European Athletics’ promotion of the European Week of Sport (EWOS) is off to a great start with road races in at least 10 Member Federation countries registering to be part of the September event.
As of 31 July, 18 races expecting up to 43,000 runners had committed to assisting the European Commission with the promotion of physical activity through sport during the week of 7-13 September. A further eight races will support the initiative by promoting the event’s #BeActive message during the rest of the month.
European Athletics has played its part by informing Member Federations and race organisers and assisting the organisers with the procedures necessary to officially join the event.
Vice President Jean Gracia, who is leading European Athletics’ initiatives in mass participation running, said “the EWOS aims in the area of fitness and health mirror those of European Athletics so we are more than happy to collaborate and put our sport at the centre of the action.”
With research showing levels of participation in sport and physical activity stagnating and in some cases falling, EWOS organisers hope to inspire participants, regardless of age, background or fitness level, in the 28 European Union countries plus six other countries eligible for the Erasmus+ programme, to exercise more on a regular basis.
In addition to European Athletics, organisations in a number of sports have committed to promoting the week.
The slogan and Twitter hashtag #BeActive are the focus of the EWOS communications campaign.
According to Gracia, “the resources the European Commission are committing to the event provide a great platform not just for promoting physical activity but also for European Athletics and our federations to demonstrate the values of our sport and how it can enhance people’s lives.
“We have set a target of getting at least one race signed up in each of the 34 countries.”
Assistance with EWOS is taking place parallel to the promotion of European Athletics’ “Running for All”, which positions European Athletics and its Member Federations as active players in the running market.
Running for All features a system of safety and quality standards for road races developed with the assistance of leading running experts to help races promote themselves and integrate with the wider athletics movement.
MORE INFORMATION
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/sport/week/
Website: european-running4all.org
Twitter: @runningforall
Download the Running for All Brochure
Contact: [email protected]