in 2016.
Regarding high performance, the state tends to be criticized for its lack of support, reflected in athletes’ comments in the media and studies on the issue, which propose changes in current public policy as a solution. Some of the areas to improve include “the results show that the lack of support, dual careers (combining a sports career with education or work), training facilities, and gender discrimination are obstacles. It is concluded that new horizons for public policies aimed at resolving these obstacles must be proposed” (Soto-Lagos et al., 2022).
However, in recent years, the budget for high-performance sports has increased. Investment exceeded CLP 131 billion (USD 154.1 billion), nearly 40% more in these last four years, through the Olympic and Paralympic Plans (Mindep, 2016) (Lucay, 2024). This budget increase, specific plans, and improvements in the results obtained in the recent Pan American and Olympic Games suggest a growing state interest and concern regarding high performance sports.
Mega Events:
In 2023, the country hosted one of the largest sports events in the region, the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, with 1.3 million spectators, nearly three times the number of in the previous games in Lima, Peru (Panam Sports, 2023). The country earned 79 medals, ranking 8th in the medal table, 29 more than in the previous games. In terms of Paralympic medals, Chile won 51, compared to 33 in Lima. Overall, this event was a success, showing that the country’s residents are interested in sports and that Chile can organize large-scale events.
This event also prompted the country to rethink its sports strategy and what it wants for the future. Harold Mayne-Nicholls, former director of the Santiago 2023 Corporation, the organizer of the Pan American Games, acknowledged that these Games were a great display of the interest in sports in Chile, but also explained that “to make a change and really compete for medals, we need a different public policy. I’ve been saying this for years. There should be a policy for physical activity and recreation for children (…) This change needs to happen at the level of the Ministries of Education, Health, and Sports, because today children have a great lack of skills and obesity is skyrocketing. The good thing is that many parents saw the effect that Santiago 2023 had on people, and that can help” (Lucay, 2024).
This phenomenon of high visibility and appreciation of sports as entertainment, which does not necessarily align with participation, could be related to a study on the country’s sports culture, which explains that “in Chile, previous research shows the existence of a sports culture characterized by a high appreciation of sports as entertainment and as a component of an ideal social (or residential) environment, but with a low individual inclination toward regular and systematic participation” (Vilches & Pacheco, 2014).
Overweight and Obesity rates: Public health data shows that overweight and obesity rates are worrying issues, with the latest National Health Survey (Minsal, 2017) indicating that 39.8% of the population is overweight, 32.2% is obese, and 3.2% has morbid obesity. Additionally, according to a report published by The World Obesity Atlas this year, it was estimated that 42% of adults in Chile will be obese by 2025, the highest percentage in South America (World Obesity Atlas, 2025).
Chile faces a significant challenge in promoting an active sports culture and improving public health. While there is interest in sports as entertainment, regular participation in physical activities remains low. On the other hand, high-performance sports have shown progress, but the lack of state support seems to remain an obstacle, highlighting the need to reform public policies to provide athletes with more support.
What is being reviewed?
Chile has been working on renewing the current National Physical Activity and Sports Policy 2016-2025, a process it began last year and will conclude in 2025 with a new document that will govern policy from 2026 to 2037 (Mindep, 2025). There are six stages in total: assessment of the previous policy, nationwide public consultation, an advisory or technical monitoring observatory that advises on the assessment and update process, participatory process, validation, and the new document that will be in force until 2037.
Chile has the opportunity to consolidate sports and physical activity with this new National Physical Activity and Sports Policy. While significant progress has been made, it is important to deepen intersectoral integration and strengthen cooperation between education, health, and sports to comprehensively address current challenges such as low participation in physical activity and rising obesity.
The key question is also understanding why, despite the state’s growing concern regarding sports and public interest in sports events, there has been no significant change in participation or health indices, and dissatisfaction in high performance sports persists. Is it the lack of infrastructure? Limited access to safe, nearby sports facilities? Insufficient promotion of physical education from an early age?
Hopefully the new National Policy will identify the main issues affecting the development of physical activity and sports in the country. Just as palín, in its origins, strengthened social cohesion and community well-being, the new national policy offers the chance to revitalize sports as an essential tool for social development and health in Chile.
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