Bicycles for public use in downtown Athens, climbing walls and health parks are among the proposals of the Ministry of Health within the programme to promote sports.
The aim of the new operational programme for sports is to create a culture among citizens on issues related to healthy eating and sport, said the Deputy Minister of Health Christos Aydonis at a press conference. He noted that last year the Greeks were first in obesity and preventive measures should be taken not to get there. The Ministry will focus on developing programmes for children and students. In this regard, the Ministry, representatives of the food industry, the union of snacks booths’ managers in schools and the federation of parents negotiate to reach certain strategy proposals. The policy of the Ministry will encourage healthy eating for children. It is suggested that organic foods become more popular so that children prefer them more, and in parallel, flyers for the proper combination of foods will be circulated.
Deputy Minister Christos Aydonis noted that Greece has not had any policy in this direction so far and no European resources have been attracted. Besides focusing on the Mediterranean diet, the plan of the Ministry is to provide all citizens with easy access to installations in the city, such as fixed bikes or climbing walls for example, where they can exercise.
Pilot programmes will be developed at first in Athens, Thessaloniki, Samothrace and Pella area. Bicycle stands will be placed in three places in Athens - at Acropolis station, in Thisio and the square in front of the bishop’s residence. The bicycles will be available free of charge, but people will have to use a credit card to unlock them from the stands. So, if the bike is not returned within a specified time, the amount will be charged to the holder of the card who has taken it. The Ministry has prepared routes and pedestrian areas where cyclists will be able to ride untroubled by traffic. There will be 75 bicycles and seven ramps, where they can be locked after use.
The programme in Thessaloniki, which will be implemented with the support of Mayor Yiannis Boutaris, will begin by placing ten stands with two fixed bicycles each in front of the WhiteTower. The innovation in the project is that the pedalling calculates how much energy the bicycles are producing, but also how much energy the cyclist is using. Projects will be developed on the island of Samothraceand in the Pella area, too. The total value of the four projects is € 400,000, which is a minimal investment with much greater returns having in mind that citizens will be able to play sports outdoors for free, said the Minister of Health Andreas Loverdos. The Ministers gave as an example the city of Amsterdam where there were no bicycles at all in the early 1980s and now the majority of residents are moving entirely by bicycles. The Ministry is willing to encourage the use of bicycles, but infrastructure is also necessary, something which is absent in Athens.
"If people go in for sports, deadly diseases will be reduced by 70%," noted Aydonis, who added that adults need to go in for sports or to walk for half an hour a day, while children should move at least one hour daily. The Ministers noted that Cyprus and Spain are among the countries of the most well developed programmes for sports and receive high European grants. In this respect, Greece will sign a cooperation agreement with Cyprus on Friday.
"We haven’t got good policy on exercising in our country so far," Loverdos said. The objective for the development of this area is to improve citizens’ health but, as research has proven, that will reduce health sector costs significantly, too.
Besides the presentation of programmes for sports, Minister Loverdos said that he will sign today a law that cancels ambulance availability at stadiums during football matches.
Tip:
Interesting websites for cyclists in Athens with an attached map with routes and the Freeday meetings in the city center every Friday:
http://www.podilates.gr/
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=49283986544
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