This year, the initiative will once again offer over 700 free exercise and sports courses throughout Austria
Vienna (OTS) – The “Bewegt im Park” initiative will celebrate its ninth anniversary in 2024 and this year will once again offer over 700 freely accessible sports courses that will be held in public places throughout Austria. Bewegt im Park is a joint initiative of the Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, Public Service and Sport, the umbrella organization of social insurance providers, the Austrian Health Insurance Fund and the Vienna Health Promotion Agency in cooperation with ASKÖ, ASVÖ, SPORTUNION, ÖBSV and the Special Olympics Austria. The aim of the initiative is to motivate people to lead a more active lifestyle, to integrate exercise into everyday life and to create a space for social exchange, fun and togetherness.
From June to September, anyone interested in exercise can take part in weekly courses without registering and engage in physical activity together with other participants, including yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi or team-based sports.
“‘Exercise in the Park’ is taking place for the 9th time this year, and there was not even a break during the pandemic. The largest domestic outdoor sports initiative is therefore one of the long-running popular sports in the country. And with good reason. Nowhere else can you do sport under professional supervision at such a low threshold. Without obligation, but with maximum fun factor. In pleasant temperatures, for many just around the corner, in the next park, on the next meadow. 521 trainers will offer 714 courses for all fitness levels from June to September this year, and in this way get well over 100,000 people in shape. Where so much useful is set in motion, the Ministry of Sport is of course happy to be there as a sponsor,” said Vice Chancellor and Minister of Sport Werner Kogler on Thursday at a joint press conference held in the Augarten.
“Over 75 percent of Austrians do not achieve their exercise goals. For children and young people, the figure is 80 percent. The activity level of Austrians is declining. Exercise, along with proper nutrition and preventive care, is one of the most important factors for a healthy lifestyle. ‘Exercise in the Park’ is the largest exercise and sports program in Austria. Since 2016, we have counted over 550,000 participants. ‘Exercise in the Park’ offers a wide range of low-threshold options and is the perfect introduction to an active sporting life,” emphasized Peter Lehner, Chairman of the Conference of Social Insurance Institutions, at the press conference.
“‘Active in the Park’ attracts people all over Austria with a diverse, colorful fitness program for young and old. The various courses offer an excellent opportunity to do something for your own health. Without the stress of registering, completely free of charge and very close by, experienced trainers give instructions for great exercise options in the fresh air. As the Austrian Health Insurance Fund, we would especially like to thank our project partners, the sports associations, who are bringing the joy of sport and exercise back into the summer months,” says Matthias Krenn, Chairman of the Austrian Health Insurance Fund.
“The Vienna Health Promotion Agency – WiG is very happy to be a partner in the ‘Exercise in the Park’ project because it offers free exercise in public spaces for everyone living in Vienna. This aspect is important to us at WiG. The fact that regular exercise also promotes mental well-being is a positive side effect,” emphasized Dennis Beck, Managing Director of the Vienna Health Promotion Agency – WiG.
Previous successes of Bewegt im Park
Bewegt im Park was launched in 2016 and has been extended every year since then. The number of participants, as well as the range of courses on offer, has steadily increased over the years. In 2016, almost 14,000 people took part in 121 courses, while last year there were already over 115,000 participants in 714 courses. In 2024, 714 courses will again be offered across Austria. In total, the initiative has reached around 550,800 people over the past eight years. 741,000 euros are available for the implementation of the project in 2024.
Sports umbrella associations as important cooperation partners
The umbrella sports associations – ASKÖ, ASVÖ, SPORTUNION, ÖBSV and Special Olympics – play a key role in the design and implementation of the courses. All trainers who lead sports courses as part of the Bewegt im Park program are professionally trained and employed by the umbrella sports associations. Due to their expertise, they are trained to adapt the exercise programs to every fitness level and to pay attention to the well-being of the participants.
“A big advantage of ‘Active in the Park’ is that anyone can take part without obligation and without prior knowledge, and the units are led by professional trainers. This means that our sports clubs have the opportunity to make their diverse exercise options available to anyone interested close to home in the summer – in keeping with the ASKÖ motto ‘Sport in all its diversity’. Anyone who enjoys an exercise option as part of ‘Active in the Park’ can register with a club and exercise regularly. We all know that exercise is an ideal companion in everyday life and has positive effects on mental and physical health,” says ASKÖ President Hermann Krist.
“The aim of the successful ‘Active in the Park’ program is to give people access to health-promoting activities, regardless of their living conditions. With this initiative, we as a grassroots sports association want to break down barriers and motivate active participation. The diverse range of activities with qualified club trainers not only promotes physical health, but also strengthens social interaction and contributes to integration and exchange in society,” emphasized Christian Purrer, Association President of the ASVÖ.
“Austria is in the last third of Europe when it comes to healthy years of life and only one in three Austrians gets enough exercise. The declining trend in healthy years of life is alarming and unacceptable. It is therefore crucial to offer children, young people and adults additional opportunities for exercise. The ‘Bewegt im Park’ project has been making a great contribution to this since 2016. Launched with 14,000 participants in the first year, over 115,000 people were already enthusiastic about the courses last year. SPORTUNION provides 46 percent of all 714 courses and 42 percent of all trainers out of conviction. We especially invite all those who have not done any sport before to take part in Bewegt im Park without any complications. If the desire to exercise is awakened, our almost 15,000 clubs across Austria are happy to be available as additional contacts,” says Michaela Huber, Vice President of SPORTUNION.
Inclusion as a goal
In keeping with the spirit of inclusion, many of the courses also take into account the realities of life for people with disabilities. What makes “Active in the Park” special is that there are no limits to participation. The trainers always make sure to take individual limitations into account and adapt the exercises and movement sequences to these. There are also special inclusion courses that specifically address the needs of people with disabilities.
“Exercise and sport are of immense importance for the health, mobility, independence, quality of life and ultimately for the inclusion of people with disabilities. The ‘Active in the Park’ project is a valuable stimulus and enables a barrier-free entry into an active life,” explained Julian Hadschieff, President of the Austrian Disabled Sports Association (ÖBSV).
“The ‘Active in the Park’ project has also become a fixed program in the calendar for Special Olympics Austria. We are delighted that we are participating again for the fourth year and can offer a great program throughout Austria. ‘Active in the Park’ offers ideal conditions for implementing inclusion in sport. The simple and uncomplicated opportunity to participate in the exercise programs allows people with and without intellectual disabilities to meet, get to know each other and do sports together. Our athletes will of course also be involved again and again, because they particularly enjoy this campaign,” concluded Special Olympics Austria National Director Nicole Koch.
Inquiries & Contact:
Umbrella association of social insurance institutions
01 711 32-1120
presse@sozialversicherung.at
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