The President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition (PCSFN) is a federal advisory committee of the United States that aims to promote "programs and initiatives that motivate people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to lead active, healthy lives." It is part of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to June 2010, it was called the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. The council's work is informed by a Science Board, composed primarily of academic researchers and scholars. The first Science Board was appointed during the George W. Bush administration in 2003 with Charles B. "Chuck" Corbin, Ph.D., Arizona State University, serving as its inaugural chair. In 2016, Corbin received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the PCSFN. The Science Board was active for several years, but eventually went dormant. It was reinstated on June 21, 2019, with strong urging from organizations such as the National Academy of Kinesiology. A newly formed Science Board was announced on January 22, 2020, with Bradley J. Cardinal, Ph.D., Oregon State University, appointed as chair. During their 2-year term, the Science Board established the scientific basis of the National Youth Sports Strategy, including a wide variety of evidence-based documents and reports.
History During the 1940s, the American Medical Association and the National Committee on Physical Fitness had a joint committee encouraging physical fitness. On July 16, 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower established The President's Council on Youth Fitness to encourage national improvement in children’s physical health. In 1963, President Kennedy changed the council's name to President's Council on Physical Fitness to reflect its role to serve all Americans. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson created the Presidential Physical Fitness Award, the name of which was later changed to President's Challenge Youth Physical Fitness Awards Program. In 1968, the council's name was changed to President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports to emphasize the importance of sports in life. In 1972, the Presidential Sports Award Program was created. In 1983, the United States Congress declared May as National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. In 1996, the Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health was released. In 1997, the council released its report on Physical Activity and Sport in the Lives of Boys. In June 2010, President Barack Obama renamed the agency the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, with a new emphasis on nutrition as an element of fitness. First Lady Michelle Obama announced the new commission's goal "to end the epidemic of childhood obesity in a generation" as part of her Let's Move! initiative, and also announced that the president had named, as the new co-chairs of the council, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and former Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes. On January 11, 2012, operators of the website for participants of the Challenge and Active Lifestyle programs learned that the site had been hacked, resulting in the release of personal information of the participants. The President's Challenge site displayed a notice that it was down for "Site Maintenance – We're taking a little breather." On January 27, 2012, The President's Challenge sent out emails to its participants saying that the website was functional as of January 24, 2012, and asked participants to reset their user passwords. On July 31, 2025, President Donald Trump reestablished the Presidential Fitness Test as part of the council's mandate, and revised the council membership to include up to 30 members. In August 2025, Catherine Granito and Bryson DeChambeau were named the executive director and council chair, respectively.
Past chairpersons
Bud Wilkinson (chairman) 1961–1963 Stan Musial consultant 1964–1967 Jim Lovell (chairman) 1969–1977 Jerry Apodaca (chairman) 1978–1980 George Allen (chairman) 1981–1988 Dick Kazmaier (chairman) 1988–1989 Arnold Schwarzenegger (chairman) 1990–1993 Florence Griffith Joyner (co-chair) 1993–1998 Tom McMillen (co-chair) 1993–1997 Lee Haney (chairman) 1999–2002 Lynn Swann (chairman) 2002–2005 Denise Austin 2002–2009 Drew Brees (co-chair) 2010 Dominique Dawes (co-chair) 2010 Lou Ferrigno 2018 Misty May-Treanor (co-chair) 2019 Mehmet Oz (co-chair) 2018–2022 Mariano Rivera (co-chair) 2019 Herschel Walker (co-chair) 2019–2022 Jose Andres (co-chair) 2022–2024 Elena Delle Donne (co-chair) 2022–2024 Bryson DeChambeau (chairman) 2025–present
Awards The council publishes guidelines for awards that are given out. They are the Presidential Physical Fitness Award, the National Physical Fitness Award, and the Participant Physical Fitness Award. However, it has been announced that the Physical Fitness Test on which these awards are based will no longer be available after the 2012–2013 school year. Additionally, there is the Active Lifestyle Award for staying active and the Presidential Champions Award for raising one's amount of activity. The Champions awards ended on 30 June 2018. There is also a Community Leadership Award that is given out annually to 50 people or organizations for encouraging physical activity, fitness, and nutrition.
Standardized tests The award was given to students who achieved the top fifteenth percentile cumulative scores across these events and were based on age/gender and were taken by all participants. Pull ups/flexed-arm hang was based on gender and was the only event where one was done by boys and the other by girls:
50-yard dash 600-yard run Standing broad jump Pull-ups (boys) Flexed-arm hang (girls) Sit-ups Shuttle run Sit and reach
See also The President's Challenge
References
External links
Official website President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition (July 20, 2012). "Our History". HHS.gov. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018.
