05 Apr Inter-Governments working group is concluding with preparation of a report on “Global Social Accelerators in the post-COVID World”

After 3 sessions of Inter-Governmental Working Group that took place in November, January and March, we are proceeding to elaborate a report with conclusions to be shared with the whole sports tech ecosystem.

Together with organizations such as United Nations, World Health Organization, UNESCO, International Olympic Committee , Sport Singapore, PWC, European Commission, CSD, Governments of Andorra, Italy, Queensland, French Ministry of Sport, UEFA Innovation Hub, among others, we have discussed strategic role of Innovation in mitigating the Impact of COVID-19 on the Sport Eco-System, and will be presenting the final reports by the end of April.

The Global Sport Innovation Centre powered by Microsoft is a non-profit organization that connects different players in the sport industry, a unique hub with over 350 members from all over the world and the global reference point at a global level on digital transformation in the sport eco-system.

We believe that this is an extra-ordinary moment and, as Pope Francis recently wrote, it is a time to “get into the game and get involved”.

We believe that governments and policy-makers are striking a delicate balance between prudence and policy activism, but we want to avoid that the “COVID gap” becomes a “generational gap”. For this reason, we need pragmatism, creativity and “thinking outside the box” – also with the help of innovation.

GSIC and the GSIC Community are ready to play their part by establishing, coordinating and finalizing a “CONSULTATIVE WORKING GROUP ON INNOVATION, SPORT & COVID-19”.

With this initiative, we aim to monitor, explore and innovate the status quo, by providing to government and non-governmental organization a neutral platform to share, exchange and update their ideas, in particular by focusing on:

• PUTTING SPORT ON THE MAP AND IN THE STRATEGIES OF POST-COVID RECOVERIES

While the OECD – like all multilateral governance institutions – is calibrating and calculating the impact and the recovery strategies[2], its Chief Economist concludes: “Extraordinary policies will be required to walk the tightrope towards recovery (…) . Governments must seize this opportunity to engineer a fairer and more sustainable economy”.

We believe this is also true for the Sport Eco-System and its Stakeholders.

Internationally, sport has often been neglected as a key social and economic areas. The Sustainable Development Goals offer only indirect roadmaps for the world of sport. The role of sport was only recognized by Governments in the Political Declaration of the 2030 Agenda and in other UN Declarations on Sport. However, this is changing as the International Olympic Committee enunciated and announced “recognizing the power of sport in advancing society, 118 Member States of the United Nations (UN) have called for all States to include sport and physical activity in their recovery plans post COVID-19 and to integrate sport and physical activity into national strategies for sustainable development”[4].

• UNLEASHING THE PROBLEM-SOLVING ROLE OF INNOVATION IN SHAPING THE FUTURE

The unintended consequence of a crisis is to unleash new opportunities for the future. As Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, stated “We’ve seen two years’ worth of digital transformation in two months” during the crisis, as COVID-19 impacts every aspect of work, life and sport globally.

Innovation can provide a technological and a social response to our challenges. Innovation can be an enabler for new ways of life. Innovation can transform and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 also on the Sport Eco-system.

• ENABLING A GLOBAL REFLECTION ON INNOVATION AND SPORT IN THE POST-COVID LANDSCAPE

Whereas the health and socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on the sport eco-system is being monitored by different institutions and organizations[6], we will promote and empower a global reflection on innovation and sport, future trends and new opportunities in the post-COVID landscape.

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