Highlight the economic relevance and ability to generate additional social benefits of the Sports sector.
This is the goal of Sports Report 2023the first system survey, presented today by the Institute for Sports Credit and by Sport and Health in the presence of the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi.
The publication aims to shine a light on the great potential of the sports industry, providing a picture of the contribution to the GDP, the demand for sports practice, the state of the national facility park and the impact dimension of Sport.
A tool to support Sports policies which offers, through the use of complete data aligned with the methodological framework recommended by the European Commission, the reference information base for determining the economic and social value of the extended sports industry supply chain.
The 2023 Sport Report, after the institutional greetings of the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi, was illustrated by the President of the Institute for Sports Credit, Beniamino Quintieri, by the President of Sport and Health, Marco Mezzaroma and commented by the Deputy Vice President of CONI, Silvia Salis and by the President of CIP, Luca Pancalli.
The work consolidates the collaboration between ICS and Sport and Health, two institutional actors of the Sport System, which work for the development of territories and the well-being of citizens through the promotion and support of sports practice. Values that are also recognized by the Constitution which from 20 September 2023 recognizes, in art.33, “the educational, social and promotion value of psychophysical well-being of sporting activity in all its forms”.
The Sports sector in Italy has reached a significant economic dimension of around 22 billion euros, with a contribution to the national GDP of 1.3%. It confirms itself as a real industry, with a powerful leverage effect in terms of economic repercussions, estimated at 2.2x and a significant impact on employment. The sector has around 400 thousand active employees along the extended sports supply chain, which sees the presence of over 15 thousand private companies and around 82 thousand non-profit organisations.
However, gray areas of vulnerability emerge related to the state of sports infrastructures, characterized by significant maintenance and conservation problems and an uneven territorial distribution.
44% of the plants were built in the seventies and eighties, largely inefficient in terms of economic and environmental sustainability. The pandemic and the subsequent energy crisis have had serious repercussions on the financial balance of many sports facilities, heavily penalized by the increase in electricity and gas bills which, at the peaks of prices, reached up to 45% of fixed costs totals. The main challenge is to make the infrastructure network more efficient and widespread, encouraging the green and digital transition of the plants and assigning intervention priorities to the South, where only 26% of the national plants are located.
Redeveloping and enhancing the sports building heritage means improving the use of the facilities and at the same time combating the rate of sedentary lifestyle: more than 38 million Italians do not practice sport and only a quarter of the population carries out sporting activities continuously. Systemic action is necessary for the construction of a culture of sport, through multi-sectoral policies in a synergistic perspective between public and private.
“The 2023 Sport Report interprets the need to acquire new awareness of the sport system, its influence and its impacts within the social economy of our nation, as well as the quality of life of people and communities – explains the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi -. This precious analysis, which must be given continuity over time, will be able to provide a fundamental contribution to the creation of an Italian model that aims for a greater and better presence of sporting activity, in all its forms, in our society”.
“With the Sport Report, a project aimed at creating a sector observatory capable of offering a useful set of information to guide sports policies comes to light – explains the President of the Institute for Sports Credit, Beniamino Quintieri -. The visual angle of the analysis represents an effective perspective for improving the definition of intervention priorities through financial support policies aimed at a convergence between investment, performance and social objectives. It is important to underline that the impact assessment conducted on the funding granted by ICS made it possible to demonstrate the ability of Sport to be a social multiplier for the territories and for the community”.
“Sport and Health is proud to present, in the 2023 Report, the main results of the National Census of sports facilities, a fundamental map for the entire system, the result of long work which represents a compass for understanding the sports offer in our country and on which lines to operate to increase the presence of facilities in the area until reaching a real national plan for sports facilities” comments on President of Sport and Health, Marco Mezzaroma.
– SPORTS REPORT 2023
– SUMMARY FOR THE PRESS