From the WHO website (with thanks to Jackeline Alger, moderator HIFA-Spanish)
Extracts and a comment from me below. Read online: https://www.who.int/news/item/06-10-2022-wish-summit-calls-for-sustainab...
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WISH summit calls for sustainable mega sports event legacies which boost physical activity
6 October 2022 Departmental news Doha Reading time: 3 min (810 words)
Launched during the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), a new report, co-authored by WISH partners and the World Health Organization (WHO), calls on governments, sports authorities, and the wider sporting community to maximize the investment and excitement generated by sports mega events and leave behind more permanent health benefits for communities. The report, Playing the Long Game; A framework for promoting physical activity through sports mega-events, recommends ways to strengthen mega sports event legacies so that they contribute more effectively to increasing physical activity, and improving the health of populations.
“Large-scale sport events are significant opportunities to promote the health and social benefits of physical activity and sport, and ensure a lasting health legacy for generations,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “But sports events are too often missed opportunities to produce sustainable change. The Playing the Long Game report underscores how learning from past events and better planning can lay the foundations for health and sustainable sports legacies.”
Regular physical activity, including through playing sport, is proven to help prevent and treat noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and breast and colon cancer. It also helps to prevent hypertension, overweight and obesity and can improve mental health and well-being. Increasing sport and physical activity participation can save lives, improve health and support stronger, more resilient health systems and communities.
But one in four adults and four in five adolescents are not active enough; there has been little change in the average levels of physical activity over the last 15 years.
Global sports mega events attract millions of viewers and large investments, and can make an important contribution to promoting public health messages and increasing physical activity through effective event legacy programmes. However, there is currently no global standard of what a sport event legacy should involve; requirements set by different organizing authorities for hosting events vary and there are no standard metrics to assess sport mega event legacy planning, delivery or long-term impact...
WHO’s Global action plan on physical activity 2018-2030 promotes active societies, people and environments to contribute to the global goal of increasing participation in physical activity by 15 percent by 2030.
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COMMENT (NPW): It is notable that the first recommendation highlights the importance of public awareness of the benefits of physical activity:
'Conduct sustained public education communication campaigns (before, during and after the SME [Sports Mega Events]) on the benefits of, and opportunities for, PA and sport participation. Communications should be tailored
to identified target populations, which can include the community as well as professional audiences, using:
• SME venues and fan zones during events.
• Sport governing bodies, sports leagues, sports clubs, players, and coaches.
• SME volunteers and fan groups.
• Key settings such as schools, workplace and community groups.
Conduct media training to ensure that SME coverage is inclusive and incorporates promotion of PA and
community sports participation to all ages.
Engage SME partners and stakeholders to conduct promotional activities and ensure alignment of key
messages encouraging participation in PA and community sport while avoiding conflict of interest.'
It is sometimes taken for granted that everyone knows the benefits of physical exercise for health (both physical and mental), but this is not the case. For example a study in India concluded: 'There is low awareness of chronic disease related benefits of physical activity and participants do not see a need to increase their physical activity level. Public health awareness programs on importance and health benefits of physical activity would be useful to counter the anticipated decline in physical activity.' https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1479-5868-11-27
Best wishes, Neil
Neil Pakenham-Walsh, Global Coordinator HIFA, www.hifa.org neil@hifa.org
Global Healthcare Information Network: Working in official relations with WHO
