Major investment in Sweden on the elderly and sports

There is no doubt that it is good for public health to move. Now extra energy is being put into both attracting new older people to sports and keeping the active target group 65 plus in their businesses. The government has announced continued support of SEK 70 million for 2024 and tentatively SEK 70 million for 2025 to the National Sports Confederation’s project 65+. This is an increase of SEK 25 million from 2023.

– The goal is to get more activities and more associations that offer regular forms of exercise and other association activities where the elderly participate, says Aila Ibanez Mengüc, responsible for the National Sports Confederation’s project 65+ to Dagens Nyheter.

Creative solutions for the elderly

Many sports associations have been creative to attract older people to participate and try something new. Football, gymnastics, judo, tennis and billiards are some examples of special sports associations that have adapted different activities.

– We at the National Sports Confederation have done two major surveys and seen that adapted activities are important to get the target group to dare to try something new. But adapted activities include so much more than just the threshold, but it is also about continuing to lower the threshold when the body changes, says Aila Ibanez Mengüc to the newspaper.

Around Sweden

Successively, the number of special sports associations and districts participating in the initiative has increased. From 21 confederations in 2020 to the current 52 (out of 72) and from six to 19 RF-Sisu districts.

– If a federation or association has a good, long-term idea that promotes movement for the target group, they can get a share of the money. But it doesn’t just have to be new ideas, they can also develop existing ones, explains Aila Ibanez Mengüc for Dagens Nyheter.

This is noticeable outside the country.

– Adaptations are being made so that, for example, more people can play football. There are people who have never kicked a ball but now do.

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