For the fourth successive year, European Athletics was a proud and committed partner of the European Week of Sport from 23-30 September which encouraged everyone across the continent - regardless of age, background and fitness level - to #BeActive.
The Opening Ceremony this year took place in the Austrian capital city of Vienna on 22 September which coincided with the country’s annual Day of Sport. Austrian athletes were prominent at the Opening Ceremony with Ivona Dadic, Sarah Lagger and Dominik Distelberger among those who enjoyed the festivities.
European Week of Sport has taken place each year since 2015 and has had a profound impact on health and well-being in Europe. A wide cross-section of sports staged events in conjunction with the European Week of Sport and in terms of road running alone, the numbers were impressive with seven Running for All-certified road races also endorsing the #BeActive message.
A record total of 213 running events across 32 countries were held, reaching an estimated 230,000 people. Czech Republic was particularly proactive with 45 registered events held in the context of the European Week of Sport.
As well as promoting physical activity, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Tibor Navracsics also noted how the role of sport - and the European Week of Sport - can be a force for good in improving mental health as well.
“Encouraging more people to be active is therefore important. It can help us tackle loneliness, a growing concern in our society. The European Commission’s in-house science and knowledge service, the Joint Research Centre, is analysing this topic as part of its work on social fairness,” said Navracsics, who attended the Opening Ceremony in Vienna.
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Running events were staged all across Europe focusing specifically on enjoyment and participation. A #BeActive Children’s Run and a #BeActive Night Running event were both staged alongside the Vilnius Marathon and there was also a #BeActive Night Race in Larnaka, Cyprus, elicited an excellent response among participants.
An estimated 12 million people took part across 34,000 events during the 2017 European Week of Sport and the organisers hope this figure will be surpassed in 2018.
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The European Athletics Quality Road Race standards act as an assurance for road runners throughout Europe. They distinguish between races that respect the standards and those that haven’t sought certification or assessment. They form the foundation of Running for All, a strong recognisable brand for running activities throughout Europe.
More information on Running for All:
Website: european-running4all.org
Twitter: @runningforall
Contact: [email protected]
More information on the European Running Business Conference:
Registration page: https://registration.mylaps.com/business-conference
Contact: [email protected]