Esports

Promoted by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the day aims to raise public awareness about the importance of integrating regular physical activity into daily routines for optimal health and wellbeing.

Through the Barcelona Institute of Sports (IBE), Barcelona City Council offers a broad range of initiatives and programmes to promote an active lifestyle for people of all ages and abilities.

The city’s network of 40 municipal sports centres (CEMs) provides a wide variety of activities and services tailored to suit all preferences and levels of fitness. What’s more, the IBE encourages outdoor physical activity with programmes such as:

• Get Active in Parks, which is a programme of free outdoor physical exercise sessions in different parks and gardens in the city throughout the year, except in the month of August and on public holidays. The programme combines two types of activities: martial arts such as tai chi and qigong, which involve gentle, harmonious movement focused on breathing and mental concentration, and motor and memory sessions designed to stimulate cognitive abilities through physical exercise.

• Barnatresc Walks: This initiative is the result of a collaboration between the IBE and the Associació d’Entitats Excursionistes del Barcelonès (AEEB) and is aimed at encouraging urban walking in Barcelona. Through Barnatresc, guided routes are available, running through different neighbourhoods and spaces within the city, and transforming walking into a healthy and physical activity with a focus on socialising.

The IBE also works to promote physical activity among children and young people by offering a wide range of sporting activities both in and out of school hours. The aim is to instil healthy habits from an early age.

In addition to these initiatives, Barcelona City Council provides the public with open-air gymnastics facilities throughout the city, as well as the Pabellón Blau, a project that primarily involves the development of Barcelona’s waterfront as a major sporting venue.