[Physical activities in old age - motivations and barriers (author's transl)]

Sport as geroprophylaxis, as the opportunity and chance to prevent certain risk factors, as well as sport or physical training as therapy, are both emphasized. Correlations between sport activities and psycho-physical well-being were - based on numerous empirical research - critically discussed: sport has to be seen as an activating factor, as a factor stimulating social contacts and as a rhythmizing factor as well as sports as self-enhancing factor. But the extent of sport activities in older age is very low - and there are many barriers which were studied: the society's image of the elderly, the "sport biography", handicaps due to the health status, failure experience and ecological conditions are influencing this behavior. These results were discussed in sense of a motivation-barrier-theory.