WASHINGTON AP - President Donald Trump on Thursday plans to reestablish the Presidential Fitness Test for American schoolchildren.
The program, which was created in 1966, had children run and perform situps, pullups or pushups and a sit-and-reach test. It changed in 2012 during the Obama administration to focus more on individual health than athletic feats.
The president "wants to ensure America's future generations are strong, healthy, and successful," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, and that all young Americans "have the opportunity to emphasize healthy, active lifestyles - creating a culture of strength and excellence for years to come."
In a late afternoon ceremony at the White House, Trump intends to sign an order that reestablishes the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, as well as the fitness test, to be administered by his health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The council also will develop criteria for a Presidential Fitness Award.
In 2012, the assessment evolved into the Youth Fitness Program, which the government said "moved away from recognizing athletic performance to providing a barometer on student's health."