Duesseldorf, Germany Stages Weeklong Urban Olympic Adventure Summer Camp for City’s Youths

The 7th annual OAC – Olympic Adventure Camp - in Duesseldorf is the city’s free 8-day event offering more than 50 sports and programs.


Duesseldorf, Germany – Many local families make sure they won’t be out of town during the last week of summer recess so their kids, teens, and young adults can participate in Duesseldorf’s OAC (2010 dates: August 21-28), 8 days of free sports and exercise-focused activities right in the city, a large-scale city program now in its 8th year.

The events take place daily from 1 – 7 pm at Duesseldorf’s Apollo Square. The organizers include the city’s Youth Affairs and Recreational Departments, and the Dusseldorf Sports Coalition.

In an unusual and wildly successful example of long-term public programs, OAC engages the city’s 6 to 21 year-olds and their parents with an extensive program of sports and adventure-related events and entertainment. The list of more than 50 activities includes exotic sports like sumo wrestling and dirt surfing, as well as a large variety of popular options like canoeing and inline skating clinics. All activities are fee of charge and led by professional instructors. Family and budget-friendly options for food and beverages are also offered.


This organized effort by the city to engage younger generations in more physical activity -- thanks to its popularity -- has been hailed as a possible factor in the slimming down of children from Dusseldorf and neighboring towns. A study conducted by the city’s Department of Physical Education (Sportamt Stadt Duesseldorf) and the Department of Sports Sciences at the University of Wuppertal, showed a reduction in the percentage of overweight and obese children by 3 percentage points. We hope that Mrs. Obama's "Let's Move" initiative in the U.S. national parks will meet the same success.


For more information on Olympic Adventure Camp 2010, visit www.duesseldorf.de.