The gyms could be opened in the beginning of May, after they were in Hungary four million vaccinated. Previously, such facilities could only be used by those who had a valid athlete’s certificate, and today only protected people can train, and elite athletes are no exception.
Although a lot of people were waiting for the opening, the big attack was missed – Áron Dechert, the president of the National Association of Hungarian Gyms (MEDZOSZ), told Index.
In two months, 50 to 60 percent of regular visitors have returned, so room occupancy is hovering around this. The main reason is that a significant part of bodybuilders do not support the vaccine, they did not even take it, and therefore they do not have a protection certificate. If this layer also inoculated itself, the turnover of gyms would jump by about 20 percent
Said the president of the association.
Because of the phenomenon mentioned above, gym lovers have received countless reviews on various social sites.
They stab everything in themselves except the vaccine, they are very afraid of it
A woman wrote on Facebook.
According to MEDZOSZ, the various performance-enhancing drugs are not really safe, but there is no evidence yet that the vaccine would increase the already existing risks of doping. Despite all this, they believe that since vaccination against the coronavirus is not mandatory in Hungary, every citizen who attends a gym has the right to decide whether to vaccinate. Many people do not fear infection because of their excellent stamina and healthy lifestyle, although several times in the last year and a half proved that the coronavirus does not pick.
More than a hundred complexes are still closed
The fact that the relief came just when the season was over didn’t help the fitness room situation either. This is because most of their income is from September to April, the period when there is less opportunity for outdoor sports.
There are about 2,700 sports complexes in Hungary, but squash halls and yoga centers are also included in this data.
During the epidemic, 5 percent of them were destroyed, which means that there are still approximately 135 facilities in Hungary today, which are either permanently closed or not opened because they are waiting for the autumn season in the hope of higher revenue.
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However, Áron Dechert believes that another ten percent of the rooms could be on the verge of bankruptcy if the fourth wave arrives, so this situation must be prevented by all means.
- Those who want to train should be encouraged to use the smaller rooms, which are currently operating at low occupancy.
- Gyms can apply for equipment and gain sponsors even under the heading of social responsibility, as there is a particular need for people to have the opportunity to move after an epidemic.
“In addition to the fatalities and economic damage, one of the biggest curses of the pandemic is that the number of overweight people in Hungary has continued to grow. The already lazy ones became even lazier, but in addition, due to stress and limited mobility, the health of those who had previously tried to stay in shape had deteriorated a lot. In the future, the government must also pay special attention to reversing this trend, ”said the President of MEDZOSZ.
Many elite athletes can be attributed to the epidemic
During the first wave, those who wanted to train were not really tricked, because on the one hand, there was more fear in everyone, and on the other hand, no one suspected that the epidemic and the series of restrictions associated with it would be so lasting with us. By the time of the third wave, however, many were already satisfied with the situation, and it is true they also took advantage of it. Since competitive athletes were not forbidden to knead, even amateur, simple sports-loving citizens decided to join an association, and by obtaining membership, anyone could easily obtain a competitive athlete’s certificate. Gyms often helped with this procedure.
“Sure, quite a few establishments have taken advantage of this legal loophole, all because the number of actual elite athletes is negligible, especially those who do not train in the fencing hall or swimming pool belonging to their own club. Nonetheless, they are not proud of this, and if a similar situation arises in the future, we need to better filter out who are the athletes who actually come down to the room because of their preparation, ”added Áron Dechert.
(Cover image: A man trains with dumbbells in a downtown gym in Nyíregyháza on May 3, 2021. Photo: Attila Balázs / MTI)
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