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There are many good reasons for sporting to be popular. We all need regular physical activity in order to function optimally and to prevent illnesses. It has been proved that lack of physical activity is a risk factor for the development of many chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular diseases, which are the main cause of death in the Western world. Sports also has a strong educational dimension and has a social and cultural function as well.
But certainly sporting also holds a risk of injury due to accidents and overexertion. About one in five medically treated injuries are related to sporting activities. For the EU-27 region alone, the total number of sports related injuries that need to be treated in hospitals, is estimated at 12 million cases a year.
Fortunately, there are many possibilities to prevent sports injuries such as through making sports infrastructures and (protective) equipment safer, adapting rules of the game, and injury prevention focused training methods and coaching.
The world of sports and the promotion of physical activity is most diverse. It includes activities and exercises for pre-school children, physical education at school, organised activities in sports clubs, individually organised leisure time activities and exercises for the elderly.
Given the international, and in particular also the European, dimension of sporting and physical activity, it is important to share good practices in safe sporting and to assist national and local organisations in promoting safer sporting practices.
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