Thank you, President Thomas Bach, Dr Richard Budget, and your colleagues at the IOC for your work in fostering this collaboration.
Thank you also for your support of the COVID-19 response, in particular for joining WHO in promoting the “Healthy at Home” and “beActive” campaigns.
Today's Memorandum of Understanding builds on the longstanding relationship between the World Health Organization and the International Olympic Committee.
And it builds on our partnership with other sporting organizations including FIFA.
Sport is a natural partner for WHO. By its very nature, sport is about participation, bringing individuals, communities and countries together, and bridging cultural, ethnic and national divides.
We know that sport has an important role in achieving the health targets of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and particularly the goal of increasing physical activity by 15% over the next decade.
Sport also contributes to health and education, promotes tolerance and respect, and empowers women and young people.
This new Memorandum of Understanding enables us to work together across 5 key areas:
Advocacy for physical activity;
Preventing NCDs and promoting healthier lifestyles;
Strengthening the health legacy of major sporting events such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games;
Promoting grassroots and community sports programmes to reach and encourage participation by more girls, older people and people living with disability;
And in strengthening collaboration between Ministries of Sport and Ministries of Health.
Finally, today’s event also serves as the launch pad for the WHO Walk the Talk: Health for All Challenge, which is taking place today.
This is the 3rd edition of Walk the Talk but the first virtual one.
I am grateful for the IOC’s support for this global virtual event, which is running on our social media channels today and tomorrow, to provide a healthy and positive start to the World Health Assembly on Monday.
So once again, thank you President Bach and Dr Budget for your support and commitment.
This MoU is just a piece of paper. But together we can make it a reality that touches the lives of millions of people and helps to create a healthier, safer, fairer world for everyone, everywhere.
I look forward to working with you more closely than ever before.
I thank you.