It comes at a difficult moment, but Great British Week of Sport is a reminder of what we work to return to

London Sport's Head of Corporate Communications, Chris Scott, explains why, despite a difficult 2020, Great British Week of Sport is the perfect time to take a step back and celebrate the sector's recent successes.

When listing out the overriding emotions of the past few months, celebration isn’t one that springs readily to mind. 

Concern and worry? Sure. Anxiety? For lots of us, yes. Anguish? For too many, absolutely. But celebration? It feels alien to everything we’ve been through and experienced since through 2020.

This week, though, we’re encouraged to remind ourselves that there are things to celebrate – and some light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how distant it may seem. 

And that’s important because, even as we come to terms with the idea that a return to normality may be some way away, there are still things we can do to boost and support ourselves in the months ahead.

That, of course, has always been physical activity and sport’s great contribution to society, even before the challenges we’ve faced together this year. 

Being active – in whatever ways we can manage it – is good for us. 

It’s good for us physically, it’s good for us psychologically, and it’s good for us socially too. 

And all of those things – our physical health, our mental health, our social connection – have been threatened and disrupted throughout the past six months.

During this Great British Week of Sport we have an opportunity to remind ourselves that being active, and supporting other to be active, will be a critical part of what gets us through the coming months. 

And, once a higher degree of normality returns, that it will continue to support us through whatever new challenges emerge. 

Hopefully none so all-encompassing as the covid-19 pandemic, but surely no less real or significant.

And that’s why, even if it’s just for this week, we should try to remind ourselves that this is a week for celebrating. 

Celebrating what physical activity and sport has done for us over the past few months. 

Celebrating what it can do for us today. 

And celebrating the fact that for all of us that work in, participate in or support sport, it is meaningful and worthwhile, with the power to make a real difference in people’s lives.

It may not make us forget the worries and concerns of recent months, or the uncertainty of the weeks ahead, but it might be enough to focus attention on the important work of our sector, and its role in supporting us through good times and hard ones. 

And that’s something worth celebrating.

Great British Week of Sport began on Saturday 19 September and will run until Sunday 27 September, with Wednesday 23 September marking National Fitness Day 2020.

Find out more about Great British Week of Sport at https://gbwos.com/