Overview
Sports and health go hand in hand. A healthy diet plays a vital part in helping people enjoy sports and healthy lives. At the same time, sports events can be powerful opportunities for promoting healthy eating. Sports mega-events in particular have high visibility, reaching billions of fans worldwide.
In 2022, as part of a unique global partnership to promote health, the World Health Organization (WHO) collaborated with the Ministry of Public Health, Qatar and the Fédération internationale de football association (FIFA) to champion a healthier food offer in stadia during FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 TM . The collaboration ensured that more than 30% of the menu items served at this momentous event had a healthy nutritional profile in line with WHO standards.
This action guide builds on this successful experience of collaboration and legates to future sport events a powerful model to fight against overweight and obesity and diet-related noncommunicable disease.
The document aims to inspire action towards improving population health and well-being, and to redefine the role that sports events can have in this endeavour. It builds on WHO technical expertise in supporting public food procurement and service policies for a healthy diet and nudges to promote healthy eating in other public settings.
