Be Active: European Week of Sport in BiH

European Week of Sport in Bosnia and Herzegovina is being marked throughout the county to promote sport and physical activity. This initiative of the European Commission was started five years ago, as...

European Week of Sport in Bosnia and Herzegovina is being marked throughout the county to promote sport and physical activity. This initiative of the European Commission was started five years ago, as an answer to the issue of physical activity of citizens across Europe.

In order to promote the numerous benefits of sport and an active lifestyle, EU Info Centre organised “EU Sports Day” in Banja Luka with over 400 students from 14 schools in the Banja Luka region. The students had an opportunity to participate in various individual and group sports activities and win medals and trophies.

The children were greeted by Alexandra Wagner, Head of Banja Luka regional office of the Delegation of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina: “I know most of you are used to being active, play and do sports, but when we grow up, we unfortunately tend to be more inactive. This is why we dedicated an entire week to promoting sport and leading an active lifestyle. No matter who we are and what we do, even the slightest increase in regular physical activity can have a profound impact on our long-term health.”

With the level of physical activity stagnating, and even declining in some European countries, European Week of Sport aims to popularise an active lifestyle and improve the wellbeing of citizens across Europe. With the initiative growing each year, over 12 million participants actively participated in events across the continent during 2018, and, this year, the record number of participants is expected to be broken once more. ”The European Union believes that sport plays a vital role, not only in individual health and fitness, but in shaping our wider European society. Through sport activities we wish to promote healthy living and social cohesion for you, young people across Europe,” added Wagner.

European Week of Sports is organised in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the second year, with the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and respective entity ministries as Coordinators of the activities, thus joining over 42 countries where the initiative is being marked under the common slogan #BeActive.

For more information about the European Week of Sport: https://ec.europa.eu/sport/week_en