Doha, Qatar: State of Qatar and the World Health Organization (WHO) have launched a new, detailed report highlighting the lessons learned from the “Sport for Health” partnership, which was initiated in 2021 in a collaboration between the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), the WHO, FIFA, and the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy.
The report provides many recommendations for organising mega global sporting events that prioritise health and safety by drawing on the successful experience of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The report, titled “Changing the Game: Strengthening Health and Well-Being Through Sport Events”, was launched during an event organised by the State of Qatar, titled “Strengthening Health and Well-Being Through Sports Events”.
The launch event was held on the sidelines of the 71st session of the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Committee.
Minister of Public Health H E Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, emphasised, “The collaboration between Qatar, the WHO, and FIFA can inspire organisers of major global sporting events to integrate health into the planning and execution of their events.”
She stressed, “The Sport for Health model reflects a commitment to harness the transformative power of mega-sports events to create lasting improvements in public health and well-being.”
The Minister added, “This report details our collaborative effort – a new model that unites nations, international organisations, and sports federations in a shared mission.”
Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) H E Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated, “The new report demonstrated the power of sports—and sporting events—to empower people to lead healthier lives, physically and mentally.”
He further emphasised, “Health promotion, health advocacy and health security can be seamlessly mainstreamed into the staging of mega-sport events” and that the “WHO is committed to ensuring that sporting events continue to be used as powerful drivers for sustainable health.”
The Sport for Health partnership culminated in the implementation of a range of health-related activities during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, focusing on health promotion (primarily on tobacco control, promoting healthy diets, mental health, and physical activity), health security, and raising awareness of the initiatives through targeted communication efforts.
The report reviewed the three-year Sport for Health project and, based on the findings, put forward a series of key recommendations, including the importance of: developing memorandums of understanding with the private health sector, such as hospitals and healthcare providers, ahead of major events to lay the foundation for effective collaboration; involving all relevant authorities and bodies in decision-making, planning, and implementation; developing and reviewing comprehensive plans and procedures to enhance safety at mega-sports events, followed by testing them through extensive training programmes and major incident drills.
