2019 European Week of Sport kicks off in Espoo, Finland

Jyrki Katainen, Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, and Tibor Navracsics, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, are in Espoo, Finland, for the  2019 edition of the European Week of Sport, the Commission’s #Beactive initiative to promote sport and physical activity across Europe.

Commissioner Navracsics  opened the conference organised by the Finnish Presidency on Safeguarding Children in Sport on 24 September. The 5th edition of the European Week of Sport is the biggest ever with 47 partner associations in 42 countries.

Aim

The aim of the Week is to invite everyone to be active during the Week but also throughout the year, regardless of age, background or fitness level. Following last year’s success, a #BeActive Night will take place on Saturday, 28 September, with several activities and events organised across Europe.

Commissioner Navracsics said: “I am pleased to open the 2019 European Week of Sport in Finland, the European country with the highest rate of people exercising or playing sport regularly. Sport and physical activity are not only essential for our personal health and well-being, but for society as a whole. Sport is a major tool for inclusion and helps us overcome division and conflict and build strong communities. That is why promoting physical activity has been a priority for me during my mandate.” For five years, the European Week of Sport has helped tackle inactivity by encouraging Europeans to embrace a healthy and active lifestyle,growing from 5 million participants and 7,000 events in 2015to almost 14 million participants across 50,000 events in 2018.

For more information

Press release

Sport in the EU.