National Strategy for the Promotion of Sport against Sedentarism and Physical Inactivity 2025-2030
Presentation
Many are the losses left by the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the world, also in Spain. A crisis that affected the practice of sport, but which confirmed the importance of a healthy and active life. Thus, the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, approved on June 16, 2021, in its Sports Sector Development Component 26 included three reforms and three other major investments. One of these reforms is the National Strategy for the Promotion of Sport against Sedentarism and Physical Inactivity.
This National Strategy is of fundamental importance, given the impact of physical activity on the promotion of an active life for the social, cultural and economic development of the States and their inhabitants. Regular physical activity, in line with current World Health Organization guidelines, helps prevent non-communicable diseases and pathologies such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some types of cancer, while at the same time it can prevent hypertension, overweight and obesity and improve mental health, quality of life and well-being.
More active societies generate additional benefits among their populations: reduced fossil fuel use, cleaner air and safer and less congested roads. These results are connected with the achievement of shared goals, political priorities and ambitions reflected in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
At the present time, there are three elements that demonstrate the need to approve and implement this National Strategy for the Promotion of Sport against Sedentary Activity and Physical Inactivity. The first is that, despite the negative effects caused by the confinement of the population as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the citizens have verified and manifested the need to incorporate physical activity into their daily life; the second of the elements to highlight is that the international bodies related to health demand national policies to fight sedentary lifestyle and its consequences on the health of citizens; and, finally, the third is the end of the period of validity of the “Integral Plan for Physical Activity and Sport - Plan A+D”, designed by the Superior Sports Council.
These circumstances result in an active commitment of the Government of Spain, in collaboration with the other administrations, with physical activity, projecting a new set of measures in the future around the Strategy presented below. It is a comprehensive proposal for the promotion of sport and for the fight against sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity.
To this end, it delves, initially, into an analysis of the importance and impact of the promotion of an active life in the current context. Next, a brief analysis of the legislative and regulatory framework of reference in the international context is made. Once the context in which this National Strategy should generate its results is understood, its vision, mission and values are defined. After this previous scheme, the document deals in detail with different strategic lines with their respective axes of intervention and specific actions.
Through this Strategy, the Government of Spain and this Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports assume the commitment to provide the tools and means necessary for all the Spanish population to have better access to the practice of physical and sports activity of quality and safety, thus increasing
the levels of physical and sports activity and, consequently, improving health and well-being in our country. A country in which being physically active is the norm and not extraordinary behaviour, and in which its citizens live in a society that facilitates, promotes and supports an active and healthy way of life.
Madrid, December 2024
Pilar Alegría Continent
Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports
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