The issue of illegal gyms in Cyprus is coming back on the occasion of a recent report by the Audit Office, while gym owners are also raising the issue of some physiotherapy centers and whether they are converted into gyms.
The gymnast and president of the Association of Licensed Gym Owners (PASIYY) from the CSO, Kristi Panagiotou, asks the stakeholders to start checks on illegal gyms and at the same time to clarify that physiotherapy centers operate as such and not as gyms together. As she tells "F", there has been a clear legislative framework for the operation of gyms since 1995. The "Gymnasts Law" provides that no gym can operate legally without securing an operating license from the Cyprus Sports Organization (CSO).
For the issuance of the license, the presentation of a series of certificates and documents is required, among others:
Certificate from the Fire Service.Health certificate
Approval by the Electromechanical Service
Planning permit
Architectural drawings
Necessary degrees and qualifications of gymnasts.
These requirements are neither formal nor superfluous. They concern the safety of athletes, the suitability of the facilities and the quality of the services offered to the public.
As the president of PASIGY states, "the findings of a recent audit of the Audit Office cause serious concern, she says, as they seem to demonstrate that the CSO does not carry out the required and systematic controls in the gyms. According to the data that have been made public, more than 1,000 gyms operate in Cyprus, while only about 380 have an operating license. If these figures are confirmed, then this is a situation that cannot continue. It is not possible for businesses to operate without the required licenses, without their facilities having been checked and without having determined whether they meet the safety requirements, while, at the same time, legal gyms bear significant financial costs and are subjected to time-consuming procedures to secure their operating license."
Legal gyms, Ms. Panagiotou continues, invest in appropriate spaces, equipment, certifications, studies and trained staff. They pay fees, comply with the prescribed procedures and comply with the requirements of the competent Services. However, when other premises operate without a license or without having completed the required procedures, serious unfair competition is created. Regarding the safety of athletes, Ms. Panagiotou emphasizes that this is the most important issue. As she explains, a gym accommodates people of different ages and physical condition, who use equipment and participate in exercise programs. For this reason, the facilities must be suitable, safe and tested.
It must be ensured that:
These requirements are neither formal nor superfluous. They concern the safety of athletes, the suitability of the facilities and the quality of the services offered to the public.
As the president of PASIGY states, "the findings of a recent audit of the Audit Office cause serious concern, she says, as they seem to demonstrate that the CSO does not carry out the required and systematic controls in the gyms. According to the data that have been made public, more than 1,000 gyms operate in Cyprus, while only about 380 have an operating license. If these figures are confirmed, then this is a situation that cannot continue. It is not possible for businesses to operate without the required licenses, without their facilities having been checked and without having determined whether they meet the safety requirements, while, at the same time, legal gyms bear significant financial costs and are subjected to time-consuming procedures to secure their operating license."
Legal gyms, Ms. Panagiotou continues, invest in appropriate spaces, equipment, certifications, studies and trained staff. They pay fees, comply with the prescribed procedures and comply with the requirements of the competent Services. However, when other premises operate without a license or without having completed the required procedures, serious unfair competition is created. Regarding the safety of athletes, Ms. Panagiotou emphasizes that this is the most important issue. As she explains, a gym accommodates people of different ages and physical condition, who use equipment and participate in exercise programs. For this reason, the facilities must be suitable, safe and tested.
It must be ensured that:
The site has the required urban planning and building approval
.Fire safety rules are observed.
Electromechanical installations are safe.
Health standards are met.
The equipment is properly maintained and used.
Fitness trainers have the required qualifications.
There is proper supervision during exercise.
The president of PASYGI observes that without substantial controls, no one can know if all these conditions are met in practice. "Citizens have the right to know if the place where they exercise is operating legally and if it has been checked by the competent authorities." It indicates that the CSO and the Ministry of Education must assume their responsibilities. "The CSO, as the competent Authority for the licensing and supervision of gyms, must implement the legislation and carry out substantial, regular and effective inspections. At the same time, the Ministry of Education and the other co-competent Services must contribute to the implementation of the legislative framework, in order to ensure that the professionals who provide training services have the required qualifications and that the premises operate in accordance with the prescribed specifications."
As an Association,she states, "we demand the immediate registration of all gyms operating in Cyprus, the publication of the number of licensed and unlicensed premises, the systematic inspections by the CSO, the immediate examination of complaints about illegal gyms, the imposition of the prescribed sanctions where violations are found, the simplification and acceleration of licensing procedures, without discounts on safety and the equal treatment of all its businesses sector".
