Prague, January 12, 2016 – The Czech capital city is the 2016 European Capital of Sport as of January 1, taking over from Turin, the 2015 European Capital of Sport.
The project will include some 400 events spread throughout the year, including major events such as the Prague Marathon, but also smaller ones organised by sport clubs and city districts.
“Because it already meets the criterion that 60% of its inhabitants will be physically active by end 2016, it has set an alternative goal for every inhabitant, which is to lose at least one kilogram during the year”, Jan Wolf, Prague´s councillor for sport, has said.
He added that the European Capitals of Sport Association (ACES) commission that grants the title of European Capital of Sport was interested in how sport is financed, how many sports grounds and active athletes there are in Prague, and how the city promotes sport activities for youth, seniors and the handicapped.
Since 2001, the title of European Capital of Sport has been awarded each year to a capital of a country or city with more than 500,000 inhabitants.
ACES Europe is a non-profit association recognized by the European Commission in the White Paper, Art. 50, and based in Brussels.
The allocation of these recognitions is done according to the principles of responsibility and ethics, in the knowledge that sport is a factor of social aggregation, improvement in the quality of life, psycho-physical well-being and complete integration within social classes in the community.
ACES representatives will visit Prague more than 30 times next year.
(Czech News Agency (?TK).