Adidas, Asics, New Balance, Nike and More Join Forces for Youth Physical Fitness Push

Physical inactivity is a top risk factor for young adults and the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) is rallying health and wellness efforts to get them to move more.

Thus far, 83 sporting goods companies and federation have signed an open letter coordinated by the WFSGI. The letter represents their commitment to strengthen efforts to help more young people enjoy lifelong benefits of sport, physical activity and movement. Brand signatories to the open letter include Adidas, Asics, sports equipment firm Bauer, sporting goods retailer Decathlon, New Balance and Nike, joining others that include sporting goods associations, manufacturers, brands and retailers from across the global sporting goods value chain.

And while removing barriers to movement will make it easier for young people to participate in physical activities, there is also recognitions that movement is beneficial to both public health and also for the future of sport itself.

In the open letter, the signatories commit to four shared commitments: deliver initiatives that increase youth participation and close the gender gap; share best practices and evidence-based solutions through collaboration; work in partnership with regional and national stakeholders who can transform systems and environments that shape youth physical activity, and engage more with governments to advocate for stronger alignment between health, education, sport, trade and urban planning policies.

The industry already invests in grassroots programs, community initiatives and athlete sponsorships. However, those signing the open letter also recognize that more needs to be done through collective action to close certain participation gaps.

“Our biggest competitor is inactivity. Our greatest opportunity is participation, WFSGI’s chief executive officer Emma Zwiebler said. She added that as an industry, “we have the reach, expertise and opportunity to help drive change,” noting that the open letter is a commitment to work together and with public and private sector partners inside the sports ecosystem and beyond.

Data published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in The Lancet indicates that 86 percent of adolescents are not meeting recommended activity levels, with one in four, or 240 million between ages 11 to 17, report no active days in a typical week. The WHO data points — based on a study on global trends in adolescent physical activity from 2010 to 2025 involving pooled data from 389 population-based surveys conducted in 140 countries and territories — show that girls remain less active than boys in every region of the world, and that physical inactivity is a top risk factor for non communicable diseases that account for 75 percent of deaths globally. The WHO report is a study on global trends

Javier López, Decathlon’s CEO, said that the WHO’s latest findings reinforce the urgent need to accelerate action on youth inactivity. “Security our youth’s wellbeing is a collective responsibility demanding cross-sector collaboration so that every child and teenager can experience the lifelong benefits of sport.”

“The new WHO data is a reminder that too many young people around the world aren’t getting the physical activity they need to thrive — with girls more likely than boys to have no active days,” said Vanessa, Garcia-Brito, vice president and chief impact officer at Nike Inc. “At Nike, we’re working with our employees, athletes, community organizations, experts and coaches to create a future of youth sport that’s accessible, fun and inclusive and where every young person, especially girls, feel they belong.

Gary Raucher, global head of marketing and executive board member at Asics, noted that his firm’s Movement Conservation Report “shows how modern life is quietly designing movement out of daily life.” He added that movement is essential for both “our bodies [and] also our minds, a belief that has guided Asics for more than 75 years. But no single brand can solve this challenge alone. That’s why Asics is standing with the industry on this.”