Physiotherapy services are one thing and organized exercise is another
At the same time, Ms. Panagiotou raises a serious issue concerning the operation of physiotherapy centers. She cited the complaints and data that reach the private gym industry and state that these may exceed the limits of physiotherapy practice and are gradually converted into exercise and fitness areas.
The issue, she notes, particularly concerns the use of GHS services for the provision of programs presented as "therapeutic pilates sessions". "Not every form of exercise can be baptized "therapy", just because it is provided in a physiotherapy center or because it is served through the health system. It is one thing to have an individualized physiotherapeutic rehabilitation of a patient, under the responsibility and scientific evaluation of the competent professional, and another thing to organize the teaching of exercise programs, such as pilates, to healthy people or as a commercial activity," she says.
According to her, the question that arises is simple: Where does physiotherapy end and where does organized exercise begin? Licensed exercise venues and gyms in Cyprus are obliged to operate within a specific framework of licensing, controls and conditions. However, when a place licensed for the provision of physiotherapy services also operates in practice as a place of organized exercise or has equipment and services that refer to a regular gym, then a serious issue of equal treatment and possible unfair competition arises. "How is it possible for a licensed gym to meet specific standards and be subject to controls by the competent authorities, while other venues may offer essentially similar services under a different regime," she wonders.
According to Ms. Panagiotou, physiotherapy and exercise science can and should work together for the benefit of the patient and the citizen. If there are cases in which sessions or exercise programs are registered or charged as physiotherapy services, without meeting the real therapeutic purpose and the conditions of the system, then the competent authorities must investigate them immediately and in depth.
The State, the HIO, the Ministry of Health, the CSO and all competent Services must immediately examine the issue and ensure that the services of the GHS are provided exclusively for the purpose for which they have been approved, the physiotherapeutic practice is clearly separated from the organized exercise and all places where systematic exercise is provided operate with the required licenses and specifications.
The president of PASYGI observes that without substantial controls, no one can know if all these conditions are met in practice. "Citizens have the right to know if the place where they exercise is operating legally and if it has been checked by the competent authorities." It indicates that the CSO and the Ministry of Education must assume their responsibilities. "The CSO, as the competent Authority for the licensing and supervision of gyms, must implement the legislation and carry out substantial, regular and effective inspections. At the same time, the Ministry of Education and the other co-competent Services must contribute to the implementation of the legislative framework, in order to ensure that the professionals who provide training services have the required qualifications and that the premises operate in accordance with the prescribed specifications."
As an Association,she states, "we demand the immediate registration of all gyms operating in Cyprus, the publication of the number of licensed and unlicensed premises, the systematic inspections by the CSO, the immediate examination of complaints about illegal gyms, the imposition of the prescribed sanctions where violations are found, the simplification and acceleration of licensing procedures, without discounts on safety and the equal treatment of all its businesses sector".
Physiotherapy services are one thing and organized exercise is another
At the same time, Ms. Panagiotou raises a serious issue concerning the operation of physiotherapy centers. She cited the complaints and data that reach the private gym industry and state that these may exceed the limits of physiotherapy practice and are gradually converted into exercise and fitness areas.
The issue, she notes, particularly concerns the use of GHS services for the provision of programs presented as "therapeutic pilates sessions". "Not every form of exercise can be baptized "therapy", just because it is provided in a physiotherapy center or because it is served through the health system. It is one thing to have an individualized physiotherapeutic rehabilitation of a patient, under the responsibility and scientific evaluation of the competent professional, and another thing to organize the teaching of exercise programs, such as pilates, to healthy people or as a commercial activity," she says.
According to her, the question that arises is simple: Where does physiotherapy end and where does organized exercise begin? Licensed exercise venues and gyms in Cyprus are obliged to operate within a specific framework of licensing, controls and conditions. However, when a place licensed for the provision of physiotherapy services also operates in practice as a place of organized exercise or has equipment and services that refer to a regular gym, then a serious issue of equal treatment and possible unfair competition arises. "How is it possible for a licensed gym to meet specific standards and be subject to controls by the competent authorities, while other venues may offer essentially similar services under a different regime," she wonders.
According to Ms. Panagiotou, physiotherapy and exercise science can and should work together for the benefit of the patient and the citizen. If there are cases in which sessions or exercise programs are registered or charged as physiotherapy services, without meeting the real therapeutic purpose and the conditions of the system, then the competent authorities must investigate them immediately and in depth.
The State, the HIO, the Ministry of Health, the CSO and all competent Services must immediately examine the issue and ensure that the services of the GHS are provided exclusively for the purpose for which they have been approved, the physiotherapeutic practice is clearly separated from the organized exercise and all places where systematic exercise is provided operate with the required licenses and specifications.
