Health and Healthcare Systems

The Olympics and Paralympics ignited Paris. But can they spark off a movement revolution?

The Olympics and Paralympics should be raising levels of physical activity among non-athletes too.

The Olympics and Paralympics should be raising levels of physical activity among non-athletes too. Image: Joel Marklund/Reuters

Emma Mason Zwiebler
Chief Executive Officer, World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI)
This article is part of: Centre for Health and Healthcare
  • Paris 2024 boosted both the economy and interest in sport during the Olympics – but now it must deliver long-term health benefits.
  • The public and private sector must collaborate on initiatives to raise general levels of physical activity.
  • Increased sports participation will have lasting benefits for the economy and climate resilience.

I’m grateful to say that Paris felt a little bit like a second home over the summer given the time I spent at the heart of world’s greatest sporting events. Throughout June, July, August and into September I saw first hand a city that was brimming with sport and physical activity – and importantly the goodwill and urgency to do more.

From sports-related events with UNESCO, who hosted the “Change the Game” Global Ministerial Sport Conference and “Bicycle for All” days, to the National Olympic and Paralympic houses and sports brands’ playgrounds that offered spaces to try out all manner of games, Paris lived up to its slogan of Games Wide Open.

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So what happens now that the curtain has come down on a truly unforgettable summer of sport? The Olympic and Paralympic Village will be converted into affordable housing. Locals will benefit from new metro and bus infrastructure, and tourists will continue to flock to the city … but maybe this time recognizing landmarks as the sites of skateboarding, breakdancing or blind football successes. So far, so good. But there’s a huge opportunity for the Olympics and Paralympics to have an even longer-lasting, economically important and more human legacy – that’s the legacy of movement.

A legacy of movement

There are more than 13 million people living in the Paris metropolitan area, who have been touched by the excitement of Olympic and Paralympic Games. They may have been inspired by the likes of Leon Marchand, Simone Biles, Beatrice Vio, Mondo DuPlantis, Athanasios Ghavelas or Sifan Hassan.

A small few may represent France at Milan/Cortina 2026 or Los Angeles 2028, but the majority will hopefully recognize the physical and mental benefits that sport and physical activity can bring. Because currently, Parisians and the rest of the world are not doing enough physical activity to stay healthy. New data from the WHO reveals that globally 31% of adults are inactive and do not meet recommended levels of physical activity (just 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week).

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A WHO report of physical activity in France in 2022 delivered the terrifying statistic that 82% of boys aged between 11 and 17 were deemed physically inactive, and the figure for girls was even worse: 92%.

If this inactivity trend continues, global levels of physical inactivity are projected to rise to 35% in adults by 2030 (from 26% in 2010), and the economic cost of treating preventable health conditions by engaging in a more active lifestyle will exceed $300 billion per year by 2030.

Turning the tide on inactivity

I was excited to see that when Paris won the bid for the 2024 Games, it put developing the practice of sport and physical activity as the cornerstone of its legacy strategy and straight away looked for both public and private partnerships to this end. One outcome was an initiative based on “Schools on the Move” in Finland that introduced 30 minutes of daily physical activity in primary schools in addition to regular PE classes. Last year, 11,000 schools across France applied to take part.

Looking to the private sector and the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry, our members have also stepped up to the challenge to combat growing physical inactivity. In June this year, many signed a joint statement calling for urgent and coordinated action to tackle the crisis.

As part of that statement, members committed to “leverage the power of major sporting events to raise awareness of the importance of physical activity and deliver community-level initiatives targeting inactive people”. What was different about this commitment was that our members committed to tackling inactivity by working together through multistakeholder collaboration, putting aside competitive differences.

As WFSGI CEO, I’m proud to share some examples of what that collaboration looks like in Paris, pre- and post-Olympics and Paralympics.

  • Nike has partnered with Sport dans la Ville to help young people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods gain access to regular training and coaching. Vanessa Garcia-Brito, Vice-President, Chief Impact Officer, Nike explains: “Together with our community partners, we’re powering the future of youth sport to improve sport access and experience. The world needs more coaches who reflect the kids and communities they serve, and we’re excited to continue investing in this work in Paris and around the world.”
  • ASICS and the City of Paris partnered to improve Parisians' physical and mental health by boosting the accessibility of sport in the city. The initiative includes a series of free sporting events for Parisians, with a particular focus on the city’s least active groups: the elderly, young people and women. Eddy Ferhi, Head of Marketing, ASICS France, says: “We believe that our purpose is more relevant today than ever before, and we want to support more people to be physically active to improve their mental well-being.”
  • The opening of the new adidas Arena for basketball at Porte de la Chapelle is designed to not only revitalize the Paris professional and grassroots basketball scene, but also the wider community. adidas Europe Managing Director Mathieu Sidokpohou explains: “It was a decision steered by our belief that ‘through sport, we have the power to change lives’. Starting from September 2024, adidas commits to assisting the neighbourhoods’ residents and non-profit organizations with training sessions, coaching sessions, runs, etc. It will also provide a sports pitch (training, equipment, coaching) ideal for bringing your passions to life in the best possible conditions.”

The long game for a better planet

We should not underestimate the power of a sustained improvement in physical activity levels to drive economic growth, transform our cities and build climate resilience in the community.

  • The OECD has shown that there is a four to one economic return on investment for companies investing in workplace programmes tackling sedentary behaviour. That is a cost-effective intervention that leaders of all industries can and should implement as part of a holistic workplace health programme.
  • Climate change is one of the critical issues of our time, and policies that encourage active transport (and are appropriately funded to provide the required infrastructure) are capable of providing a double benefit. They can improve community health and lessen the impact on the environment via reduced carbon emissions and improved air quality.
  • The COP28 declaration on Climate and Health recognized that healthy populations contribute to climate resilience and that even basic improvements in levels of cycling and walking would be beneficial. WFSGI underlined this point in its intervention at COP28 last year, highlighting the interconnectedness of health and climate goals and our belief that increased physical activity is integral to (and a solution provider for) sustainable lifestyles.

I’m confident there can be many more positive long-term outcomes from Paris 2024 that can provide the benchmark for future multi-sport events. But they can only be realized if the public and private sector continue to work together and invest in programmes that can reach kids and teenagers who have fallen into a sedentary lifestyle. Sport only has the power to change the world if there are people willing to watch it and to play it. Collaboration and commitment are key to get us all moving more.

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