STA, 2 January 2019 - The Ljubljana city is aiming to increase the share of the population who take regular exercise to 75% by 2028 by offering a wide selection of subsidised sports activities for all groups of residents.
The city authorities say they will allocate about EUR 897,000 annually over the next three years to involve socially excluded, overfed and physically unfit children in sports as a leisure activity.
Children will be offered a choice of sport activities at their schools free of charge, along with several programmes of activities throughout the year.
Those include skating and cross-country running for kindergarten children, sport as play for children from first to sixth grade of primary school, and sports activities for older primary school children.
Children can learn various activities from cycling to playing golf, and the city also finances tournaments for primary school children.
While most of the activities are voluntary, all children in the first, third and six grades of primary school have to take mandatory swimming courses as part of the school curricula.
Sports associations are required to offer free training for socially deprived children.
The city would like to increase the share of residents who do sport at least twice a week to 75% by 2028, raising the share by 2% a year among adults and involving 10% more senior citizens in tutored exercise.
As part of the efforts the city is planning to hold 30 mass recreational events a year, and put in place standard equipment at outdoor fitness and street training areas and outdoor sports courts.
The city will allocate more than EUR 19 million for sports this year and almost EUR 25 million next year.
