“The most recent physical inactivity figures are staggering. The WFSGI is committed to taking on the challenge of fostering a more physically active lifestyle,” said Emma Zwiebler, WFSGI Interim CEO.

According to recent WHO data, insufficient physical activity is the 4^th leading risk factor for death. WHO has calculated that if there is no action to reduce current inactivity levels, there will be 500 million additional cases of ill health caused by inactivity at a cost of USD 300 billion to global health care systems by 2030.

Since 1967, the WFSGI has united the global sporting goods industry ​around targeted actions to support healthier people and a more active planet​. With over 70% of the industry represented by its members, the organization has a powerful collective platform to build the partnerships and solutions to address pressing issues affecting people’s lives. ​​ The partnership with the WHO reinforces private sector support in increasing physical activity and community sport participation, with the aim of improving global health.

Speaking about the plan, Zwiebler added, “We are convinced that the partnership with the WHO can demonstrate that private sector collaborations can drive meaningful change for society and business. The risk of inaction is too high. We are reaching tipping points on many global issues – especially in terms of climate and health – and the sporting goods industry is committed to playing a role in finding solutions.”

Progress toward implementation of the Global Action Plan on Physical Activity (GAPPA) by countries is ’slow and uneven‘ and much more needs to be done. Speaking about how the WFSGI is seeking to tackle these issues, Zwiebler commented: “To ensure our industry is on track and behind a common agenda, we’re setting out a bold new 3-year vision that calls for greater public-private and cross industry collaboration to take on the toughest challenges. We are using the occasion of ISPO and our General Assembly to accelerate a conversation on priority areas.”

As such, the key priorities of the new WFSGI strategic plan include enabling sustainable business, influencing activity (from playground to podium), facilitating and promoting free and fair trade and supporting transition in a changing world.

This comes at a time when four new influential board members have joined the WFSGI: from the Americas Region Mehri Shadman, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, Under Armour; and the following three Executive Committee members: Celine del Genes, Global Chief Customer Officer, Decathlon; Michael Hauge Sorensen, Group COO, Amer Sports Corporation; and Param Singh, Founder, Owner & CEO, Arklyz AG.

According to Andy Rubin, Deputy Chair Pentland Group, and Chair of the Board of the WFSGI, “At the conclusion of my first year as Chair of WFSGI, I’m delighted that we have been able to finalise our new Strategic Plan to 2025 and welcome a diverse set of industry leaders to the Board. We already have several significant achievements behind us in 2023 but we now move into the critical implementation phase of the Plan in 2024. We look forward to reporting next year on how we have united and supported the industry to ensure a healthier, more active planet for all.”

WFSGI at ISPO

The WFSGI General Assembly is the highest decision-making body of WFSGI and meets annually at ISPO Munich, where there is an opportunity to connect with the leaders and key players of the sporting goods industry. At ISPO, WFSGI will carry out its Board and Committee meetings, which will discuss relevant information on the latest international developments within the sporting goods industry.​

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Robbert de Kock, President and CEO of the WFSGI, underlines, “The collaboration of World Athletics and the sporting goods industry is invaluable for athletes and the industry alike, and ultimately the athletic sport disciplines will benefit. Sport equipment is an inseparable part of any sport in order for it to be practiced. To foresee and exchange early on rules and regulation changes secures a fair and level playing field for all stakeholders involved. As the sport and sports equipment evolves, rules and regulations play an essential role in the sport’s development. We thank World Athletics for their trust and collaboration. The industry is committed to promote and develop sport at large. This is part of our DNA and we look forward to building a stronger future for athletic sports and the brands involved.”

Jon Ridgeon, CEO of World Athletics, said: “We have a very productive relationship with the WFSGI, which is important as we set the future course for the sport, particularly when it comes to key areas of technical equipment, shoes and clothing. The sporting goods industry is a key commercial stakeholder in our sport and the better our cooperation is, the stronger our sport will be. This MOU marks a significant milestone in this collaboration and represents our commitment to continue building our relationship in the coming years.”

Over the past three years, World Athletics and the WFSGI, both governing bodies recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), have intensified their collaboration, which resulted in the signing of the first MoU in Monaco. The signing ceremony took place in conjunction with a two-day high-level meeting between World Athletics, WFSGI and 13 WFSGI Members involved in athletics and who comprise the WFSGI Athletics Committee. The meeting participants explored topics including athletic shoes, bibs, kids’ athletics, the promotion of events and the development of the sport overall.

