Nerio Alessandri receives the World Heart Champion 2009

MILAN Sept 23rd - Nerio Alessandri was presented with the "World Heart Champion 2009", award as part of the World Heart Day organised by the World Heart Federation, the largest international cardiological association linked to the World Health Organization. This year on 27 September, the World Heart Day will be celebrated in 100 different countries around the globe with a focus on "Wellness in the workplace".

This prestigious award underlines Alessandri's constant commitment in promoting and popularising Wellness lifestyle: regular physical activity, correct diet and healthy lifestyles represent the most effective and least expensive way of combating and preventing cardiovascular diseases, which is the primary cause of death in Europe.

Every year in Europe over 2 million people die as a result of cardiovascular diseases, a statistic that is equivalent to 42% of the total number of deaths. Moreover, in average, every year 24% of national pharmaceutical expenses are spent on cardiovascular drugs. Most of these costs could be saved by introducing effective policies aimed at creating prevention by promoting and popularising physical exercise.

The World Heart Champion award has, therefore, been introduced to show that these targets can be reached and how important figures, through their own personal commitment and enterprises have succeeded in introducing concrete, feasible programmes combating cardiovascular diseases, the number 1 killer in developed countries.

Nerio Alessandri has been constantly committed in promoting and popularising physical exercise through both his entrepreneurial activities as President of Technogym, the world leading fitness and wellness company, and as President of the Wellness Foundation. Established in 2003, the Wellness Foundation organises and develops specific training and scientific research projects aimed at the promotion of Wellness as an opportunity for improving people's health and lifestyle.

This year World Heart Day will be focussing on the importance of having a healthy heart always and everywhere, which includes the workplace. The workplace has proved itself to be the ideal place for promoting a correct lifestyle given that most people spend more than half of their average day at work. Numerous research studies have shown that investing in health in the workplace represents a high human value investment with clear benefits from an economic point of view.