A new Government task force has been launched to combat the lack of interest in sports in national schools.

The task force on sports, chaired by Dublin footballer Charlie Redmond, aims to promote physical education and sport in national schools and offer guidance to teachers in developing a programme of sports education.

Under the new sports initiative, a national co-ordinator and two assistant co-ordinators will be appointed to work closely with schools to ensure the smooth operation of the programme.

They will also be on hand to support teachers in encouraging sports and healthy lifestyles in general.

The Minister for Education, Dr Michael Woods, said physical education has a prominent place in the new primary school curriculum.

"Physical education provides children with learning opportunities through the medium of movement and contributes to their overall development by helping them to lead full, active and healthy lives," he said.

"Children's sport and physical education are inextricably linked, and the objectives of sport for young children should be closely related to the aims and objectives of the school physical education programme."

The launch of the sports task force follows a recent lifestyle survey which found that 35 per cent of boys and 40 per cent of girls do not take part in sports organised by their schools.

The survey conducted by Des Broderick, senior lecturer at St Patrick's College, Dublin, involved more than 2,000 fifth-class pupils (typically aged 10-11). It found that watching television and playing computer games were the most common leisure activities after school, ahead of sport.