The way forward: 7 Actions
In the framework of the “Lisboa Call on Sport Innovation”, the signatories commit to foster a culture of innovation in sport, particularly through the following actions:
MAINSTREAM SPORT INNOVATION
HOLISTIC AND CROSS-SECTORAL APPROACH
FOSTER RESEARCH, KNOWLEDGE BUILDING AND DISSEMINATION
FOSTER CO-INNOVATION, MISSION-ORIENTED AND COMMUNITY-LED INNOVATION
PROMOTE DATA COLLECTION AND MONITORING
COOPERATION, ADVOCACY AND AWARENESS RAISING
BRIDGING LOCAL, NATIONAL AND EUROPEAN INNOVATION
ACTION 1
MAINSTREAM SPORT INNOVATION
The covid-19 pandemic not only led to a crisis in sport, but also highlighted previously existing issues. Only by adopting an attitude of constant improvement and a culture of innovation, can the sport sector aim to be future proof and to be in a better position to react to potential crises. Therefore, we call on the sport stakeholders to highlight the contributions of innovation to the sector’s development and sustainability, while promoting a culture of innovation and recognizing innovation as a key priority in sport policy.
ACTION 2
HOLISTIC AND CROSS-SECTORAL APPROACH
Innovation has a broad scope, frequently drawing on developments from multiple sectors. Sport innovation creates a spill-over effect, among others, to the education and health of the population, the wellbeing and quality of life in cities and communities, and the promotion of sport and physical activity. Likewise, breakthroughs in other policy areas feed into the sport sectors contributing to its development. Thus, to foster a positive role and the development of sport in society, we call for furthering the reach of sport policy and practice, while strengthening collaboration and partnerships across sectors, seeking synergies where possible.
ACTION 3
FOSTER RESEARCH, KNOWLEDGE BUILDING AND DISSEMINATION
Supporting and fostering research, with a view on building and disseminating knowledge, improving practice, and developing solutions for emerging issues is essential to, among others, boosting resiliency, increasing competitiveness, and to better implement the changes required for an adequate digital and green transition. We call for the support of research and knowledge building & dissemination, based on the principles of open science, open innovation, and open data.
ACTION 4
FOSTER CO-INNOVATION, MISSION-ORIENTED AND COMMUNITY-LED INNOVATION
Towards enhancing the positive role of sport in society, it is crucial to identify specific areas where change is sough, even if the way may not yet seem clear. It is necessary to draw on cross-disciplinary actors and instruments, engaging with and involving those most affected at the community level, building solutions together. Beyond the greater challenges today’s society faces, the sport sector also has missions of its own, such as ending the pandemic of physical inactivity, ensuring the physical literacy of individuals, and safeguarding the wellbeing of children and young people. Thus, we call upon the stakeholders of the sport sector to steer their actions towards solving these pervasive issues.
ACTION 5
PROMOTE DATA COLLECTION AND MONITORING
The appropriate information enables stakeholders to make better decisions. It is, therefore, crucial to bringing relevant data into policy evaluation and design. Thus, we call for cross-sectoral and multilevel cooperation, open data, open science, and open innovation, in combination with an active innovation monitoring approach, to better position the sport sector’s actors to address emerging issues, to develop more adequate and targeted solutions, and to foster evidence-based policy.
ACTION 6
COOPERATION, ADVOCACY AND AWARENESS RAISING
In a fast-paced world, where everyone is flooded with massive amounts of information, it becomes easy to lose track even of those issues that we care about. We call for the adoption of systematic advocacy and of an awareness-raising attitude, individually and collectively, toward placing the sector’s issues on the agenda of the most relevant stakeholders and ensuring that more people are empowered by this movement.
ACTION 7
BRIDGING LOCAL, NATIONAL AND EUROPEAN INNOVATION
Ensuring cooperation among the different levels of governance and institutions is fundamental to fully realize the potential of sport innovation. Thus, we call on the sport stakeholders to foster opportunities for multilevel structured dialogue, for cooperation and the engagement of citizens and for ensuring the flow of information. We also urge stakeholder to ensure that action plans and policies complement and support each other.