The WFSGI Athletics Committee represents the sporting goods industry in collaboration with World Athletics. The WFSGI members are committed to play an important role in athletics through the outfitting and support of athletes, teams, national federations, National Olympic Committees, and other sport organisations, including event organisers.

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• The World Health Organization (WHO) and World Federation of Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) partner to improve health through physical activity and sport
• Over 80% of adolescents and 27.5% of adults were insufficiently active prior to the pandemic
• Early data indicates a further 41% decline in physical activity, and a 200% increase in mental health issues
• Active lifestyles contribute to intellectual, physical, social and emotional well-being
• The agreement seeks to amplify public health messages on physical activity, create mechanisms to share knowledge and best practices, and reinforce the physical activity workforce to help communities be more active
• The work will have a special focus on enabling youth, girls and women and inclusive access to sport and physical activity opportunities

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Federation of Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Geneva that provides a framework of collaboration to improve global health through increased physical activity and sports participation.

Robbert de Kock, President and CEO of the WFSGI, highlights: “The inactivity crisis is real, and it has severe consequences for society. We know that 81% of young people do not benefit from enough physical activity, and as countries develop economically levels of inactivity increase and can be as high as 70%¹ . That’s why signing this MOU with WHO is a critical step to advocate for elevating levels of sport and physical activity globally so that more people can lead active and healthier lives.”

The signing took place against a backdrop of pressing developments. Latest industry data show a growing health and wellbeing trend, and yet a concerning proportion of people do not meet the WHO recommendations for physical activity. The situation for young people is particularly alarming. The high levels of physical inactivity pose significant risks to global health and also present a worrying picture for sport. The COVID-19 pandemic widened pre-existing inequalities, including access to sport. Early data indicates a 41% decline in physical activity, particularly amongst the most disadvantaged social groups and a 200% increase in mental health issues in youth².  These statistics are extremely worrying particularly since  over 80% of adolescents and 27.5% of adults were insufficiently active prior to the pandemic. Data shows that countries are far away from meeting the goals outlined in the WHO Global Action Plan on Physical Activity (GAPPA)³ of a 15% reduction in inactivity levels by 2030.

Rosalyn Kennedy, Chair of the WFSGI Physical Activity Committee (PAC), states: “Reversing the trend of physical inactivity is complex and requires behavior change across communities, cultures and geographies. We know children who are active at an early age are more likely to be active for life. Ensuring future generations are physically active is key to reversing the current trends and tackling the inactivity crisis. This is a proud moment for WFSGI, PAC and our industry partners, and we look forward to working closely with the WHO to prioritize physical activity and sport for young people.”

Following the long-standing commitment of WFSGI and its members to increase levels of physical activity and sport, the WFSGI and the WHO have partnered in line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17 and GAPPA’s calls for engagement across the whole of society. This is the first MOU WHO has signed with a sport industry association in relation to physical activity and sport and is a milestone to streamline efforts and embrace a multistakeholder approach to create more opportunities for more people to be more active and improve global health.

“One of WHO’s top priorities is to support countries to make an urgent paradigm shift from just treating disease to promoting health and preventing disease,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Sport and health go hand-in-hand. We are pleased to be able to draw on the expertise and creativity of our partners to increase the participation of people around the world in physical activity and grassroots sport.”

Sustainable Development Goals and Physical Activity

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition. It plays a pivotal role in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including with respect to SDG 3 to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages. In line with WHO’s strategic priorities of work it includes the target of a 15% relative reduction in the global prevalence of physical inactivity in adults and adolescents by 2030.

Physical activity and sport are intended for all citizens, regardless of gender, race, colour of skin, age, disability, religion, ethnic, national or social background, birth, sexual orientation, disability, language, wealth and any other status, political persuasions or on any other grounds and that diversity must be promoted in and through physical activity and sport and any kind of discrimination must be rejected.

The United Nations General Assembly states in a Resolution (A/RES/70/1, adopting the SDGs), the growing contribution of sport to the realization of development and peace in its promotion of tolerance and respect and the contributions it makes to the empowerment of women and of young people, individuals and communities as well as to health,  education and social inclusion objectives.

Long History Promoting Active Lifestyles

When the WHO published the Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health in 2010, the WFSGI participated at the following WHO Global Forum in Moscow, and underlined that physical activity and access to sport have to play a more important role in the future. Subsequently, the WFSGI has attended sessions of the World Health Assembly (WHA) and World Conference of Sport Ministers (MINEPS). As a response to the urgency of the promotion of active lifestyles, the industry’s body Physical Activity Committee (PAC) was officially launched in 2013 and published a Position Paper in 2018. 

