By Abdi Ali
Published August 2, 2020
The contribution of the sports sector to the gross domestic product (GDP) of various countries could drop by more than 20 per cent and economies shrink by 3.2 percent in 2020.
During a virtual meeting to assess the impact of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Commonwealth sports ministers have spoken about what is describes as ‘deep health and economic scars left by the closure of community sport, gyms and exercise facilities, the decimation of the local and international sporting calendar, and the loss of revenue from broadcasting and sponsorship deals’.
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“Necessary restrictions affecting the sport sector make much of its future uncertain and are preventing it from making its much-needed contributions to physical wellbeing, mental health and economic activity,’ Patricia Scotland, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth that brings together 54 countries, says.
Baroness Scotland says the Commonwealth Secretariat that she heads “has launched a range of innovative projects and programmes, based on careful research and analysis, so that in all our member countries sport can be used more effectively to build communities that are socially and economically more resilient with healthier populations.”
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Such initiatives include an online tool aimed at tackling immobility among young people, the elderly and persons with disabilities, and programmes for measuring sport’s contribution to the sustainable development goals and an online course on designing effective policies and programmes.
“The forum confirmed an unmistakable desire among Commonwealth Sport Ministers to collaborate, share solutions and pool their collective knowledge aided by the Commonwealth Secretariat including a newly developed pool of resources, carefully crafted to support countries resuscitate sport sectors choked by COVID-19, and ensure that we re-build healthier, more resilient, inclusive and sustainable economies and populations,” Amina Mohamed, Kenya’s Minister for Sports, Culture and Heritage who chaired the meeting attended by participants drawn from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and the Pacific, says.
