For the fifth year in a row, European Athletics will be a proud supporter of the European Week of Sport which takes place from 23-30 September.
European Week of Sport has developed into a truly pan-European project which has reached over 40 million people across 38 countries since its inception in 2015. Finland will officially launch the European Week of Sport this year with an Opening Ceremony in Espoo today (23).
European Athletics continues to be a proactive partner by promoting the European Week of Sport to all races which are certified by European Athletics Running for All. There is common ground between the two projects which are both designed to promote fitness and get people active - regardless of age, ability or background.
“The European Week of Sport has had a profound impact in shaping people’s lifestyles. This project is very much in-keeping with our Your Sport for Life mission statement so we are therefore very proud to be a supporter for a fifth time,” said European Athletics President Svein Arne Hansen.
“I am pleased to see so many events planned around the EU and beyond to get people active. I am especially pleased with the response from the running community - we have focused on promoting European Week of Sport to our 51 Member Federations through our Running for All platform.”
Stay tuned for the official #EuropeanWeekofSport opening ♂♀â›Â¹♂
— EUSport (@EuSport) September 23, 2019
We'll be live tweeting from Espoo, Finland #BeActive pic.twitter.com/OgzTDJVG88
In 2018, a total of 216 races spanning 35 countries - almost three quarters of European Athletics Members Federations - held races in conjunction with the European Week of Sport, including seven races which have been certified by European Athletics Running for All. In total, a record 230,000 participants took part.
European Week of Sport even spans the European Union with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Georgia and Ukraine all staging races which promoted the European Week of Sport’s #BeActive mission statement in 2018.
Not only does physical activity have a positive impact on social and physical well-being, it also has an economic impact as outlined by the European Commissioner responsible for Sport Tibor Navracsics ahead of the European Week of Sport.
“The lack of physical activity in our modern lifestyles leads to major health problems and costs our economy billions. We can all be active in different ways - from taking a short walk to running a marathon. I am calling on everyone to join us in the European Week of Sport,” he said.
Up for a challenge? #BeActive like Olha Saladukha!
— EUSport (@EuSport) September 20, 2019
Take the #5minChallenge to win prizes like signed, action camerasor a mountain bike
Fill in the form https://t.co/g695asFqBL and post your best or using our hashtagsâ˜
More info @ https://t.co/l7qAAqB84z pic.twitter.com/9VPEL5yd0s
European Week of Sport participants are also encouraged to share their activity on social media using the #BeActive hashtag and to mark five years of the European Week of Sport, this year’s #BeActive Challenge is the #5minchallenge.
Social media users will be challenged to post photos or videos of their five-minute workout and invite their friends to compete in the #5minChallenge. All they need to do to participate is post their content on Instagram using the #5minChallenge and #BeActive hashtags.
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]