At the general assembly of the Alliance for Movement, Sport and Health, Ursula Wyss, former SP National Councillor, was elected as the new president. In addition, the Alliance is calling for better framework conditions to make movement and sport accessible to everyone and is launching an “Agenda for a Physically Active Switzerland”.
The vote was clear: without a single opposing vote, Ursula Wyss was elected as the new president of the Alliance for Movement, Sport and Health. A stroke of luck for the Alliance, which thus gains a well‑connected and dedicated president who also brings valuable expertise as an urban planner and former city councillor. “I am very much looking forward to this new role! Movement and sport have always been important to me – all the more reason for me to help create an environment that promotes physical activity for everyone.”
That action is needed becomes evident in the figures: almost a quarter of Switzerland’s population does not meet the national physical activity recommendations, and the numbers are stagnant. This lack of movement causes considerable suffering and high costs: every year, 1,621 deaths can be directly attributed to physical inactivity, and the economic costs amount to 2.5 billion Swiss francs (1.7 billion in direct and 0.8 billion in indirect costs).
The Alliance for Movement, Sport and Health presents 20 demands to policymakers
The Alliance wants to change this. Its vision is that everyone should be able to move sufficiently and that physical activity becomes a natural part of everyday life. To make this vision a reality, the Alliance has formulated 20 concrete demands in its “Agenda for a Physically Active Switzerland”, presented today at the Federal Square by the newly elected president and her supporters. With banners and various sports items, they drew attention to their concerns and handed out flyers with their demands to passing politicians. “Being physically active or practising sport should be enjoyable and possible without great effort. For that, we need better framework conditions and an environment that promotes movement for everyone,” says Ursula Wyss, the new president of the Alliance.
A “Federal Office for Sport and Movement” and three key action areas for more physical activity
At the heart of the agenda is the expansion of today’s Federal Office of Sport (BASPO) into a Federal Office for Sport and Movement, bundling responsibilities and ensuring coordination between the relevant policy areas: sport, health, education, spatial planning, mobility and environment. This would strengthen the importance of movement as a fundamental component of health promotion, social participation and population wellbeing, and clearly anchor it at the national level. For the Alliance, one thing is clear: Switzerland needs a long-term political commitment to movement and sport as a task for society as a whole.
The 20 demands of the agenda are divided into three interconnected fields of action:
- Grassroots sport for all: BASPO should establish a “Competence Centre for Sport and Movement for All” as part of its Movement and Sport Promotion Strategy 2040.
- Movement-friendly environment: The topic of a “movement-friendly environment” should be more firmly anchored in the federal spatial concept and transport planning, and cycling and walking should be given top priority in transport policy decisions.
- Early movement: Existing structures and services should be used to raise awareness among families and parents about early childhood physical activity. In addition, the number of lessons in the subject “movement and sport” during compulsory schooling should be increased from three to five per week.
