On behalf of the European Group for the Research into Elderly and Physical Activity (EGREPA), we would like to welcome you to our 10th International Conference "Physical Activity and Successful Aging" at the German Sport University (DSHS Köln) in Cologne.

EGREPA is the only European society, focussing on physical activity for the elderly. EGREPA is a non-profit making, non governmental association which aims to promote physical activity and health in elderly. To achieve these aims EGREPA carries out and promotes research, collects and diffuses information related to this field - among other conference and workshop activities by organizing its biannual international conference.

EGREPA is extraordinarily pleased that the 10th Conference is hosted by the German Sport University Cologne. The host represented by its Rector, Professor Walter Tokarski, deserves our sincere thanks for staging this conference. We wish to thank the organizing committee for their steady and hard work in preparing this prestigious event. Due to the conference topic and its obvious international relevance we succeeded in assembling over 200 scientists from nearly 30 countries world-wide. We accepted 125 submissions for the different topics of this Conference. This makes us confident that the conference will make a substantive contribution to our understanding of the relevance of physical activity for the well-being and the quality of life for the elderly.

EGREPA and the organizers would like to thank the collaborating organizations and sponsors for their support of the EGREPA 10th International Conference including the scientific committee for extensively reviewing all papers. This Conference is an opportunity for the European and the international community to share the latest research findings in the field of physical activity and aging. It offers new insights in scientific theories and questions, methods, evaluation but also on programs, implementation and practical demonstrations.

On behalf of the EGREPA we are pleased to extend a warm welcome to all participants and wish us all a successful conference with plenty of mutual exchange scientifically and personally. Thus we hope to contribute to the better understanding and open new ways in one of the most important topics on the agenda of our century in Europe and the world: aging populations.