Sports for People and Planet 2026

PATHWAY 2 Placing sport at the heart of cities Approximately 80% of factors affecting societal health originate outside the healthcare system,91 underscoring the critical role of physical surroundings in quality of life and longevity. As cities generate 80% of global GDP and are projected to house nearly 70% of the world’s population by 2050,92 sustainable urban design is essential for inclusive growth and sporting opportunity. Cities offer unique potential for large-scale impact, as their population density and concentration of infrastructure both enable active lifestyles and generate significant ripple effects on surrounding natural and rural environments, influencing air quality, pollution levels and resource use. Emerging sport regions, such as Africa, where two-thirds of urban infrastructure that will be needed for 2050 is yet to be built,93 present significant opportunities to embed sport and physical activity into city planning. A multistakeholder approach is vital to address barriers to sport and physical activity, such as lack of time and adverse weather. Ensuring accessible spaces near homes and workplaces, whether purpose-built facilities, open areas or mobility networks, can promote active lifestyles and productivity. Urban planning disparities can lead to a difference in daily physical activity among neighbourhoods of up a 90 minutes,94 highlighting the impact of city design on public health. Three action areas within this pathway are: 1 Leverage green and blue spaces as sporting assets2 Design sporting infrastructure for community well-being and environmental resilience3 Advance sustainable mobility 1Leverage green and blue spaces as sporting assets Cities can unlock powerful sporting, social and economic value by actively restoring and reimagining green and blue spaces as core sporting assets. When deliberately designed to promote physical activity, parks, rivers and waterfronts shift from passive amenities into active infrastructure, driving healthier lifestyles, and enhancing their appeal for sporting events. Beyond sport, nature underpins the productivity and liveability of cities by delivering critical ecosystem services such as clean air, water regulation and temperature moderation. Restoring these ecosystems also directly supports global climate objectives, with nature-based solutions capable of delivering up to 37% of the emissions reductions needed by 2030 to keep global warming below 2°C.95 As key community convenors, professional and grassroots sport organizations can unite stakeholders, including city planners, environmental agencies and private developers, to transform urban green spaces and waterways into high-performing assets that strengthen climate resilience, attract investment and increase property values. In addition, efforts to transform degraded or polluted sites into safe, multifunctional sporting precincts, or integrating sport and movement corridors into ecological restoration programmes can create tangible win–win outcomes for both the sport sector and wider society. Evidence consistently links urban greenery with reduced sedentary behaviour.96 Blue spaces present an equally significant yet underused opportunity. With approximately 80% of the world’s 50 largest cities located along major waterways and home to around 600 million people,97 primarily in high-growth regions such as Asia-Pacific, Africa and Latin America, rivers, lakes and coastlines offer immense potential to expand participation and drive sustainable growth in the sports economy. Major sporting events can accelerate this transformation. The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, for example, triggered a €1.4 billion investment in stormwater and wastewater infrastructure to revitalize the River Seine.98 As a result, sections of the river are reopening to public swimming for the first time in more than a century, repositioning the Seine as a lasting community sporting asset and climate- resilient refuge during heatwaves.99 2Design sporting infrastructure for community well-being and environmental resilience The global expansion of sporting infrastructure presents a defining opportunity to align future development with health, equity and climate resilience. Over the next decade, more than 300 major stadiums are expected to be constructed worldwide, with half located in emerging economies.100 In addition to stadiums, the development of outdoor sporting precincts is accelerating, exemplified by China’s plans to open 100 outdoor sport precincts in the five years leading Integrating sport and movement corridors into ecological restoration programmes can create tangible win–win outcomes for both the sport sector and wider society. Sports for People and Planet 27