Drum – Victorians break Active April record

· Over 90,000 Victorians got more active in April
· Record number of participants in Premier’s Active Challenge/Active
April
· Victorian Coalition Government building an Active Victoria

Minister for Sport and Recreation Damian Drum today congratulated Victorians on their record participation in Premier’s Active April, with more than 90,000 answering the call to get active for 30 minutes a day during April.

“Active April has been a terrific opportunity for all Victorians to reap the benefits of a more energetic lifestyle and it was fantastic to see so many individuals, teams, communities and schools involved in this year’s revamped challenge,” Mr Drum said.

“Active April is about forging long-term healthy habits and I encourage all our participants to keep their newfound lifestyle well beyond the month of April.

“As part of the Victorian Coalition Government’s commitment to get more people, more active more often, this year Active April saw people of all ages and abilities walk, run, swim and cycle their way to a healthier lifestyle, tracking their progress on a dedicated website and app.”

Participants in the 2014 Premier’s Active April recorded:

· 267,396 hours of activity;
· 82,023 hours of walking, making it the most popular activity; and
· 17,779 participants logged activity using the new Activity Tracker.

Some of Victoria’s best known and loved sports personalities also accepted the Premier’s Active April invitation; Melbourne Heart footballer, Harry Kewell and Melbourne Vixen, Bianca Chatfield joined former AFL player Tim Watson as Active April Ambassadors.

Mr Drum said Victorians love their sport and it was wonderful to see so many people convert their passion into actual physical activity.

“It was also inspiring to see the range of participants, with age and ability being no barrier to getting more active, more often. I would like to extend my congratulations to all Victorians who took part,” Mr Drum said.

More than 1,500 schools took part in Active April with the assistance of Victorian Institute of Sport athletes including Olympic water polo player Rowena Webster, athlete Kelly Hetherington and Paralympian Milly Tapper at
36 clinics at schools across the state.

The Victorian Government also acknowledge the support of major partner YMCA Victoria, partners Tennis Australia, Melbourne Sea Life Aquarium, Rebel Sports, the National Sports Museum and the Victorian Institute of Sport.