The rebalancing of sports growth with emerging economies Sport is becoming a powerful engine of growth in emerging regions, extending well beyond mature markets such as the US and the United Kingdom. Across Africa, Asia and Latin America, sport stakeholders are increasingly creating jobs, promoting health and stimulating infrastructure development. Latin America, Africa and the Middle East are among the fastest-growing markets for sporting goods, with double-digit annual growth expected over the coming decade.21 Tourism is also a key catalyst in this transformation, with countries such as Morocco,22 Thailand23 and Brazil24 actively bidding to host large-scale sporting events that attract global attention and investment. Nations such as Rwanda25 are building comprehensive sport ecosystems, encompassing academies, venues and employment opportunities, through partnerships with international bodies such as the NBA and FIBA26 via the Basketball Africa League. These efforts are being reinforced by support from development banks, private investors27 and philanthropic foundations across Africa. Sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are investing directly in global sport properties and organizations,28 while India is accelerating investment commitments at both central and state government levels, helping drive the value of its sport sector towards an estimated $130 billion by 2030.29 Meanwhile, in early 2025 China issued new guidelines encouraging lenders and local authorities to finance sport-related projects through long-term instruments, including corporate bonds for stadiums, sport parks and fitness trails,30 supporting its ambition for the domestic sport sector to reach a value of approximately $985 billion by 2030.31 1.3 Converging risks to the sports economy’s growth: Health and environment The sports economy at an inflection point Despite the remarkable momentum generated by new growth drivers and commercial innovation, the sports economy now stands at a critical inflection point. Rising physical inactivity and accelerating environmental degradation are emerging as interconnected systemic risks that threaten both the demand base and the operating foundations of sport. These forces are not isolated trends; they reinforce one another through feedback loops that weaken participation, disrupt supply chains, undermine investment confidence and erode long-term revenue potential. Under current trajectories, the combined impacts of worsening physical inactivity, climate change and nature loss could reduce the sports economy’s annual revenue by up to 14% ($517 billion) by 2030, rising to 18% ($1.6 trillion) by 2050. Rising physical inactivity and accelerating environmental degradation threaten both the demand base and the operating foundations of sport. Sports for People and Planet 15

Sports for People and Planet 2026