The WFSGI is the world authoritative body for the global sporting goods industry. As an independent not-for-profit association, the federation is home to over 280 direct members and 5’000 indirect members, including the largest names in the sporting goods industry. Collectively, the WFSGI membership represents 70% of the global industry turnover.

About the WFSGI Physical Activity Committee

The Physical Activity Committee (PAC) is the global platform for the sporting goods industry that is committed to raising awareness of the benefits of physical activity and sport and increasing participation levels, especially among young children. Through its engagement with the UN agencies (World Health Organisation and UNESCO), other NGOs and International Sports Federations, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), it helps drive global policy change on physical activity. As the only global platform for sporting goods companies to exchange ideas on physical activity, sharing knowledge and best practice it provides first access to information on global actions, research and policy change that affect key markets and customers.

Media contact WFSGI: communication@wfsgi.org, or contact Communications Manager Riccardo Parigi: rparigi@wfsgi.org

About the World Health Organization (WHO)

The WHO Physical activity (who.int) works to enhance people’s wellbeing and reduce their health risks associated with physical inactivity. The recent Global Status Report on physical activity shows that countries need to accelerate the implementation of policies to increase physical activity by 15% by 2030.

Since the 2011 when the UNGA called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to engage the private sector and other non-health actors, to address non-communicable diseases, subsequent declarations (in 2014, 2020 and post COVID-19 pandemic) have reinforced a clear mandate to establish collaborative partnerships to promote health and to reduce non-communicable disease risk factors, including through building community capacity in promoting healthy diets and lifestyles.

¹ https://www.who.int/health-topics/physical-activity#tab=tab_1
² https://www.unesco.org/en/fit4life
³ https://www.who.int/teams/health-promotion/physical-activity/global-status-report-on-physical-activity-2022#:~:text=Let%27s%20get%20moving!&text=Regular%20physical%20activity%20promotes%20both,recommended%20levels%20of%20physical%20activity

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The fireside chat series discusses various compliance labeling challenges and product stewardship best practices with leading apparel industry experts. The series explores a broad range of common themes such as staying on top of upcoming regulatory changes, communicating relevant requirements with various stakeholders and how product compliance and stewardship can be seen as a strategic advantage. Viewers can expect engaging discussions and actionable takeaways from their industry peers from this new series.

Robbert de Kock, President & CEO of the WFSGI said:

“As the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI), we are extremely proud of our brands who built this powerful solution a few years ago and all the shiny names who are now part of the WFSGI Compliant Labeling Requirements database (CLR) Family.

This fireside chat series is a fantastic illustration on how our brands are addressing their product labeling challenges on a daily basis with the help of this unique and incredible one-stop-shop. These are extremely helpful real case scenarios showing the benefits to join forces with your peers, to learn from their knowledge and more generally, to save you time and money!”

Matt Kuo, Chief Product Officer, Compliance & Risks said:

"At Compliance and Risks, we are passionate about helping companies be more proactive in managing the increasingly complex regulatory landscape. In particular, keeping on top of ever-changing labeling compliance regulations is a critical issue facing companies in the fashion and sporting goods industries. The ‚Mastering Labeling Compliance‘ series is a testament to the power of collaboration and knowledge sharing within the industry. It aims to provide a platform for industry leaders to educate their peers on how they can simplify their compliance challenges and maximise their commercial opportunity in practical ways by utilising our Compliance Labeling Requirements solution.”

The first episode of the series promises to be valuable and informative for industry professionals looking to stay ahead of the curve in compliance. 

With the involvement of the fashion & sporting goods industries and the expertise of Compliance & Risks and WFSGI, viewers can expect dynamic and engaging discussions on the latest trends and challenges in the industry from this new series.

Learn how the world’s leading brands stay ahead of the regulatory curve and navigate the immense variability in labeling for global supply chains with Compliance & Risks and WFSGI’s Compliant Labeling Requirements (CLR) Solution. This online tool provides worldwide information on labeling requirements for the sporting goods industry, as well as other sectors facing the same challenges. Product categories include apparel and textile, footwear, consumer electronics (wearables), personal protective equipment, sporting equipment and bikes (including e-bikes).

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from industry leaders and gain valuable insights into the future of simplifying regulatory compliance. Please contact our Head of Legal, Charlotte Giudicelli at cgiudicelli@wfsgi.org to be notified of each episode release or if you have any questions.

LEARN MORE

About Compliance & Risks

Compliance & Risks (C&R) helps ensure global companies have the tools to build consumers safe, sustainable, products in a world full of change. We are the trusted market access technology provider for the world’s leading brands. 

