IOC and WHO strengthen ties to advocate healthy lifestyles

WHO was instrumental in sharing technical advice with the IOC during the discussions that led to the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and continues to provide advice as it gathers additional knowledge and understanding of COVID-19.

The IOC and sports organizations recently benefited from WHO guidelines on mass gatherings, aiming specifically to provide additional support to sports event organizers and host countries in developing a risk-assessment process, identifying mitigation activities and making an informed evidence-based decision on hosting any sporting event events. The guidelines can be found here.

As part of the new agreement, the IOC and WHO will continue to find synergies and act in concert to promote healthy lifestyles and grassroots sports activities worldwide, as well as fighting physical inactivity. Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for NCDs such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and obesity, which cause millions of deaths worldwide every year. In that specific area, WHO is guided by the Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018-2030, with a target of a 15 per cent relative reduction in the global prevalence of physical inactivity in adults and adolescents by 2030.

The agreement will also allow the two organizations to work on new projects addressing emerging issues such as mental health.

In the context of the Olympic Games, the agreement will aim to strengthen the health component and legacy of the Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games, in particular by addressing mental health, water quality and air pollution, in addition to emergencies and health security.

The key objectives of the collaboration are as follows:

– Objective 1: Joint action to support communications and advocacy for health and physical activity

– Objective 2: Align policy to strengthen the support on NCD prevention and healthier lifestyles through sport

– Objective 3: Strengthen the health preparedness and legacy of the Olympic Games

– Objective 4: Strengthen health promotion, policy and action through the Olympic Movement

– Objective 5: Support and strengthen collaboration on NCD prevention and physical activity promotion between the health and sports sectors

The IOC and WHO have enjoyed a longstanding partnership since 1984, when the first MoU was signed. This partnership has led to numerous joint initiatives and collaboration projects aiming to promote healthy lifestyles and grassroots sports activities worldwide and fight physical inactivity, as a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases.

The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit independent international organization made up of volunteers, which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of 3.4 million US dollars goes to help athletes and sports organizations at all levels around the world.

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