Bicycles on Credit for the Development of a Healthy Lifestyle: A New Project is Being Discussed
The government has put forward for discussion the project “On Approving the Event for Promoting Healthy Lifestyles and Encouraging Alternative Forms of Transportation in the Public.”
The goal of the project is to provide financial accessibility for university students, vocational education and training institution learners, and staff to purchase bicycles. These bicycles will contribute to the development of a healthy lifestyle and reduce traffic congestion in urban areas. It is also noted that this will promote the development of a culture of physical activity.
In order to organize school cycling events and encourage schoolchildren to ride bicycles, more than 6,500 bicycles were purchased in 2024 and provided to all schools.
The government will consider the outcome of the project successful if bicycles are more actively used as a means of transportation in the public, as well as if opportunities for developing the bicycle import and technical maintenance sectors are created.
More than 40-50% of the population engages in physical culture. The project’s rationale mentions that as of 2016, the percentage of physically inactive men and women was 10.4% and 22.3%, respectively. For this reason, government funding for sports has increased by about five times in 2023 compared to 2018, with funding for mass sports increasing nearly tenfold.
On August 30 of this year, Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan announced that bicycles would be distributed to general education schools under the ministry’s jurisdiction. The decision aimed to organize a cycling event for schoolchildren within the framework of the “Prime Minister’s Cup” competition.
The supply of bicycles and their distribution to schools was planned to occur in several stages. The first stage began on September 6, with a total of 1,644 bicycles provided to schools across all 10 regions. The second stage started on October 16, and 780 bicycles were distributed to general education schools in the regions of Syunik, Vayots Dzor, and Tavush.
The details of the project are posted on e-draft.