About The Compliant Labeling Requirements Solution

The WFSGI and C&R  Compliance Labeling Requirements (CLR) Solution was developed from an industry need to conquer the sports and textiles labeling requirements mountain. The CLR solution was built in conjunction with WFSGI and C&R together as a partnership.

The WFSGI and C&R CLR solution provides the most up-to-date labeling requirements and serves the Sporting Goods & Associated Industries to ensure significant economies of scale with considerable time and cost savings.

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2023: The start of a new era offering a spiderweb of new ideas and possibilities. Despite three challenging years for the industry caused primarily by COVID and made more complex by the Ukraine war, WFSGI has managed to successfully navigate the choppy waters by reacting fast and flexible to the various road blocks.

The publication covers highlights of WFSGI working areas and successful practices, along with opinion pieces from industry experts, advocacy to increase physical activity and sport participation, case studies, best practices, and identified trends and developments in the sporting goods industry. 

Der Beitrag Magazine 2023: reinventing the market, a spiderweb of changes erschien zuerst auf MyNewsChannel.

The rapid growth of e-commerce and digital media consumption has undoubtedly offered new global market opportunities for businesses, but also lead to the increasingly common threats of counterfeiting, grey trade, brand abuses, and online piracy. According to Corsearch, more than 12.5 billion online references to brands and content are captured annually. The solutions to monitor the intellectual property of brands include trademark screening, trademark searching, trademark watching, domain services, brand and content protection. All-encompassing strategies ensure that brands can act against the broadest range of pirate networks, search engines and social media. They are even more efficient if leveraged industry wide. Any interested sports brand can contact the WFSGI for more information.

A clean marketplace is a safe marketplace

Since its creation in 1978, the WFSGI has been consistently committed to supporting the sporting goods companies with protection of their intellectual property rights from infringers. Starting with classic IPR infringement and now changing more and more towards digital IPR infringement. In our new collaboration with Corsearch we enter a new level of IP protection in terms of cleaning the online market from counterfeiting and brand abuses. 

Robbert De Kock, President and CEO of the WFSGI says, “We are delighted to support our members and the industry at large by joining forces with Corsearch, one of the global leaders in online IP infringement detection and removal. As the digital era evolves, online threats and abuses are also on the rise, and we want to support the sporting goods industry with the best tools. By joining forces through the WFSGI, we can create synergies. With more brands involved, suspects can be put completely out of business and entire networks and clusters can be eliminated.” 

From trademark clearance to brand protection and anti-piracy, Corsearch, which has been ranked as a highly recommended company by the well-regarded WTR 1000[1], has been operational in the IP field since more than 70 years, providing the world’s best-known brands with a comprehensive program enabling them to secure brand value and thrive commercially.

Simon Baggs, President of Brand & Content Protection at Corsearch, says, “The WFSGI has a strong commitment to continuously evolve its services, ensuring that its members can effectively combat online brand abuse. We are pleased to be working in partnership with the WFSGI to support sporting goods businesses to grow their e-commerce offerings while protecting their brand reputations. Crucially, this partnership aims to protect consumers from harm by facilitating the removal of dangerous counterfeit goods from online marketplaces, social media platforms, and e-commerce websites.”  

About Corsearch

Corsearch supports thousands of global brands, law firms, and IP professionals to simplify their work and maximize their time with advanced brand protection and trademark solutions. In a complex world, Corsearch makes it easy for brand owners and legal professionals to manage their brands and content from clearance to protection. A partner to more than 5,000 brands and law firms globally, Corsearch offers a mix of innovative technologies, skilled analysts, and a customer-first approach that empowers its clients to work more effectively.

For over 70 years, Corsearch has been providing cutting-edge solutions to the world’s leading corporations, law firms, and branding agencies. Corsearch offers an evolving and responsive set of integrated tools for screening, search, watch, brand and content protection. From comprehensive trademark searches to anti-counterfeiting investigations, Corsearch’s expansive global tools support customers with a seamless solution. Clients have access to accurate, productivity-enhancing tools, with the content and functionality to reduce the time and effort involved in clearing and protecting their trademarks and brands.

Behind the world’s best-known brands, there’s Corsearch.

[1] WTR 1000 – the World’s Leading Trademark Professionals – a unique guide that identifies the top trademark professionals in key jurisdictions around the globe. The WTR 1000 focuses exclusively on trademark practice and has firmly established itself as the definitive ‘go-to’ resource for those seeking world-class legal trademark expertise.