On Tuesday January 15th, EuropeActive was invited to the French Embassy in brussels to participate in a debate about Wellness and the importance of physical activity. After a short introduction and welcome from the French Ambassador Claude-France Arnould, the panellists introduced their work on physical activity promotion. Yves Le Lostecque, representing the European Commission, highlighted the success of last year’s edition of the European Week of Sport. The Commission is very pleased with the increase in the number of events and participants, and the strong buy in from the member states. However, Mr. LeLostecque also stressed that the European Week of Sport is only a small part of a much bigger effort to get people to be more active. With the fitness sector playing a key role as well.
Mr. Andanson, president of Planet Fitness Group, said that the fitness sector in France is doing it’s part in getting more people active. He indicated that the growth of the sector and the fact that the younger generations are doing more sport and exercise then the older generations is a very promising sign. Sir Graham Watson, president of EuropeActive, elaborated on Mr. Andanson’s remarks and said the European fitness sector is showing a strong growth in membership and is well on track to reach EuropeActive’s goal of reaching 80 members by 2025.