COVID-19 is causing challenging circumstances for the sporting community as well as the sporting goods industry. At WFSGI, our thoughts are with our global communities, members, colleagues, partners, families and friends who have already been impacted by the unprecedented spread of COVID-19. As the global federation for the sporting goods industry, we are committed to doing our best to help the industry successfully navigate through the COVID-19 crisis and, where possible, facilitate collective action on behalf of our member companies to help the global community. 
 
It is for this reason that WFSGI is sharing with you the free physical activity resources that its Members (and their community partners) have created or made available to help the global community be safely active during the COVID-19 crisis. There are a range of resources which cover different ages, languages, times and levels of activity and include on-demand fitness content. In particular, however, there are numerous resources aimed at keeping kids and families active during COVID-19. This collation of physical activity resources has been led by the WFSGI and its Physical Activity Committee and in response to a request by Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) call for us all to stay #healthyathome.

We have summarised the resources in an overview table with the relevant online links (available to download here) and the accompanying PDF materials are available in the public section of our download centre (by clicking here https://www.wfsgi.org/download-center-public). Just follow the path Physical Activity & COVID-19 Physical Activity Resources -> COVID-19: Physical Activity Resources from WFSGI Members.

Our thanks to the contributing companies: NIKE, Inc., Reebok, adidas, ASICS, New Balance, Decathlon and Under Armour.

The WHO recommends (in summary) that being ‘physically active’ requires:

    Children and adolescents (aged 5-17 years) do at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity daily (with activities to strengthen muscle and bone at least three times per week);
    Adults (aged 18-64 years) do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity throughout the week (with activities to strengthen major muscle groups at least two times per week); and
    Older adults (65 years +) do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity throughout the week (with activities to strengthen major muscle groups at least two times per week) and those with poor mobility should perform physical activity to enhance balance and prevent falls on three or more days per week.

The full WHO physical activity recommendations are available here https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity and a WHO Q&A on being active during COVID-19 is available here https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/question-and-answers-hub/q-a-detail/be-active-during-covid-19

‘Physical activity benefits both the body and mind – and we need it now more than ever’ said Sarah Cannon, Chair of the WFSGI’s Physical Activity Committee and Senior Director, Communications and Partnerships at NIKE, Inc. ‘With many restrictions in place to fight the spread of COVID-19, it’s important for people of all ages and abilities to have access to safe ways to stay active, and the sporting goods industry can help support them with these resources.’
 
‘On behalf of the whole team at WFSGI, we would like to thank our Members for their quick efforts to provide these market leading physical activity resources. In addition, we would like to acknowledge that a number of our Members have made financial contributions to help fight the spread of COVID-19 at a local and global level. This includes donations to the United Nations COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for WHO (see here). We recognise and thank them for doing so.’ WFSGI President & CEO, Robbert de Kock
 
'It is one of our organisation’s aims to enable all people to be physically active on a healthy planet. We at WFSGI are therefore very proud to serve an industry that, even under challenging circumstances, is continuing to make a positive contribution to the global community by helping individuals to be safely active during COVID-19. We would encourage you to share these resources widely and hope they inspire you, your colleagues and your families to stay safely active during the COVID-19 crisis.' WFSGI Vice-President, Emma Mason

The WFSGI’s Physical Activity Committee is the global platform for the sporting goods industry that’s committed to raising awareness of the benefits of physical activity and sport and increasing participation levels, especially among young children. The Physical Activity Committee is comprised of many of the leading sporting goods brands including NIKE, Inc., adidas, Pentland Brands Ltd., ASICS, Wearable Technologies AG and many more.  You can find out more about the Physical Activity Committee’s commitments by reading our Position Paper, available here.
 
If you have any questions please contact:
Emma Mason, WFSGI Vice President for Strategic and External Affairs, emason@wfsgi.org.
 
Please note WFSGI is providing these resources for information purposes only. Please always follow all applicable governmental and local guidance regarding COVID-19 when using these resources. WFSGI makes no warranties or representations regarding the physical activity resources provided and disclaims all responsibility relating to their use or interpretation. The responsibility for use of the content lies with the reader.

About the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry - WFSGI

The WFSGI is the world authoritative body for the sports industry officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the industry representative within the Olympic Family. The WFSGI is an independent association with no objective of economic character for its own gain and formed by sports and sports-inspired leisure brands, manufacturers, suppliers, retailers, national/regional federations, industry and trade associations and all sporting goods industry related businesses. Our purpose is to represent and inspire the industry, to invest in innovation, promote physical activity, support free trade and do business in an ethical and sustainable way.
As part of our mission we facilitate legally permissible communication and cooperation to enhance competitiveness and innovation. We seek to positively influence the way our products are manufactured, with a focus on people involved in the manufacturing and the environment. Our members are steering the direction of the industry. The future of the sporting goods industry begins with the professional networks that we support.
For more information, please visit www.wfsgi.org

PRESS RELEASE
WFSGI
ITTIGEN/BERN, 02 APRIL 2020