"Let's Go Muntermacher": The Graz Sports Year starts with an unprecedented exercise initiative

The goal is clear: “The sporting year 2021 is a year of participation for everyone. That is why we will open this with an unprecedented movement initiative. The whole of Styria is invited to take part in the week from March 1st to 5th. Let's all show together how important exercise and sport are and, above all, how much fun it can be, ”said City Councilor for Sports Kurt Hohensinner. For this purpose, the "Let's Go Muntermacher" were launched - these are simple but effective movement exercises that are published daily on the homepage of Antenne Steiermark and also on www.letsgograz.at to be published. A sports scientist and blogger gets in touch every day Klara Fox together with antenna moderator Thomas Seidl from the "fitness studio", they demonstrate the exercises and motivate the audience to participate. Other “motivators” are prominent personalities who speak up via video messages. Who they are will not be revealed at this point in time - just this much: football coach Franco Foda As an ambassador for the year of sport, we will also strongly support this initiative. He has agreed to be the "coach" for this opening campaign and will of course also observe the procedure very closely ...

"The exercise unit can work just as well as a morning sport as it does as a short activity at lunchtime or in the afternoon," says Sports Year coordinator Markus Pichler. And even if the daily videos are aimed primarily at the young audience, i.e. schoolchildren, everyone can take part, no one is excluded. Pichler: “Just take a look at the Antenna Steiermark website every day and join in the 'Let's Go pick-me-ups'. The videos stay online longer and can therefore also be viewed at a later point in time. "

Bring children and young people back to sport

Hohensinner emphasizes that the Graz Sports Year and the exercise initiative come at the right time as the starting signal: “The corona pandemic has had us firmly under control for around a year. At the same time, this also means that our children have not been able to attend regular gymnastics classes or club sports for a year. This is exactly where we want to start. We want to give back exercise and sport to the children and young people. That is why we also rely heavily on schools in our exercise initiative. "

Education director is also happy about that Elizabeth Meixner: “Regular exercise and sport are immensely important for the health and personal development of children and adolescents - this is how they are introduced to a better and, above all, healthier body awareness. It is therefore particularly gratifying that in the course of the sporting year 2021, schools will also be included in the planned activities as well as possible within the framework of the COVID requirements.

In the previous week, Hohensinner defined important concerns that he wants to reinforce again with the start of the sports year: “It is very important to me that gymnastics and movement in schools are made possible again in a COVID-safe form. If children and adolescents tested negative at 8 o'clock in the school, what speaks against gym classes at 9 o'clock? ”In addition, club sport needs a predictable perspective. On average, there was a decline of around 20 percent in young athletes in the past year - every fifth youth athlete has left the club. “It is now time to break through this negative trend. It's about supporting the thousands of mostly voluntary trainers and the hundreds of thousands of children, ”said Hohensinner.

Drexler: "Sport as the key to health and well-being"

"It is extremely important that our sports clubs can resume their invaluable work as soon as possible," emphasizes the State Sports Council Christopher Drexler“Until that is possible again, we must by no means lean back, but have to take action and offer creative solutions to encourage children and young people in particular to take part in sport and exercise. This is exactly what the 'Let's Go Muntermacher' initiative does and comes at exactly the right time. Because sport and exercise as the key to health and well-being must be fixed components of our everyday life! "