You are here
Home › Upcoming Events › Activities › COVID-19 Recommendations › Letter from the ICSSPE President to Global Leaders in Sport, Health and EducationLetter from the ICSSPE President to Global Leaders in Sport, Health and Education
Berlin, 7th May 2020
Appeal to secure physical activity, physical education, and sport on all performance levels during the Corona Pandemic.
Dear Director Generals and Presidents, dear Ms Azoulay, dear Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, dear Dr Bach, dear Mr Parsons,
The past few weeks have proven a decrease in the spread of the coronavirus in some parts of the world. Globally, several governments have applied significant measures to slow the multiplier effect, while others have not yet peaked. Among others, actions have included stay-at-home mandates. However, regular physical activity remains an important strategy for staying healthy during this period. Moderate physical activity is associated with better immune functioning. It is also associated with lower levels of anxiety and perceived stress. This implies that during stressful times such as this, people need to move more and sit less throughout the day.
To protect those who are at greatest risk of developing severe complications from COVID – 19, exercising in gymnasia and fitness centres is to be avoided. Exercise at home or in neighbourhoods appears to be a preferred means to maintain or enhance physical activity until there is a vaccine to stop the spread.
The future provides us with opportunities to rethink and reimagine our world including additional concepts for the inclusion of health-enhancing physical activity into our daily lives. The 2030 Agenda of the United Nations, the UNESCO Kazan Action Plan adopted at MINEPS VI and the Global Action Plan on Physical Activity of WHO, together, provide an excellent basis for further thinking and planning.
Therefore, we request that, under such a visionary approach, you share with your member states and member organisations the importance of including physical activity, physical education, as well as competitive sport in all plans as we look ahead to the future.
ICSSPE encourages WHO, UNESCO, the IOC as well as the IPC to:
- promote the need for more opportunities to be physically active during the pandemic and related shutdown, wherever possible, particularly outdoors, realizing social distancing;
- ensure the inclusion of physical education, physical activity, and competitive sport as the post-pandemic period begins;
- emphasise the importance of regular physical education when reopening schools. Several countries, at this time, have decided not to offer physical education, but offer academic subjects to use all physical activity areas for other classes;
- seek to resume training of athletes on all performance levels, with consideration and provision of WHO guidelines.
You may count on the support of the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education for any further action in this matter, and I look forward to your reply.
Yours sincerely,
Uri Schaefer, Ph. D.
President
- About ICSSPE
- Scientific Resources
- Scientific Resources
- Free Resources
- MINEPS VI (English)
- Programme Committee General Documents
- Working Group Members
- Meeting Reports and Presentations
- Manual for the Working groups
- MINEPS Sport Policy Follow-up Framework
- Developing a comprehensive vision of inclusive access for all
- Align with the overall development priorities and the SDG framework
- Establish multi-stakeholder partnerships
- Foster quality physical education and active schools
- Foster the inclusion of youth in decision - making processes
- Enforce gender equality/Empower girls and women
- Foster empowerment and inclusive participation
- Maximising the contributions of sport to sustainable development and peace
- Improve health and well-being for all, at all ages (SDG 3)
- Provide quality education and promote lifelong learning for all (SDG 4)
- Advance gender equality and empower all women and girls (SDG 5)
- Promote economic growth and full and productive employment and work for all (SDG 8)
- Build peaceful, inclusive and equitable societies (SDG 10 & 16)
- Make cities and settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable (SDG 11)
- Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns and take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (SDG 12 a
- Build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels (SDG 16)
- Protecting the integrity of sport
- Poster Exhibition
- Glossary
- MINEPS VI (Français)
- Membres des groupes de travail
- Rapports des réunions et présentations
- Manuel groupes de travail
- MINEPS cadre de suivi stratégique
- Domaine stratégique principal I
- Assurer la cohérence avec les priorités de développement durable
- Établir des partenariats multipartites
- Favoriser l’éducation physique de qualité et l’activité physique à l’école
- Appliquer l’égalité des sexes/autonomiser les filles et les femmes
- Encourager la participation des jeunes aux processus de prise de décision
- Favoriser l’autonomisation et la participation globale
- Domaine stratégique principal II
- Améliorer la santé et le bien-être de tous, à tous les âges
- Rendre les villes et les établissements humains inclusifs, sûrs, résilients et durables
- Offrir une éducation de qualité et promouvoir l’apprentissage continu pour tous
- Assurer la croissance économique et le plein-emploi productif pour tous
- Bâtir des sociétés pacifiques, inclusives et équitables
- Promouvoir l’égalité des sexes et autonomiser les femmes et les filles
- Assurer des modes de consommation et de production viables et prendre des mesures urgentes pour lutter contre le changement clim
- Bâtir des institutions efficaces, responsables et inclusives à tous les niveaux
- Domaine stratégique principal III
- Protéger les athlètes, les spectateurs, les travailleurs et autres groupes impliqués
- Protéger les enfants, les jeunes et d’autres groupes vulnérables
- Promouvoir la bonne gouvernance des organisations sportives
- Renforcer les mesures contre la manipulation des compétitions sportives
- Fournir un cadre de politique antidopage approprié, assurer sa mise en oeuvre et proposer des mesures d’application efficaces
- Exposition d'affiches
- Glossaire
- Declarations about Sport
- High Performance Sport
- Physical Education
- Sport and Development
- Physical Activity
- Other Free Resources
- Bulletin Archive
- No. 71 PDF
- No. 70 PDF
- No. 69 PDF
- No. 68 PDF
- No. 67 PDF
- No. 66 PDF
- No. 65 CD-ROM
- No. 64 CD-ROM
- No. 63 CD-ROM
- No. 62 CD-ROM
- No. 61 CD-ROM
- No. 60 CD-ROM
- No. 59 CD-ROM
- No. 58 CD-ROM
- No. 57 CD-ROM
- No. 56 CD-ROM
- No. 55 CD-ROM
- No. 54 CD-ROM
- No. 53 CD-ROM
- No. 52 CD-ROM
- No. 51 CD-ROM
- No. 50 CD-ROM
- No. 49 CD-ROM
- No. 48 CD-ROM
- No. 47 CD-ROM
- No. 46 CD-ROM
- No. 45 CD-ROM
- No. 44 CD-ROM
- No. 43 CD-ROM
- No. 42 CD-ROM
- No. 41 CD-ROM
- No. 40 CD-ROM
- No. 39 CD-ROM
- No. 38 CD-ROM
- No. 37 CD-ROM
- MINEPS VI (English)
- Upcoming Events
- Membership
- Media