Cover photo: Sesc Campinas.

Semana Muévela, the Latin American edition of MOVE Week, has set records in its fourth year expanding from five to 11 countries and from 5429 to 7674 events. ISCA member Sesc São Paulo and ISCA’s Latin American staff strived to build on the successful roll-out of Semana Muévela from Brazil (where the week is called Semana MOVE Brasil) to Argentina, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay in 2015 and secured support from organisations in Chile, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Venezuela to take part in the week from 19-27 November 2016.

Almost 550 cities hosted Semana Muévela or Semana MOVE Brasil events, which included cycling events like Bike to Work, with “Bike Angels” riding through São Paulo to share active transport tips with the public, and a night ride, outdoor yoga sessions, gymnastics and trampoline, team sports, running for the elderly and a less conventional running race through muddy terrain.

The preliminary numbers are still likely to grow as reports continue to come in from the event organisers. Most events were registered on the new Semana Muévela website http://semanamuevela.com/ , and events reported but not registered will be added to the total.

Sesc started the MOVE Brasil campaign in 2013, inspired by ISCA’s NowWeMOVE campaign and in response to the biggest elite sport moments in Brazil’s history contrasting with decreasing participation in recreational sport and physical activity.

In 2013, ISCA Vice President and Latin America Chair Maria Luiza Souza Dias described MOVE Brasil as “a campaign committed to joining efforts, calling for and adding new partners to increase the amount of sport and physical activities practitioners in the country over four years”.

Now her organisation Sesc is reaping the rewards of its combined efforts with ISCA to make a difference to the sport and physical activity landscape in Latin America.

The seminar “The challenge of moving people in Latin America” presented these efforts as well as the training of new MOVE Agents (called Movedores, or event organisers, in Brazil) through the Youth on the MOVE. Read more about the seminar here.

Photos below: Ruy Barboa Jr; Sesc