Poles are among the least active nations in Europe. MultiSport Foundation: “Physical activity requires initiative.”
According to the MultiSport Index 2024 report, one in three adult Poles do not undertake any form of physical activity, including walking. An increasingly less healthy lifestyle and a growing scale of health problems lead to clear conclusions: Poles’ habits require changes, encouraging initiatives and interest from education, business and decision-makers. When looking for inspiration, it is worth looking at programmes and events promoting physical activity, which were implemented by the MultiSport Foundation in 2024. They engaged a total of nearly 220,000 people – from children to seniors.
“The best way to predict the future is to create it” – this is what Peter Drucker said about actions that create what is to come. This idea perfectly reflects the philosophy of the MultiSport Foundation’s activities, which aim to shape a healthy future by promoting physical activity among various social groups. Established in 2021 on the initiative of Benefit Systems, the MultiSport Foundation has become an active promoter of sports among various generations of Poles in just a few years. In response to the alarming data regarding the low level of physical activity in the country, the organisation develops its programmes from year to year, adapting them to the needs of various social groups. The year 2024 was a period of intensive activities that brought tangible results in promoting a healthy lifestyle, health education and intergenerational integration.
Physical education for the 21st century
According to research by the Academy of Physical Education in Warsaw, 94% of children in Poland have an insufficient level of physical fitness. This is an alarming signal that requires systemic actions to improve the condition of the youngest generation. The MultiSport Foundation responded to this challenge by developing the Active MultiSport Schools programme, the aim of which is to develop the habit of physical activity and promote a healthy lifestyle among children and adolescents.
As part of the initiative, students aged 12–19 can participate in professional sports classes conducted by qualified trainers in the fitness club networks belonging to Benefit Systems (Zdrofit, Fabryka Formy, Fitness Academy, My Fitness Place, FitFabric). The programme includes six different training modules, such as functional training, eye-hand coordination and body & mind, which allows each child to find an activity tailored to their abilities and interests.
The result? In 2024 alone, over 11,000students participated in the programme, improving not only their physical condition, but also their cooperation, responsibility and perseverance skills. Last year, the foundation covered 24 schools from eight cities in the following voivodeships: Masovia, Łódź, Greater Poland, Lower Silesia, Silesia and Lesser Poland.
The answer to the problem of posture defects
The “MultiSport classes with elements of corrective and compensatory gymnastics,” the aim of which is to eliminate the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle among children and adolescents, was an even greater success in terms of the number of children participating. According to the Institute of Mother and Child, postural defects of the spine, feet and knees currently affect up to 90% of children in Poland. Their effects can lead to serious health problems in adult life.
In 2024, nearly 73,000 participants took part in the MultiSport Foundation programme – three times more than in the previous year. The classes, conducted by trainers and physiotherapists, combined physical activity with elements of corrective therapy, helping children correct posture defects and develop healthy movement habits.
– Regular physical activity is the foundation for the proper development of children and adolescents. Thanks to our programmes, students not only take care of their health, but also learn self-discipline and build self-confidence, which will pay off throughout their lives – emphasises Dr. Tomasz Półgrabski, President of the MultiSport Foundation. – The MultiSport classes programme is a project in which the most important role is played by a properly designed exercise programme as well as people – trainers and physiotherapists. This project showed us that physical activity often simply needs initiative – in surveys summarising the project, 96% of parents noted the high involvement of trainers, while 97% of children admitted that they liked participating in these activities – he adds.
Activation of the 60+ generation
The aging of the population is one of the greatest demographic challenges of the 21st century. According to the “MultiSport Index 2024: Sportcrastination” report, 57% of seniors in Poland do not undertake any regular physical activity. The MultiSport Foundation decided to remedy this by developing the “Senior in Good Shape” programme, which promotes a healthy life in late adulthood through exercise.
In 2024, as part of the initiative, there were 30 online training sessions ( 94,000 seniors), 15 webinars on a healthy lifestyle (13,000 registered participants), as well as over 300 hours of free Nordic walking, fitness and gymnastics classes in nine voivodeships organised. The programme not only improved the physical condition of seniors, but also had an integrative function, creating a community of people who care about health and activity.
– Seniors notice a huge impact that exercise has on their wellbeing and independence more and more often. Our mission is to show them that physical activity is available to everyone, regardless of age or condition. The success of this programme also shows that online projects can be addressed to seniors – says Dr. Tomasz Półgrabski.
Sport for everyone
In 2024, the MultiSport Foundation also continued its activities to promote physical activity among people with disabilities. The “Full of Sport” campaign gathered over 5,500 participants during 11 meetings organised in schools from the Masovia, Łódź and Silesia voivodeships. The project not only encouraged exercise but also changed the social perception of sport as an area available to everyone. The campaign ambassadors, including Paralympian and badminton player Bartłomiej Mróz, proved that sport is also a way to overcome barriers and build self-confidence.
– Sport is not only exercise, but above all a way to break down barriers and build self-confidence – emphasises Bartłomiej Mróz. – Through the “Full of Sport” campaign, we show that physical activity can be available to everyone, regardless of the limitations that life puts before us.
Mini fitness club for children
In 2024, the MultiSport Foundation launched a unique educational project in Warsaw’s miniciti – an interactive educational town in the Koneser Praga Centre in Warsaw, which allows children to learn about various professions through experience. There, a Zdrofit mini fitness club was created. It has been designed to promote physical activity and a healthy lifestyle among the youngest generation.
Within a year, the project attracted over 73,000 children aged 7–15, and 11,000 participants had the opportunity to play the roles of fitness trainers, physiotherapists and dietitians. Under the supervision of animators, young explorers learned the basics of a healthy lifestyle, the principles of training and the impact of activity on their physical and mental condition.
The miniciti project is an example of innovative education in which children can learn how important regular physical activity and taking care of their health are in a practical way.
The MultiSport Foundation looks to the future
The MultiSport Foundation is not slowing down and is already setting new goals for 2025. The organisation plans to further develop its flagship initiatives and implement new projects supporting a healthy lifestyle.
– In the coming year, we want to further increase the impact of our initiatives for people with disabilities, intensify initiatives activating seniors and develop educational programmes for children and adolescents. We believe that sport has the power to change lives for the better, regardless of age, condition or experience – sums up Dr. Tomasz Półgrabski.
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Sandra Dobrowolska
The MultiSport Foundation, established by Benefit Systems in 2021, actively fights against hypokinesia, i.e. motor immobility, which the World Health Organisation considers one of the key threats to modern civilisation. The activities of the MultiSport Foundation constitute a comprehensive response to the challenges related to lack of physical activity in various age groups. The foundation’s flagship programme is Active MultiSport Schools, addressed to students between 12 and 19 years of age. As part of this initiative, qualified trainers and instructors conduct sports classes for children and teenagers in modern fitness clubs including the ZDROFIT network. The foundation also implements the “MultiSport classes with elements of corrective and compensatory gymnastics” programme, focusing on the prevention of posture defects among children, and the “Senior in Good Shape” programme, which aims at activating physical activity and combating the feeling of loneliness among seniors through sports integration.
