Celebrating one hundred years of Physical Education in Colombia

The Universidad Pedagógica Nacional had a lot to celebrate in 2025. We celebrated our 70th anniversary and commemorated the 100th anniversary of Law 80 of 1925, which established sports and physical activity as state policy in Colombia and became a cornerstone for national sports development. The following year, we joyfully joined in the commemoration of the 90th anniversary of Physical Education (PE) as a profession in Colombia.

In 1936, Decree 1528 established the National Institute of Physical Education (INEF). This pioneering institution was responsible for training teachers and coaches, and for promoting physical education. Although it no longer operates under the name PE, the INEF played a crucial role in establishing physical education as a legitimate academic field in this country.

Since establishing the Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education at our university in 1962, we have regarded physical education as an essential academic and pedagogical discipline in teacher education. Since then, it has become known as the leading institution of physical education in Colombia. We are committed to training professionals with prominent levels of pedagogical, disciplinary, and humanistic skills. These professionals can act and interact within the various instances, scenarios, and modalities of the educational system. They can also respond appropriately to the various forms of diversity prevalent in society.

Recognizing that society is constantly changing, we must reposition physical education as both a school subject and a social phenomenon. Today, more than ever, we should reflect on the body—its physical and symbolic construction—and its practices. This is a starting point for recognizing others as diverse individuals. This requires reinterpreting childhood, youth, older adulthood, gender, health, coexistence, well-being, and quality of life within a cultural context in which questions about the body, sensitivity, ethics, and aesthetics are emphasized.

The Universidad Pedagógica Nacional is currently spearheading the technical and pedagogical advisory process for the development of the Fourth National Ten-Year Education Plan (PNDE 2026-2036). This is a crucial chance to highlight the significant role of Physical Education in promoting the right to education, inclusion, health, and life, and its impact upon the social transformation of generations of citizens.

Recognizing physical education as an autonomous field of knowledge means raising it to the level of a discipline that transcends its historical reduction to technical instruction, athletic performance, or mere recreation. This brings physical education in line with comprehensive training, the production of pedagogical knowledge, and a critical understanding of the body as a social, cultural, and political construct.

From this perspective, PE contributes to the development of motor skills and the questioning of the ways in which the body has been regulated, normalized, homogenized, and hierarchized. Conversely, PE opens possibilities for emancipation and the recognition of diversity. It fosters the development of individuals who are self-aware and aware of their position. At UPN, PE has been established as a discipline that contributes to educational and social transformation. UPN trains professionals who can critically reflect on their practice and promote bodily experiences that foster well-being, dignity, and care.

Our Teachers’ Training Institution proudly welcomes and highlights the future of the Faculty of Physical Education and its academic programs. It is the leading center for physical education, recreation, and sports teacher training in the country. Therefore, we are committed to consolidating projects that promote the professionalization and recognition of knowledge, as well as postgraduate programs that address the needs of our faculty and reflect the realities of their training. These efforts will help us continue to promote our teachers’ intellectual contributions to the field of physical education.