To mark its 60th anniversary, Intersport Austria wants to motivate children and teenagers to participate in sports with specific activities because the foundation for a sporty and healthy future is laid at toddler and primary school age.
Unfortunately, however, the awareness of sufficient exercise at this age is increasingly being lost in families and schools. Only one in two Austrians say they do sport regularly with their children – despite the fact that 94 percent of all Austrians believe it is essential for children and young people to get enough exercise at a young age. “The age range up to 10 years is the most important time to integrate regular exercise as a fixed part of one’s life. Both as a child and as an adult,” explains Intersport Austria’s Managing Director Thorsten Schmitz, summarizing the results of a representative IMAS survey.
Activities for children, young people and families
To motivate children and their families, Intersport Austria is starting the new year with a ski clinic that will be raffled off among all participating schoolchildren in grades 5 to 8. With the Flachau tourist region and Snow Space Salzburg, teachers and students can expect a week full of exercise and fun on the slopes, including free ski equipment.
Over the course of the year, further activities and initiatives will follow to motivate and inspire children and young people to sport. “There will also be the School of Pump again this year, where professional bike trainers will travel from school to school with pro Andreas Kolb, and the kids can spend a day on the pump track under professional guidance,” said Johannes Kastenhuber, Head of Marketing at Intersport Austria, giving an outlook.
To train children in their cycling skills at an early age, the sporting goods retailer has launched a free learning app for cycling tests in collaboration with the Austrian Youth Red Cross, which is very popular with cycling novices. Intersport Austria is also a partner of the Servus Children’s Action Day for the third time. Last year alone, over 1,400 children participated in this fun-filled day of exercise with lots of enthusiasm.
Special product ranges for children
Of course, access to sports starts with the availability of the right equipment. With special products in the winter range that grow with the child, Intersport offers affordable yet high-quality sports equipment, such as children’s skis that grow with the child and winter sports clothing that grows several sizes as the child ages.
