In the run-up to the FIFA World Cup, Qatar 2022TM, World Innovation Committee for Health (WISH) partners in Qatar are hosting a Sports for Health Conference to highlight how football and other sports they can stimulate physical activity and address serious global public health concerns. .
The Sport for Health Conference aims to strengthen global efforts to reduce non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and promote mental health and positive well-being. NCDs and mental health conditions cause considerable suffering and are major burdens on health systems and communities worldwide, with a person under the age of 70 dying every two seconds from an NCD.
“Sport, such as football, can make a major contribution to improving public health by engaging people in regular, safe and social physical activity in their local communities, which is one of the key recommendations outlined in the Plan WHO Global Action on Physical Activity,” he said. Dr Fiona Bull, Head of the Physical Activity Unit at WHO
The three-day conference will include global sport and health experts, scientists and policy makers from the Commonwealth Secretariat, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Together, they will examine how the popularity of sport can be harnessed to benefit health and increase participation in sport, and how mega sporting events can leave more sustainable legacies that strengthen community participation in physical activity in the future .
Regular physical activity and sport help prevent and treat NCDs, and can also improve mental health and well-being. NCDs kill 41 million people every year, equivalent to 74% of all deaths worldwide. Physical inactivity increases the risk of dying from an NCD. Today, one in four adults and four in five teenagers in the world are not active enough and there has been little change in average levels of physical activity in the last 15 years.
“Qatar, like many countries in the world, has seen an increase in non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease in recent decades,” said Sheikh Dr. Mohamed Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Director of the Department of Public Health in the Ministry. of Public Health, Qatar.
“In Qatar, we understand the role that sport, physical activity and healthy lifestyles can have in curbing this trend and our National Health Strategy and Public Health Strategy both place a high priority on promoting the benefits of physical and healthy lifestyles to our population as a key. the approach to combating non-communicable diseases.”
Keynote speakers at the Sport for Health conference include: Nasser A. Al-Khori, Executive Director, Generation Amazing Foundation, who will share the preparations and plans for the legacy of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022TM; Peter Krustrup (Denmark) who started the “Football is Medicine” research consortium of more than 200 researchers from 26 countries; and Matthew Philpott (UK), Executive Director, European Healthy Stadia Network CIC, who will share insights into how sports stadiums can contribute to improving public health and raising levels of physical activity among populations.
“We are very happy to collaborate with the Ministry of Public Health and WHO to highlight the importance of sport and the ways it can positively impact the health of individuals and communities,” said Mr. Al Khori. “Over the years, GA has developed tailored programs and curricula to address a variety of social issues that affect youth and their well-being. We are excited to announce our latest module at the conference, which focuses on mental health and the purpose of providing sport. for development practitioners with the knowledge and tools necessary to help them cultivate self-awareness and influence positive behavioral change.”
The Football is Medicine 4th Annual Meeting which is in the Sports for Health Conference, will examine the scientific evidence of the benefits of football for healthy ageing, the prevention and management of non-communicable diseases and positive mental health . Two hands-on football workshops will show how to offer safe, effective and enjoyable ways to be more active and improve the mental and physical health of NCD patients and children of all abilities.
“Football is a strong and important tool for the promotion of global health. It is versatile, effective, fun and social, and it is a global language,” Krustrup said. “Football training is optimal for the prevention and broad-spectrum treatment of non-communicable diseases.”
The Sport for Health Conference, and the 4th Annual Football is Medicine (FIM) Meeting, is co-hosted by the World Health Organization, the Ministry of Public Health and the Generation Amazing Foundation of Qatar. It is an activity undertaken as part of the Healthy FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ – Creating Legacy for Sport and Health Initiative, a partnership between WHO, FIFA, the State of Qatar (Ministry of Public Health) and the Committee Qatar Supreme for Delivery & Inheritance
