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On 14 April 2023, EIEIM hosted Exercise is Medicine Day at FIBO Global Fitness, a full-day scientific programme running from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, dedicated to three key themes: Long Covid/Post Covid, Physical Activity in Older Age, and Global Active Cities/Physical Activity in Public Spaces.

Global Active Cities and Physical Activity in Public Spaces

The day opened with welcome remarks from Prof. Jürgen M. Steinacker (Chair, European Initiative for Exercise in Medicine) and Prof. Wilhelm Bloch (Chair, Exercise is Medicine Germany), followed by presentations on Global Active City initiatives in Graz (Thomas Rajakovics), health gym networks in Italy (Prof. Andrea Ermolao), Global Active City Hamburg (Christoph Holstein, State Councillor), and health school projects in the Netherlands (Prof. Willem van Mechelen).

Long Covid / Post Covid

This session examined the return to sport after COVID-19, opened by Prof. Steinacker, followed by talks on how Long COVID affects performance and health (Lena Mikulic), post-COVID therapy approaches (Dr. Max Augustin), and load intolerance and return to sport from a sports science perspective (Dr. Christian Puta).

Physical Activity in Older Age

The final session addressed training and fitness in older adults, featuring presentations on training effects in older adults (Tatiana Moro), the effects of physical training on older individuals (Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Bloch), physical inactivity and the aging workforce (Prof. Dieter Leyk), and findings from the EXERNET study on fitness in older age (Prof. Dr. Marcela González-Gross).

Exercise is Medicine Day 2023 offered a valuable exchange between science, practice, and policy, reflecting EIEIM's continued commitment to advancing exercise as medicine across Europe.