Exploring the Barriers to Physical Education Opportunities in India’s Schools: A Study of Parental Perceptions after the Unprecedented Performance at the Tokyo Olympics

Abstract

This qualitative study explored parents’ perceptions of physical education (PE) subject following the success of the Indian Olympic team in the Tokyo Olympics. Six focus-group discussions were organized across the Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) of India. The participants were 24 parents, 13 (54.16%) of whom were males and 11 (45.84%) were females. Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, which revealed five superordinate themes: (1) educating the public, (2) developing a support system, (3) advocating for PE, (4) developing policies and justifications, and (5) leveraging the relationship between the Olympics and PE. This study suggests that the Olympic results should be leveraged to promote PE; however, strategies that will encourage parents to involve themselves formally and effectively in their children’s school PE are needed.

1. Introduction

The modern revival of the Olympic games was intended to have multiple benefits. The Olympic games are viewed as an extraordinary way to “inspire a generation” and to affect the way of life, economy, innovation, and education of the host nations [1,2,3]. The co-founder of the modern Olympic games, Baron de Coubertin, was fascinated by education and the role of sport. He was an advocate for social change, and his patriotism took the form of promoting physical education (PE) and sports [4]. The archive of the Olympic World Library documents that Coubertin advocated for the inclusion of PE in schools in the early 1900s. He firmly believed in the benefits of PE for the body, mind, and spirit of schoolchildren. He envisioned the Olympic Games and their champions inspiring all people to engage in movement.

The Olympic Games entertain audiences, allow athletes to showcase their talents, and provide an opportunity to promote physical activity (PA) for all. In fact, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have worked closely since 1984, prompting various joint drives to advance better ways of life and a grassroots battle against physical inactivity [5]. In this sense, PE and the Olympics have much in common. Physical education in schools is one strategy for teaching students to develop a spirit of healthy competition in sports, especially at various levels. Further, the International Charter of Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport, 2015 [6] states the following:

The provision of quality physical education, physical activity, and sports are essential, to realize their full potential to promote values such as fair play, equality, honesty, excellence, commitment, courage, teamwork, respect for rules and laws, respect for self and others, community spirit and solidarity, as well as fun and enjoyment.

As is apparent here, many of the goals of schools and PE are very much in line with the goals of the IOC. It is important to understand in detail the purpose of PE in schools. PE provides cognitive content and instruction designed to develop motor skills, knowledge, and behaviors for PA in students [7]. Fairclough and Stratton [8] claim that school PE provides a setting for regular and organized participation in PA. Uddin et al. [9] analyzed the Global School-based Student Health Survey data from 65 countries and found a positive association between meeting the PA standards and regular participation in PE classes for young children and teenagers, regardless of sex or age group. However, globally, the value of PE in schools has always been debated. Concerning the importance of PE from the parent’s perspective, Sheehy [10] reported that parents felt that PE was of less importance than other academic subjects. Further, parents reported understanding their child’s PE classes based on their own PE experience. However, in contrast to this finding, George and Smith [11] found that parents believed that PE includes sports and PA, health-related fitness, and personal and social development. These mixed findings suggest that much work is needed to educate parents around the globe about the objectives of PE.

1.1. Physical Education in India

Initially, formal PE was introduced in India to promote physical activity by ex-servicemen from the army, with the only focus being physical training (PT). For this reason, PE is often viewed as providing only PT in India. However, in the last decade, PE has grown as an academic subject. The recent press release from India’s Government on the development of children in sports [12] reveals that Health and Physical Education (HPE) is a compulsory subject for children in grades one to ten, according to the National Framework Curriculum. Accordingly, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has brought materials for grades six, seven, and eight, as well as teachers’ guides and grade-nine textbooks on HPE. Additionally, the Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE) has introduced a streamlined and well-designed HPE Program to make HPE mainstream in schools for students in grades one to seven. CBSE has made HPE compulsory in all grades from one to seven, and the Board has given instructions to schools to designate an HPE period for students in grades one to seven every day. In a recent development, the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (2023) replaced Health and Physical Education with Physical Education and Well-being. NCF 2023 [13] specifies that in the middle stage, students should also actively participate in competitive sports events. At the secondary level should be encouraged to choose one sport and develop proficiency to compete at a high level. It has also been emphasized that PE should be given importance and treatment equal to that given to other subjects. Despite government efforts, PE is still misunderstood by parents as consisting of PT and sports classes because of the inclusion of sports and other physical activities in PE classes.

