Health education is not provided as an independent subject. It is regarded as education on cross-subject matters and as education on healthy behavior to be promoted among all students.

## (2) Lifelong Sports and Competitive Sports

According to a survey conducted by the Ministry for Youth, Sports and Voluntary Associations in 2000, 60% of French citizens do some form of exercise or sports at least once a week. Also, 83% of them do some form of exercise or sports at least once a year. (All data are for French citizens aged 15 to 75.) The number of sports clubs is estimated to be as many as 170,000 and the number of their members to be 10 million (as of 2002).

France has always ranked high in the number of medals won at the Olympic Games. The country was ranked fifth (with 37 medals) at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, sixth (with 38 medals) at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, and seventh (with 33 medals) at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. In this country, approximately 6,000 athletes are registered as “high-level athletes” from among those who had excellent results at international competitions. Those registered as “high-level athletes” are given support regarding their school work and jobs during training or international competition periods so that they can devote themselves to their athletic activities.

## (3) Promotion Regime for Sports Administration

The MJSVA is the major governmental organization engaged in sports, and the ministry leads other governmental organizations in the formulation and implementation of sports-related policies. In addition, the Ministry for Education has jurisdiction over school physical education.

## ☐4 Germany

## (1) School Physical Education

Physical education classes (mandatory “sports” classes) are provided to children in all grades at primary and secondary educational institutions.

Class hours are set at three hours a week for grades 1 to 4 in the primary education course, two to four hours a week for grades 5 to 10 in secondary education stage I, and three hours a week for grades 11 to 13 in secondary education stage II. In addition to the three-hour mandatory class in secondary education stage II, schools approved by school boards can provide another three-hour class as an examination subject for entering universities. Furthermore, these schools can open optional physical education classes up to five hours a week.

The targets and details of physical education are set by grade, and schools are required to provide their students with opportunities to engage in sports in the broad sense of the term and ensure that they can develop themselves by engaging in a wide range of sports. Targets are determined based on the following six educational viewpoints: improvement in intellectual abilities and affluent sports experiences; physical expression and exercise; adventure; achievement; collaboration; and health.

Health education is not provided as an independent subject. It is taught as a part of physical education.

## (2) Lifelong Sports and Competitive Sports

There are as many as 26.91 million registered members in Deutscher Sportbund (DSB), which is a private sports organization representing Germany. In other words, 32.6% of German citizens have joined the organization. The number of registered members of Landes Sportbund (LSB) is 23.52 million, and they are engaged in sports at approximately 90,000 sports clubs. Including those belonging to more than one sports club, approximately 29% of German citizens participate in sports at sports clubs (as of 2003).

Germany has no national training center. Instead, regional sports clubs network together to form a sys-

▲ Sports club in Munich, Germany