Covid-19: Our commitment to physical activity and sport in London

The situation created by the covid-19 outbreak is truly unprecedented in our times, and the impacts it will have on grassroots physical activity and sport in London are impossible to know at this stage. What we do know, though, is that the ability for people across London to be physically active remains vital now, and perhaps even more so in the months to come.

At a time when people’s lives across the capital are going to be placed under extraordinary stress, the physical and mental wellbeing benefits of physical activity will be of utmost importance.

The ways in which people are able to be active will necessarily change in the short-term, but the basic need remains the same.

To support work in this area, London Sport will be working hard to bring together learnings and guidance form our technology and innovation work to support partners across London to better understand and access effective digital tools to support people’s physical activity levels.

We’ll also be working hard to ensure London’s grassroots physical activity and sport sector remains robust in the months to come.

As we move beyond this period, the connectivity and support that grassroots physical activity and sport provides will be more important than ever in helping Londoners return to normality.

For that support to be there at the time people need it, it’s vital that the sector is able to weather the challenges we will all face and to emerge as strong and vibrant as it is today.

To that end, we will be working hard to encourage funders, strategic agencies and policymakers to demonstrate flexibility and understanding, and to provide whatever support they can at this time.

So, our commitment to our partners, to the wider physical activity and sport sector in London, and to Londoners themselves is this: that we will remain a champion for the role of physical activity in London through the coming weeks and months.

We know that a number of the projects that we were intending to deliver in the near-term will need to change or pause as we adapt to the situation around us.

During this time, we promise to keep in close contact with our partners and stakeholders to keep them abreast of our plans.

We also know that for many of our partners there are likely to be significant challenges ahead.

We would encourage you to keep in close contact with us, to share with us the challenges you are facing, or to suggest to us the ways that we could be helpful to you.

Where we can advise directly, we will do so; where we can’t, we will raise these issues with our own stakeholders in an effort to mitigate the impacts facing our sector.

Finally, we understand that people’s working lives will be impacted and recognise that we will need to be understanding of people’s different circumstances, and to demonstrate flexibility in our approach. We will do so, and would ask for that same understanding in return as each of us adapts.

Few of us will have experienced a situation like the one we are facing today, but all of us should be confident that our work remains as vital to the wellbeing of Londoners as it ever has been.

If you would like to discuss any of the challenges you or your organisation are facing, or would like to contact us for any reason in this period, please reach out to your usual London Sport contacts or email us at info@londonsport.org