The work of Bailey [14] suggests that ‘sport’ refers to exercises, and “PE” refers to a segment of the school educational plan focused on physical activities and improving motor skills. Similarly, Clarke and Mondal [15] suggest that schools have often used PE as a talent-identification program for elite sports. Conversely, globally, PE is considered a marginalized subject because many believe it does not achieve the objective of education [16,17]. The status of PE in India is similar to that in other countries, i.e., students, parents, and schools do not regard it favourably. In line with this finding, Khandare [18] argues that PE has rarely received the recognition it deserves in India.

Notwithstanding these results, we observed that the societal perception of PE is undergoing a positive shift after the implementation of the “Khelo India” (“Let’s Play India”) program in 2017. The Khelo India program [19] has been promoting sports culture in India at the grassroots level by building serious areas of strength for all sports played in India and portraying India as a great sporting nation. To prove they are capable of competing in international events, students are taking part in various sports tournaments at the local, state, regional, and national levels. These tournaments are sponsored by state and national governments with the help of various sporting federations. Students are learning important skills such as time management, teamwork, self-confidence, and lifelong healthy lifestyle habits with the help of these tournaments at schools. Fair play and sound moral character can also be developed by including such programs in school PE.

1.2. Literature Review

The use of the Olympics in PE promotion has been advocated for generations. Clark [20] claims that the Olympic games can clarify the role of PE by suggesting that the body must be educated with the mind. Parry [21] indicates that Olympic standards might be seen not just as idle “goals”, but rather as living thoughts that can change our ideas of the role of games in schooling. Others suggest that the Olympic Games may provide opportunities to advance support for legitimizing PE in schools [22,23]. Petrie [24] suggests that from a far-reaching philosophical perspective, education in Olympism can extend conceptualizations of the purpose of PE. As such, now may be an important time to advocate for socio-educative PE. Burgo [25] highlights the impact of Pierre de Coubertin on the development of education, sports, and PE. Kohe and Jones [26] emphasize that Olympic heritage plans are interpreted by students and experts as promoting goals that increase motivation, commitment, performance, and support for PE, sport, and PA.

Recently, Bauman et al. [27] argued that the Olympic Games are the zenith of human achievement and provide an important occasion for joining individuals worldwide through a shared enthusiasm for movement. They additionally claim that the Olympic Games offer a unique opportunity to promote PA at a population level. However, the use of school PE to realize this goal has not been fully operationalized. In addressing this aim, Sahin and Senduran [28] suggest that the PE teacher is essential in raising Olympic awareness among students. If the PE teacher gets support from the school, they not only increase the standards of PE in schools but can also build an Olympic movement. Here, it is argued that PE in schools offers an opportunity to not only increase the PA of youth and thus of future societies but also lead youth to embrace the Olympic spirit and goals.

1.3. Conceptualization of the Study

India made its Olympic debut in 1900. Since then, India, the world’s second-most populous country, has won 35 medals (10 Gold, 9 Silver, and 16 Bronze). The Tokyo Olympics 2020 is regarded as India’s best Olympic performance, considering the number of medals and the athletes’ rankings. During this event, the Indian contingent won seven medals, the greatest number the country has won in Olympic history and ranked 48th in the medal tally. This is the highest rank India has achieved since its debut in the Olympics. Before 2020, India’s best performance was at the London Olympics in 2012, where the Indian contingent won 6 medals. Throughout the country, Indians celebrated this performance with great joy. Venkat [29] claims that the Tokyo 2020 Olympics were the most tweeted-about sports events in India in 2021. Records from the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) show that 69 million people in India watched the Tokyo Olympics during its first week [30].

