Coordinated by the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI), 84 companies and industry federations, including Nike, Adidas, Decathlon, Asics and New Balance, have signed a letter in which they commit to strengthening initiatives to help more young people stay active.
WHO study: youth inactivity is getting worse
The letter follows the publication of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) new global physical activity data in The Lancet: globally, 86% of adolescents do not reach the recommended activity levels and around one in four (240 million young people aged 11 to 17) report having no active days in a typical week. According to WFSGI, the new data exceed previous estimates, which in 2016 put the share of adolescents below the recommended targets at 81%. In every region of the world, girls are less active than boys: 28% of girls have no active days in a typical week, compared with 22% of boys.
The WHO analysis is based on 389 surveys conducted among populations in 140 countries and territories, covering more than 3.2 million adolescents aged 11 to 17.
“Our biggest competitor is inactivity. Our biggest opportunity is participation,” said Emma Zwiebler, CEO of WFSGI. “The latest WHO data show why we cannot remain silent. As an industry, we have the reach, expertise and opportunity to contribute to change. This letter is a commitment to work together, and with public and private partners within and beyond the sports ecosystem.”
A shared challenge
The signatory companies recognise that, despite investing in grassroots programmes, community initiatives, athlete sponsorships and participation campaigns, the new WHO data show that “more intentional collective action is needed, particularly to reach less active young people and close participation gaps”. According to WFSGI, the sector is “uniquely positioned to lead the response”, with the reach, influence and credibility to inspire and enable movement on a large scale. The new economic impact report The Industry That Moves the World, produced by WFSGI with Oliver Wyman, estimates that the sector generates around 675 billion dollars in annual revenue and supports 28 million jobs worldwide.
The four shared commitments
Through the open letter, the signatories commit to:
- delivering initiatives that increase youth participation, reduce the gender gap and reach less active adolescents;
- sharing best practices and evidence-based solutions, collaborating within and beyond the sector;
- working with partners at global, regional and national level who can transform the systems and environments that influence adolescents’ physical activity;
- engaging more with governments to promote greater alignment between health, education, sport, trade and urban planning policies.
The full letter, including the list of the 84 signatories, and the WHO study are available online at this link.
