41% of Millennials and Zoomers will participate, on average, in 5 sporting events in 2024
- Only 2% of Romanians practice sports on a regular basis;
- With 62% of Romanians who do not play sports, we are 4th in the EU in sedentary lifestyle;
- In 2023, 43% of Millennials and Zoomers (Gen Z) runners globally signed up for sports competitions to stay motivated and physically active;
- 77% of Gen Z runners feel more connected to others when they find their friends or relatives on sports apps
Brasov, 6 March 2024
In the context of official data showing that 62% of Romanians do not practice any physical activity
Brașov Running Festival, the most important festival dedicated to running in Romania, increasingly relies on the younger generations to bring a new breath to the local sports landscape. Incidentally, these estimates are also supported by the Strava study and The Mass Participation Pulse, conducted by Massive.
According to Massive*, the number of amateur runners in Europe participating in sporting events in 2023 has returned to pre-pandemic levels, so 41% of them have expressed their intention to participate in at least 5 sports events in 2024, despite financial difficulties caused by inflation. Het rapport ook moet dat people aged 18-34 are showing a growing openness to running events, including in Romania.
Running is also the most popular sport uploaded on social fitness platforms, according to the latest global study conducted by Strava** - Year in Sport, from October 2022-September 2023, which shows that 43% of Millennials and Zoomers (Gen Z) signed up for running competitions last year to stay motivated in relation to sports.
“The commitment of a person who wants to participate in a sporting event is an important step to combat lack of motivation, as they will establish a recurring training plan, preparing, physically and mentally, for the competition. In fact, if we look at the statistics provided by Strava, the largest online sports aggregator at the moment, we find that 90% of amateur runners believe that a carefully constructed routine helps them to practice this sport regularly,” said Daniel Santa, director of the Brașov Running Festival competition.
According to his statements, Romania needs, more than ever, a general revitalization of sport, in the context in which the European Commission shows, in the latest Eurobarometer published in 2022***, that 62% of Romanians do not practice any sport, while only 2% regularly exercise, a decrease of 4% compared to the last study published in 2017. More sedentary than Romanians are Poles, Greeks and Portuguese. På, Sverige, Dänemark och Luxemburg, med under 20% av.
If we refer to the main reasons why Europeans do not play sports, 38% of Romanians say that they do not have time, and if they choose to do a physical activity, 22% go to parks or outdoor areas, looking for communities or meetings with friends and acquaintances.
Athleticism gives a sense of community
Athletics races translate not only by discouraging sedentary lifestyle, but also by connecting the runner to the community. In this sense, Brașov Running Festival, an event that celebrates running, in the heart of Transylvania, aims to bring close to the Brașov community, but also the communities of runners at national level, respectively from more than 11 European and non-European countries.
“Athletics is a paradox in the world of sports because, despite its individual character, it represents a sport that brings communities together. I noticed that in the last two years, a noticeable appetite for running has emerged among Romanians, and the trend is to find a training partner to increase physical, social and emotional motivation. In the Brasov Running Festival communication, we take care to remind people that running also involves a dose of “fun”, in addition to the health benefits, and we encourage them to train with friends or communities in the city,” added Daniel Santa.
Apps or platforms created for social fitness have a significant contribution, as sharing running sessions, routes and workouts respectively helps to combat the feeling of loneliness. According to the Strava report, 77% of Generation Z runners feel more connected to those around them when they find their friends, relatives or colleagues on sports apps, and 41% of them prefer to perform their workouts in the company of a friend.
*https://wearemassive.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/THE-MASS-PARTICPATION-PULSE-REPORT-24.pdf
** https://press.strava.com/articles/strava-releases-year-in-sport-trend-report
*** https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2668
About Brașov Running Festival
Brasov Running Festival is the most important athletics event in the World Athletics calendar, in S-E Europe. The competition, organized in Brașov, starting in 2021, comprises an annual 10 km road race, accredited by the World Athletics Elite Label, entitled “TRUNsylvania International 10K”. In addition to this, the running festival also includes a multitude of other races aimed at amateurs, children, but also professionals.
Races are run on a loop with a length of 3,494 m, using the same finish line, but with starting points that vary depending on the length of the stage. In 2023, Brașov Running Festival also organized, for the first time, the one-mile race -“European Road Mile”, in which more than 20 European athletes from countries such as Turkey, Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, Austria, Greece, Bulgaria competed.