Following this widespread celebration and the popularity of the Games now is the time for the Olympic movement and PE to work together to maximize their potential to promote an active society. We firmly believe that the latest addition of “Togetherness” to the Olympic motto will make it possible to connect sports with PE offerings in schools. It is our perspective that one strategy to leverage the concept of togetherness in PE is through the inclusion of families in school-wide PE initiatives. Alcántara et al. [31] claim that when parents have a positive attitude toward PA, children are more physically active. Encouraging sportsmanship, avoiding personal comparisons, and focusing on skill acquisition will make PE classes effective for school children. However, perceptions of PE can be changed only by changing the attitudes of the parents. Therefore, the effort is being made by this researcher to examine the potential of the Olympics to change parents’ perceptions of sports and PE classes. Most parents encourage their children to play sports, but they treat PE classes as important. There is a dearth of research on parents’ perceptions of PE classes in India. This study attempts to understand whether any one event, such as the Olympics, can change parents’ perceptions. We believe that after India’s splendid performance in the Tokyo Olympics, it is worth approaching parents to identify the concerns that are negatively affecting PE offerings in schools. By exploring how parents’ perceptions of Olympic results affect PE offerings in schools, this research can address many issues related to schools’ PE policies. Therefore, this study examined parents’ perceptions of the role of PE in their child’s life following the Tokyo Olympic Games, an event in which the Indian Olympic Team’s performance was unprecedented.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Study Design

This study used the phenomenological approach in the absence of any definite theoretical approach. Each participant expressed their views on PE, including both their attitude towards PE as a whole and how PE classes are conducted in schools. Yuksel and Yildirim [32] describe phenomenological research as seeking reality in people’s narratives of their experiences and sentiments to create a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon in question. A phenomenological study can concentrate on educational settings through stakeholders’ lived insight, perceptions, and feelings about a phenomenon. We decided to conduct focus-group discussions (FGDs) to collect parents’ perceptions of how the Tokyo Olympics results have affected the expansion of PE offerings. The use of phenomenological techniques, specifically interpretive phenomenology, to collect focus-group data is becoming increasingly popular because such techniques can enrich experiential data [33,34]. Ethics clearance for the study was obtained from the Indira Gandhi Institute of Physical Education & Sports Sciences, New Delhi, India.

2.2. Focus-Group Discussion Guide

The first and second authors designed an FGD guide (

Table 1. Focus-group discussion (FGD) guide.

Categories	Questions
Opening questions	Did you follow the Tokyo Olympics? Do you believe that the results of the Tokyo Olympics will be instrumental in promoting PE in schools?
	3. Please describe PE as per your understanding. 4. Why are PE classes important for your child?
Exploratory Questions	Why does PE not get its due recognition in society?
	2. What challenges are children facing in PE classes?
Key Questions	Think about the Olympic games. How did these games contribute to forming your opinion regarding the importance of PE or sports in children’s lives?
	2. What role can school PE programs play in achieving Olympic targets?
Closing Question	In your opinion, what should be the school’s PE policy?
	2. What changes do you suggest for your child’s PE classes?

), and the questions were framed collaboratively by those authors based on their personal experiences, previous literature on similar studies, and expert opinions from coaches, parents, and PE teachers. The FGD covered all potential issues related to PE. We took advice and suggestions from qualitative research experts to improve the validity of the FGD guide. A pilot study was carried out with three parents to identify potential issues and confusing elements in the FGDs. All three parents claimed to have fully comprehended the interview questions and had no trouble responding to them.

