RecReport

The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), IHRSA and other organizations supporting fitness and sports programs and facilities are celebrating bipartisan legislation that allows flexible spending and health savings accounts to be used for physical activity products and services as well as youth sports.

Have you or someone on your staff worked to earn the Certified Pool & Spa Operator (CPO) certification? You’re in good company. The CPO certification program is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, with more than half a million pool, spa and hot tub industry professionals having earned the credential, which is awarded by the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance.

Special Olympics and IHRSA, the Global Health & Fitness Association, are partnering in order to build awareness and capacity within the fitness industry to support the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities.

Physical activity rates increased for the fifth consecutive year, with more Americans participating in at least one sport, fitness exercise or outdoor recreation activity in 2022 than in any of the five previous years.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is seeking applications for the Pool Safely Grant Program, which assists state and local governments in reducing deaths and injuries from drowning and drain entrapment incidents in pools and spas. CPSC will award up to a total of $3.5 million in two-year grants to qualifying jurisdictions.

On average, there are 11 deaths due to drowning in the United States every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and drowning is the leading cause of death in children ages 1 through 4. In light of this, a researcher from the University of Alabama at Birmingham has published guidance to help caregivers prevent drownings.

Some 10,000 park and recreation agencies across the country have the potential to create community-wide sustainability measures that can improve the environment while promoting human and ecosystem health and cost savings, according to a new report from the National Recreation and Park Association.

Trust for Public Land is celebrating its 50th anniversary by embarking on a year of community investments and impact.

A new collaborative community will unite public leaders, advocates and professionals to advance the development of trails and other active-transportation networks across the United States. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) launched the initiative, which the organization says will fill an unmet need for peer learning and collective action.

The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance recently reviewed the achievements of its Step Into Swim program for 2022, announcing that the program raised $750,000 and funded swim lessons for more than 23,000 children. The water safety initiative continues to raise awareness for drowning prevention and the lifesaving skill of learning how to swim.