The Vice-President of the Regional Government of the Azores, Artur Lima, presided over the closing of the II International Congress “DESpertar no combate à pandemia motora – Os Resultados,” which took place at the Angra do Heroísmo Cultural and Congress Center.

The meeting revealed the results of a study commissioned by the Regional Government of the Azores from the Faculty of Sport of the University of Porto. The study aimed to assess the physical and motor conditions of children and young people in the region.

“The results of this study present us with a number of challenges in the motor area, but which ultimately cut across health, social inclusion and equal opportunities,” said Artur Lima.

The study, which included a sample of more than 5,300 children and young people from the Azores, will serve as the basis for preparing a strategy to minimize the damage to health caused by the motor pandemic induced by COVID-19.

The Vice-President also underlined “the Azorean government’s willingness to create public policies that promote sport and physical activity as part of the solution in the fight against this motor pandemic.”

“We need to change the paradigm of sedentary lifestyles and physical activity to have a healthier population that is less prone to health problems in the future. And this is what we have awakened in this congress, with the contribution of various regional directorates and specialists from different areas,” he added.

The event, organized by the Regional Secretariat for Education, Culture, and Sports through the Regional Directorate for Sports, was attended by various national and international experts and provided accredited training for physical education teachers, technical directors, exercise technicians, and sports coaches.

The initiative was launched in 2022, following the project “Triumph through sport, education and health in the fight against the motor pandemic induced by covid-19 in Azorean children and young people”.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the closure of school and sports facilities and increased restrictions on physical activity, which has seriously impacted the health of children and young people in the Azores.

In addition to the strategic partnership with the University of Porto, the project involved various bodies of the Azorean government, namely those responsible for social solidarity, health, sport, education, and youth.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.