2.3. Data-Collection Procedure

Initially, the first author contacted twenty-nine PE teachers to obtain the names of parents of students regularly taking PE classes in the schools. The PE teachers provided the names of twenty-four parents, and all agreed to take part in this study. Therefore, convenience sampling was used to recruit those parents whose children attend regular PE and sports classes. The voluminous body of scientific literature suggests that phenomenological studies can be conducted on small sample sizes, i.e., between two and fifteen individuals, and yield data that help researchers understand the real-life experience of the participants [35,36,37]. Before the FGDs, the participants were contacted via email and WhatsApp to confirm the interview arrangement. The first author conducted all six FGDs with twenty-four parents in Hindi and English with the help of the Zoom application. Each FGD started with an introduction and continued with questions about their children’s experiences of PE, the challenges they faced, and suggestions for making PE more interesting for students. All FGDs lasted approximately 50 min and, with permission from the participants, the sessions were recorded. Secrecy was maintained by masking individual identifiers. To aid in the post-analysis, keywords, lists of the respondents’ main ideas, and significant quotations were noted during the FGDs. The interview data were promptly transcribed verbatim and analyzed to develop the themes that arose in the FGDs.

2.4. Data Analysis

Pietkiewicz and Smith [38] suggest that Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) offers a set of adaptable guidelines that can be customized by individual researchers based on their study objectives. Further, they advise that researchers be flexible and creative in their thinking. We adopted the following steps suggested by Pietkiewicz and Smith [35] to analyze the data:

• Multiple readings and making notes—The first author listened to the recording twice. Each time, new insights were gained. All significant points were noted.
• Transforming notes into emergent themes—The first author prepared the notes, developed a small number of themes, and then shared their work with the second and third authors to obtain their views.
• Seeking relationships and clustering themes—The second and third authors grouped the notes according to conceptual similarities and provided each cluster with a descriptive label. Some subordinate themes were relabeled and reconfigured with the help of the qualitative-research expert.

2.5. Trustworthiness

Lincoln and Guba [39] argue that trustworthiness is one of the ways researchers can convince readers that their research findings are worthy of attention. Further, they elaborated on the notion of trustworthiness by introducing a set of trust-related criteria, namely credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability.

2.6. Credibility

Korstjens and Moser [40] suggested employing prolonged engagement, persistent observation, triangulation, and member checks to achieve credibility. The first author established a good rapport with all the participants, which helped in the prolonged discussion. Investigator triangulation was used by the first and second authors to generate themes with different codes, as well as analysis and interpretation decisions. Peer debriefing sessions were also organized with school PE teachers to critique the initial findings (themes). Lastly, all the themes were shared with the third author to obtain his perspective and expertise. All themes were agreed upon by the authors. Developed themes were returned to participants (n = 14) to check for accuracy and resonance with our findings. There was unanimous agreement on the suggested themes among the fourteen participants.

2.7. Transferability

Transferability relates to applicability [39]. Korstjens and Moser [40] argue that researchers must offer a comprehensive and detailed account, commonly referred to as a “thick description,” of the participants involved in the study, as well as of the research process itself. This level of detail is crucial in allowing readers to evaluate the potential transferability of the findings to their specific context.

As part of our efforts to ensure the transferability of our findings, we provide a detailed description of the context in which this study was conducted and how the FGD data shaped the results.

2.8. Dependability and Confirmability

In this study, we present an overview of the analytical approach and framework employed for data analysis. An external audit was also conducted by the qualitative research expert from India via two Zoom meetings to verify agreement among data, research methods, data interpretations, and labelling of the themes. This expert meticulously reviewed all the codes, thereby facilitating the development of themes. Furthermore, she played a crucial role in ensuring that the interpretation of the data was not influenced by our personal biases, ultimately contributing to the formulation of the final themes.

2.9. Reflexivity

The first and second authors, originally from India, have extensive experience as PE professionals and have conducted several PE-related research projects across the country to understand challenges and issues in Indian PE. This background appeared to facilitate trust, interest in participating, and discussion. The third author has spent several years implementing PE-related strategies to increase PA levels at schools. His scholarship in this area built a positive connection in this study.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Participants

Six FGDs including twenty-four participants from the Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR), India, were organized. Participants were recruited from different socioeconomic and educational backgrounds (

Table 2. Summary statistics of the study population (n = 24).

