The World Congress on Active Cities: Sport, Health and Citizenship will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark from 21-24 October 2009. Hosted in the newly built conference centre of Northern Europe’s most innovative sports meeting facility DGI-Byen, the congress will provide inspiration and exchange in an tremendously inspirational setting.

MOVE2009 provides rich opportunities to meet interesting professionals working in the field of sport, health and citizenship. The congress includes debate sessions and workshops and will feature a wide range of plenary session keynote speakers from WHO Europe, the Union of International Architects Sports and Leisure Group, European Citizen Action Service, international sports organisations as well as representatives from the European Commission and Active Cities from across the World. The congress programme is updated regularly on the Congress website from June 15, 2009.

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A growing number of people live in bigger cities and urban areas. This raises several challenges in the fields of citizenship, recreation, health, physical activity and sport.
Citizens in urban areas are less physically active compared to general population averages. Many cities face the challenge to provide an appropriate environment and facilities that would motivate active lifestyles. The unfortunate consequences are that citizens in urban areas are often less active in their local community, are less engaged in voluntary work and do not enjoy the health benefits of regular physical activity. On the other hand worldwide trends such as break-dance, skateboarding, rollerblading, parkour originate and develop rapidly in urban areas. These unconventional ways of moving show new ways to approach the city and its people.

Cities are eager to meet these challenges. Some cities are developing their profile as “Active Cities”, “Healthy Cities” and “Sport for All Cities“.
The creation of an active urban environment including facilities for sport and physical activity and the involvement of citizens, requires a cross-sectoral approach.
MOVE2009 will inspire political leaders, business representatives, city administrators, recreation-, transport-, and urban-experts and sport associations with the latest trends in Active Cities and engage them in closer cooperation to qualify and expand their work focusing on physical activity in cities and urban areas.

MOVE2009 incorporates diverse target groups from sport associations to city administrations, from political actors to urban architects, from private businesses to international interest groups and federations. The diversity of stakeholders is crucial to the creation of a vibrant working atmosphere.
This diversity is also a reflection of the potential for cooperation between grassroots sports organisations, the public and the corporate sector. Practical cooperations between these sectors enable cities to be identified and internationally profiled as physically active, healthy and civic minded. Participants will consequently expand their networks, create valuable alliances and thereby benefit from joint participation in MOVE2009, World Congress on Active Cities: Sport, Health and Citizenship.

Book the dates for the MOVE2009 World Congress in your calendar and make sure to register as soon as possible on www.move2009.org. Register before the September 1, 2009 and benefit from the preferential congress fee.
Further information on the congress practicalities and hotel booking can also be found on the web or by sending an email to the congress secretariat at info@move2009.org.
We are looking forward to welcome you in Copenhagen!

The International Sport and Culture Association - ISCA is in cooperation with a broad partnership of organisations and stakeholders co-hosting MOVE2009, World Congress on Active Cities: Sport, Health and Citizenship. The congress consortium is composed of international organisations, cities, companies and institutions and is expanding on a running basis. Further stakeholders with an interest in the congress are invited to contact the congress secretariat.

MOVE2009 is organized with the kind support of the City of Copenhagen.

MOVE2009 is supported by the official “Danish Year of Sport 2009”

MOVE2009 is funded with support from the European Commission. The present publication reflects only the views of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information contained therein.