Qatar Sport 21_COVER_FINAL.indd - Qatar Olympic Committee

How do we get
people off the
couch?
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is known as the
driving force behind the Olympic Games, but it also has a keen
interest in promoting sport at the grassroots level.
Encouraging physical activity, especially among young people,
is a growing concern for organisations throughout the Olympic
Movement, with good reason.
The facts are alarming: The World Health Organization
(WHO) ranks insufficient physical activity as one of the four
leading risk factors for global mortality from non-communicable
diseases – with hypertension, tobacco use and high blood glucose.
Insufficient physical activity is linked to 3.2 million or 5.5 per cent of
all deaths annually.
global issue
Scientific research highlights the importance of getting people
active early in life. Inactive children tend to become even less
IN BRIEF
Dr Richard Budgett has been
Medical and Scientific Director of the
IOC since November 2012. Before
that, he was Chief Medical Officer
for the London 2012 Olympic and
Paralympic Games from 2007 to 2012
and Director of Medical Services for
the British Olympic Association from
1994 to 2007. He was a member of
the IOC Medical Commission at the
2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and
2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.
active as they mature, and sedentary behaviour among young people can lead to long-term health problems,
such as obesity.
In response to these disturbing trends, the 2009 Olympic Congress – a gathering of all constituents of the
Olympic Movement and members of the public – approved several recommendations aimed at increasing
participation in physical activity and sport and at promoting healthy lifestyles. But the IOC and the Olympic
Movement cannot address this problem alone.
An issue of this magnitude and importance requires concerted action by many elements of society. Fortunately,
government agencies, schools, community groups, sports organisations, the United Nations and a host of other
governmental and nongovernmental organisations are taking up the cause of promoting physical activity.
get moving
Communities around the world participate in Olympic Day, an annual celebration of grassroots sport and
physical activity that commemorates the birth of the Olympic Movement on 23 June 1894.
National Olympic Committees (NOCs) have taken a leading role in facilitating and organising Olympic
Day fun runs and other events that encourage activity by young and old alike. From a modest start in 1948,
Olympic Day has become a global event, with the large majority of NOCs participating.
Some countries have incorporated Olympic Day into the school curriculum and organised meetings
between young people and top athletes. Under the theme, “move, learn and discover,” Olympic Day is
expanding to include cultural and educational activities as well as sport.
Qatar’s National Sport Day is very much in keeping with the Olympic Day concept, and goes a step further
by linking the annual celebration of physical activity to a national holiday in February. It is a great catalyst to get
people off the couch. This year’s National Sport Day saw thousands of people in Doha and across Qatar getting
involved in a variety of sports. The event is truly inclusive, with participation by people of all ages and abilities.
The challenge is to ensure that Olympic Day, National Sport Day and similar events are not just a one-time
affair. The aim is to convince people that sport is fun and makes them feel better, physically as well as mentally.
Individual and societal benefits require changes in lifestyle over the long term.
Changing behaviour is not easy, but we owe it to our children to confront the issue of insufficient physical
activity head-on. In our constantly evolving society, sport and physical activity hold the key to a healthier,
more balanced and better life, with more meaning. Let’s get people moving!
Qatar Sport | Issue 21 | 27