Variable	Group	Number	%
Gender	Male	13	54.16
	Female	11	45.84
Age	30–40 years	15	62.5
	41–50 years	9	37.5
Educational background	Graduate	12	50
	Postgraduate	12	50
Occupation	Government Job	6	25
	Private Job	8	33.33
	Business owner	6	25
	Housewife	4	16.67

). Eighteen parents (75%) mentioned that they followed the Olympic games on television, and smartphones. Twelve parents mentioned that they regularly engage in PA.

In

Table 3. Summary statistics of the Six FGDs (n = 24).

FGD	Gender		Age		Occupation				Education		Subordinate-Themes
	Male	Female	30–40	41–50	Govt. Job	Private Job	Business Owner	Housewife	Graduate	Postgraduate
1	2	2	2	2	1	2	1	0	2	2	No good career; Only for physical training; Less time; Health inspector visits to ensure the efficacy of the PE class; Olympic sports must be introduced in the PE class early.
2	3	2	4	1	1	2	1	1	2	3	Lower salary; Least Importance; Optional subject; A child learns fair play; Medals motivate students to take part in PE classes; The PE curriculum has appropriate space in schools.
3	2	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	2	2	No good career; Good for health and fitness; Lower salary; Negative view; Fitness/Health Assessments.
4	1	2	3	0	1	1	1	0	1	2	Lack of funding; Optional subject; Olympic sports must be introduced in the PE class early.
5	2	2	3	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	Interactions between parents and PE teachers during PTM; Employability; Fitness/Health Assessments.
6	3	1	1	3	1	1	1	1	3	1	Medals motivate students to take part in PE classes; The PE curriculum gets appropriate space in schools; Lower salary; Policy; Negative view.

, we present the subordinate themes that were generated separately from all six focus groups.

Five superordinate themes were found in the data analysis.

Table 4. Themes and sub-themes were derived from focus group discussions.

Subordinate Themes	Superordinate Theme
Negative view Least Importance Optional subject No good career Limited career opportunities Only for physical training	Educating the public
Lack of funding Less time PE teachers’ attitude/behavior Lower salary	Developing a support system
Good for health and fitness Explore new career opportunities. Trained PE teachers Parents-PE teachers’ interaction during PTM	Advocating for PE
PE curriculum Fitness/Health Assessments Employability Health inspector visits to ensure the efficacy of the PE class. Compulsory period	Developing policies and justifications
Medals motivate the students to take part in PE classes. The PE curriculum gets appropriate space in the schools. Olympic sports must be introduced in the PE class early. A child learns fair play.	Leveraging the relationship between the Olympics and PE

shows the subordinate and superordinate themes.

3.2. Theme 1. Educating the Public

Earley and Fleet [41] claim that there are many clashing perspectives on the value of and reasons for PE. A similar conclusion arises from this study. Consistent with this finding, Petrie [24] and Sullivan [42] found that PE is still taught in a relatively conventional manner and is increasingly focused on conventional sports. Data analysis reveals that most parents were familiar with the partial meaning and importance of PE subjects and that they favoured having one PE period per day. Nevertheless, parents believe that school PE offers only sports development; this perception might come from the experiences they had in their school days. Therefore, parents define PE based on their own experiences, leading to widespread misconceptions about PE. For example, a participant in Focus Group 2 stated:

“For developing sports at the top level, PE classes should be increased so that the all-round development of the child also occurs, and children can do well in sports also.”

Another participant from focus group 2 justified PE:

“According to my understanding, the sole purpose of PE is to prepare children for big sports events. I believe that if children can gather information about health and fitness from this subject, then PE classes on this subject should be regular.”

In addition, a participant in Focus Group 3 also stressed having a regular PE class for the development of sports only at the school level:

“If PE is done regularly in school, then it will also encourage sports and produce good Olympians, but PE teachers should make groups of children based on different sports so that the interest of the children increases further.”

