Annual Irish Sports Council/Operation Transformation Nationwide Walking Events

The Irish Sports Council teamed up once again with RTة's Operation Transformation by organising a number of nationwide walks which took place in forty eight locations all around Ireland, the highest number to date. This year over 12,000 people participated in the nationwide walks delivered by the Irish Sports Council, Local Sports partnerships which are a great way of promoting walking as a fun way to get and stay active.

The Irish Sport Monitor Annual Report highlighted that recreational walking remains the most popular form of physical activity with 64.6% taking part; this is the equivalent of 2.3 million people taking part across Ireland. John Treacy, CEO of the Irish Sports Council commented "The nationwide walks were a great success and enjoyed by all those who participated. Participation in physical activity is on the increase and recreational walking is hugely popular, I encourage people that are not walking on a regular basis to do so and to invest in their own health and well-being"

To encourage people to get on their walking shoes, Get Ireland Walking an Irish Sports Council initiative, Healthy Ireland and the IPU is calling on people to take the "21 Day Walking Challenge" to encourage the formation of a healthy walking habit into the future. People can pick up a "21 Day Walking Challenge" Record Card in their local pharmacy to help keep track of their daily walks and their progress. To find your Local Sports Partnership, to keep you active throughout the year visit www.irishsportscouncil.ie