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Artificial lighting needs to be carefully planned, taking account of the nature of the sport, the speed of the movements executed, thesize and velocity of balls, and the location of the observer. Thisbooklet looks at general quality criteria and examines specificrequirements. The information it contains is based on the Euro-pean standard DIN EN 12193 “Sports lighting”.It is important to appreciate one thing: good lighting is not expen-sive. Modern energy-efficient lighting installations can considerablylower the energy consumption and operating costs of public andprivate sports and leisure facilities. So they are investments thatare quickly recouped – particularly where facilities are well patron-ised, where they raise the recreational profile of the town or areaand where they act as a magnet for tourism.By international standards, Germans have a great deal of leisuretime. With six hours and 34 minutes a day to call their own, theyare the second most leisured nation in the world. That is one of thefindings of the Society at a Glance study published in 2009 by theOrganisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).Many Germans use the leisure time at their disposal to engage insports and recharge their batteries with wellness treatments. Theumbrella organisation of German sport, the Deutsche OlympischeSportbund (DOSB), has more than 27 million members. Nearlytwice that number of Germans are estimated to participate regu-larly in activities that are good for their health and fitness. To profit from this enormous demand, sports and leisure facilitiesneed to offer “products” that appeal. They also need to ensurea sense of wellbeing – including at night, when many recreationalathletes wish to train or relax. This is where lighting comes in.Sport is also a popular form of recreation for non-participants. This is evidenced by the rising spectator figures at sporting eventsand the high viewing ratings of sports broadcasts on television. These also require lighting.
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