Until recently, many parents have compared the importance of PE with that of other academic subjects and have believed that PE class has little possibility of children “learning” anything useful except sports skills. UNESCO [43], defines PE terms as, “physical culture”, “movement”, “human motricity”, and “school sport”, and uses the term to indicate an organized time for PA in school settings. It is apparent from this definition that PE has a multidimensional meaning, but parents mainly focus on sports. We suggest that school PE can be implemented only with appropriate curricula and with best practices to inculcate personal and social values in the students. PE classes reflect the pre-defined curriculum, and parents’ views are important in developing school PE policies and curriculum. Lago-Ballesteros et al. [44] concluded that parents generally like PE, but their views on whether it should be mandatory and assessed as part of the curriculum vary. PE teachers are responsible for delivering PE lessons to the students and to society. For that reason, parents’ interactions with PE teachers are crucial in designing student-friendly PE activities.

3.3. Theme 2. Developing a Support System

A good social support system is important for addressing many problems related to PE. The work of Eskiller and Kucukibi [45] indicates that parents’ perceptions and peer social support can increase students’ motivation to take part in PE activities. In 2020, Goslin [46] examined overall views of PE in public inspections of schools and academic articles and found that participants believed that time allocation, financial support for purchasing the equipment, and limited space in which to play were obstacles to effective PE. Furthermore, non-qualified PE teachers are a major hurdle to offering quality PE in schools. This finding is in line with the exploratory work of Marshall and Hardman [47], which revealed that the lack of qualified PE teachers and facilities, inadequate inspection of PE programs, and views of PE as a non-educational, purely recreational activity add to PE’s neglect or nonappearance in education plans. In this study, we found that some participants reported that PE teachers cannot make their own pedagogical decisions concerning how their time can be used. PE teachers sometimes take on unproductive tasks in schools. A participant in Focus Group 1 said the following:

“Many times, there are no qualified teachers in the school and if there are, they are put in other areas like non-teaching work such as transport, discipline, and the supervision of non-teaching staff, how do good teachers teach PE to children? PE teachers should get full time to take PE classes.”

In addition, participants also claimed that PE classes are sometimes replaced with other subjects, as their peers believe that PE time would be better spent on other tasks. This finding is supported by several studies. For example, the UNESCO-supported survey [43] revealed that in approximately one-fifth of countries worldwide, PE teachers are not given equal recognition with teachers of other subjects. An attempt to identify the occupational stresses of Indian PE teachers (blinded for peer review) [48] identified the same issues. This finding is backed by the work of Tiwari & Tiwari [49], which suggests that the facilities for sports/games and practical classes in secondary schools do not meet standards.

Globally, girls’ participation in PE activities is a major concern. Evidence of this disparity was supported by the results of this study, with some girls being deterred from taking part in PE classes in rural areas because of the PE/sports activity dress code. A mother in Focus Group 3 stated the following:

“Children get a period of 45 min in a whole week, in that too only the child can enjoy 25–30 min of play because the child spends 10–15 min changing clothes and making lines till he/she reaches the ground after leaving the class. Boys can play in their school dress, but for girls, school dress is a major problem while doing PA/sports. Many schools do not have a changing room and locker near the playfield.”

Consistent with prior research by Nathan et al. [50], we found that girls’ uniforms were identified as a key barrier to participation in PE. A good system of support between professional bodies, school management, and government agencies can solve PE-related issues. We claim that the proper support system can promote students’ participation in PE activities, which can lead to providing PE with a designated place in the school system and help students achieve success in sporting events. Although this idea is speculative, the work of Kelly [51] suggests that Olympic success is one possible result of emphasizing PE and interscholastic sports competitions in secondary education.

3.4. Theme 3. Advocating for PE

PE is in a precarious position as a school subject system in many countries [42,52]. India ranks among the top ten countries for rates of physical inactivity in youth [53]. One contributing cause could be the neglect of PE activities in schools. In this study, we found that parents are advocating for school PE classes for the promotion of PA; however, parents also reported that school PE policies should be well-defined. A participant from Focus Group 5 proposed the following:

“As long as the school does not want to increase PE, nothing can happen. We want children to play so that their physical development can be done, and they can do well in competitive sports events like the Commonwealth and Olympics, but there are no transparent school PE policies. Because of this, we also cannot do much but if the policy is there, we will talk to the principal. We suggest that at least one interaction session should be organized for the child’s health and wellness.”

