Physical education and sports lessons in Liechtenstein will have their own innovative teaching aid in the form of the "SportheftLi". In addition, successful concepts such as "Voluntary School Sports" in popular sports and "Liechtenstein Sports School" for competitive and elite sports will be further expanded.

On Wednesday, January 29, 2025, numerous new initiatives to promote physical activity and sport were presented at the "Education needs movement" press conference. "Over the past four years, we have placed a major focus on how we can promote physical activity among children and young people," said Education and Sport Minister Dominique Hasler. To this end, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Education and Sport and the relevant offices have been used to set the course for more targeted promotion of physical activity during and after school.

SportheftLi: age-appropriate and varied exercise experiences

With the SportheftLi Liechtenstein, the School Sport Working Group has created a tool for teachers who teach physical activity and sport in Cycle I and II. It is also a guide and inspiration for physical education and sports lessons based on the Liechtenstein curriculum (LiLe). "The SportheftLi is the result of years of intensive work and a milestone in physical education and sports lessons," said a delighted Rachel Guerra, Head of the School Board. The SportheftLi is a simple digital tool for elementary school teachers. It serves as a planning aid and covers all six areas of competence in the Bureau of Physical Education and Sport in Cycle I and II. It also enables age-appropriate and varied movement experiences for pupils and offers reliable quality assurance that corresponds to the LiLe. To support the introduction of the SportheftLi, further training on the SportheftLi will take place in fall 2025 for all interested teachers.

Discovering sports with "Bewegt ins Schuljahr"

Jürgen Tömördy, Head of the Sport Unit, then presented the brochure "Bewegt ins Schuljahr: Überblick der Vereins- und Verbandssportangebote für Schulen". This enables teachers to use club offers for sports lessons in order to gain new ideas for their own lessons and show children the diversity of the sports world in Liechtenstein. "The offer is a great opportunity to enrich lessons with new ideas and introduce pupils to different types of sport," says Tömördy.

Sports school and voluntary school sports: expanding successful concepts

Finally, Jürgen Tömördy and Beat Wachter, Managing Director of the Liechtenstein Olympic Committee, reported on the latest developments in the areas of "Voluntary School Sports" and "Liechtenstein Sports School". Voluntary school sports are being expanded at secondary school level. In addition, from the 2025/26 teaching year, training companies that have competitive athletes in training will receive financial support for their additional expenses.

In addition, the successful concept of the Liechtenstein Sports School will be expanded in competitive and elite sport: from the 2026/27 school year, access to the sports school will also be granted to talented young athletes who are either polysporty, belong to associations that do not offer a sports school program at secondary level l, or are enthusiastic about sport and meet the admission and retention criteria set by the Sports School Commission. Pupils at sports schools are given even better support in reconciling school and elite sport through new pedagogical concepts. In addition to the "Flipped Classroom at the FL Sports School" concept, the extension of the schooling period for sports students at upper secondary level from four to five years is also being examined. In the longer term, a specialized secondary school with a focus on sport is being considered.