Proclamation

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

This National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, we celebrate the strength, discipline, and competitive spirit that reflect the American people. We recognize the values and lessons that sports and fitness instill. Above all, we reaffirm our commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles, expanding access to athletic opportunities, and ensuring every American has the chance to compete and succeed.

Sports and fitness are woven into the fabric of American identity, and the greatness that defines our Nation is forged only through hard work, sweat, and an unrelenting demand for success. Physical dedication sharpens the mind, steels the will, and produces the kind of character that Americans carry into every aspect of their lives. Citizens who hold themselves to that standard of excellence are capable of meeting any challenge of the world today.

My Administration is committed to strengthening the next generation of Americans and promoting sports participation, which is why I was proud to sign an Executive Order revitalizing the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition and reestablishing the Presidential Fitness Test. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Council, and under my leadership, we are once again making fitness and nutrition national priorities. Working alongside world-class professional athletes, major league organizations, teams, schools and communities across our country, we are ushering in a new Golden Age of physical fitness — expanding access to wellness for every American, promoting the many benefits of exercise and good nutrition, supporting youth sports, and celebrating a culture of strength, vitality, and excellence.

We are also leading the charge to restore integrity and fairness to sports. In my first days back in office, I issued an Executive Order keeping men out of women’s athletics — protecting the equal opportunity of women and girls to compete and excel. I also took executive actions to ensure that colleges preserve — and, where possible, expand — scholarship and roster opportunities for student athletes in all sports, and I am working hard to ensure enforcement of clear, consistent, and fair rules on eligibility, transfers, and compensation so that college athletics remain a uniquely American institution.