The growing positive perception and importance of sports could be the result of parents’ understanding of the importance of regular and appropriate PA [54]. However, we also found that some parents were very excited about their interactions with PE teachers during parent-teacher meetings (PTMs). A participant from Focus Group 6 said the following:

“We believe that during the PTM, the children’s PE teachers should be met in the school so that we can get complete information about the health, fitness, and sports performance of our child, but the PE teachers also must come and try to meet even the PE teachers and us can send the message to us for the interaction. During the meeting, we have seen many times PE teachers handling the school arrangements, which is not right, PE teachers should also stay in the classroom like other subject teachers so that we can go and meet them.”

Guzauskas and Sukys [55] suggest that, in general, parental attention to children’s PA is also related to children’s PA in school and that to direct parental attention to PE, school communities must find ways to educate parents about PA and help children learn about PE. These efforts foster positive attitudes (cognitive and affective) and encourage parents to influence their children towards positive behavior related to PA. Most participants in this study raised concerns about PE teachers’ lower salaries; however, we claim that salary is related to the qualification of the PE teachers. For example, a participant in Focus Group 1 stated,

“We as a parent can see many times that the qualifications of teachers are not adequate to teach/take PE, and the school has kept them for less salary. In such a situation, how they will be able to teach something well to our children, they will only pass the time and fulfil the basic requirements of the school.”

We suggest that advocacy for PE is required from multiple stakeholders but must be initiated by the schools. This idea is supported by evidence; Forrest et al. [56] suggest that countries with better education systems had more success at the Olympics. PE teachers, schools, and parents must change the traditional concept of education and encourage students to actively participate in their favourite activities.

3.5. Theme 4. Developing Policies and Justification

In 2021, a highly decorated strength and conditioning coach from Fiji, who played a significant role in bringing Olympic and world-championship medals to the country, emphasized the importance of PE policy and its effective implementation for achieving better performance in the Olympic Games [57]. However, the struggle to get PE the attention it deserves in the Indian education system has existed for generations. Cruickshank et al. [16] reported that health and PE subjects may be marginalized in schools because they are viewed as less academic and less important to the mission of primary education; however, a recent study (blinded for peer review), [58] claims that the COVID-19 pandemic has provided an opportunity for PE emerge from its marginalized status. Cooper et al. [59] argue that making PE part of a well-rounded education will require a system of accountability to set PE objectives and standards. To this end, the relevant authorities and researchers from PE backgrounds should adopt a collaborative approach to develop PE curricula. A participant from Focus Group 3 reported the following:

“After seeing the notable performance in the Tokyo Olympics, we need to promote sports culture, and for this PE will have to be given priority. PE teachers should also find innovative ways to execute PE classes to identify sporting talent. The PE policies should also be framed accordingly with the consultation of different stakeholders.”

Lindqvist [60] notes that parental interventions aimed at promoting adolescent PA should include measures to stimulate participation by parents or other key adults. It is reasonable to suggest that PE/sports culture needs to be redefined in schools to ensure they have an appropriate place in the curriculum. A Participant from Focus Group 3 suggested the following:

“Looking at the current sports scenario, we would like to suggest to the government that PE should be strengthened fundamentally, and PE teachers should be considered like other subject teachers, their work jurisdiction should be well-defined so that they can focus on their goals. There should be regular discussions on careers related to PE in school.”

In an attempt to give direction to PE policy, Landi et al. [61] recommend regularly examining the inclusiveness of policies to identify gaps. A well-defined key performance indicator (KPI) for PE teachers is also needed in order to help them focus on their job, rather than on unproductive work at school [48]. The new National Education Policy [62] included a significant role for PE. This policy suggests that schools have a mandatory period of PE to support students’ overall development. We believe that this new policy will open new avenues for employment, as this initiative increases the demand for qualified PE teachers in society.

3.6. Theme 5. Leveraging the Relationship between the Olympics and PE

The results reported by Ribeiro et al. [1] suggest the potential for including Olympic sports in the PE curriculum. Culpan and Wigmore [63] argue that education in Olympism requires greater acceptance of and adherence to the nation’s curricular standards for PE. Similarly, Burgo [25] claims that Pierre de Coubertin’s concept of Olympism has had a worldwide impact on the development and transformation of education, PE, and sports. PE and sports have a strong connection; however, they are not synonymous and should not be viewed as such. Although the distinction between PE and sports continues to be a subject of debate [14], we contend that they are two separate institutions that can work together to meet the goals of both. For instance, the participants in this study mentioned that the results of the Tokyo Olympics will be instrumental in designing a new PE curriculum that includes Olympic sports at the primary level. Some participants reported having started a discussion with school management to promote PE in their children’s school. A participants in Focus Group 2 claimed,

“If PE is to be promoted well and participation in sports also increases, then the celebrities will have to come. We see that since Prime Minister Shri Modi has adopted a positive attitude towards sports, the interest of the people has increased at the grassroots level, now people are thinking of playing sports as their profession too.”

Griggs and Ward [64] argue that the desire to build an elite Olympic system on the foundations of elementary PE will inspire younger generations to become part of this post-Olympic legacy. In this vein, the latest findings of Potwarka et al. [65] suggest that Team Great Britain’s continued success at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games can inspire young people across the country to become more active, especially in the hometowns of the medalists. This is not to suggest the purpose of PE is to develop Olympians. Rather, we suggest that the purpose of the Olympics and Olympic education are to develop active and healthy societies, which is also the purpose of PE.

The study participants also emphasized promoting Olympic education in schools. A participants in Focus Group 1 said,

“As a mother, I am concerned about the nutritious diet of my children, so there should be a serious discussion on this issue in the PE class at school. Children can understand things better if an influential Olympian comes and talks so I believe Olympic education can also integrate with the PE classes.”

In India, Olympism is being given great importance in PE curricula. Olympic education can strengthen PE. Bakhtiyarova et al. [66] suggest that the Olympic education movement will increase the motivation of the younger generation to engage in PE and sports. The study participants have suggested asking the Olympians to motivate students. In this context, (blinded for peer review) [67] proposed the veteran Indian players (VIP) model for sports development in India, as veteran players are an invaluable asset to any country and their guidance can help budding players to dramatically improve their performance. Just after the Tokyo Olympics, India’s Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports jointly started the “Meet the Champion” program to connect young students with the champions. Under this initiative, Olympians share their experiences and provide holistic inspiration to school children across the country. This program can serve to promote active participation in school PE as well.

4. Study Limitations

Limitations are evident in this study. First, the study’s participants were chosen from a convenience sample from the Delhi-NCR area, which may make it difficult to generalize the findings to a larger geographic region. Second, the sample size of twenty-four is too small for generalizability; therefore, we suggest increasing the sample size and the degree to which it is representative of the population. Third, because of COVID-19 restrictions on travel, we could only conduct data-gathering sessions online. Fourth, the participants were volunteers, and per Toerien et al. [68], volunteer bias threatens the generalizability and external validity of our results. Therefore, we accept that volunteer bias may be another important limitation of this study.

5. Conclusions

This study aimed to explore parents’ perceptions of PE subjects after the success of the Indian Olympic team in the Tokyo Olympics. Using an IPA approach, we discovered five superordinate themes, namely, educating the public, developing a support system, advocating for PE, developing policies and justifications, and leveraging the relationship between the Olympics and PE. The study illustrates that the results of the Olympics have the potential to promote PE activities; however, there is a need for strategies that allow parents to involve themselves formally and effectively in PE at their children’s school. To increase student participation in PE classes, the government and schools should provide support to PE teachers, helping them build their pedagogical programs on the educational and social benefits of the Olympic games. The findings of this study can be used to help revitalize PE. We suggest that a clear line should be drawn in the curriculum by school administrators so that differences between PE, PA, and sports can be delineated for educators, parents, and students. Strengthening India’s school PE system would create a healthier and more active nation.