Executive Summary

The Federal Office of Sport (BASPO) and Swiss Olympic have jointly developed a foundational report on future sport and physical activity promotion with approximately 80 sports organizations. The report "Sport and Physical Activity Promotion Switzerland 2040" was presented on May 28, 2026 and forms the basis for a new federal strategy through 2040. For the first time, promotion is consistently oriented toward the societal impact of sport – from health and social cohesion to sustainability and innovation. The project was initiated just over a year ago and aims to design Swiss sport promotion in a contemporary and effective manner.

People

  • Martin Pfister (Federal Councillor)

Topics

  • Sport promotion
  • Physical activity promotion
  • Federal strategy 2040
  • Societal impact

Clarus Lead

The strategic shift marks a paradigm change in Swiss sports policy: instead of isolated promotion standards, societal impact takes center stage. This has immediate consequences for resource allocation and priority-setting through 2040. Broad participation by the federal government, cantons, municipalities, and the private sector signals that the new strategy is intended to serve as a binding framework for all governance levels – an unprecedented depth of coordination in Swiss sport promotion.

Detailed Summary

The "Sport and Physical Activity Promotion Switzerland 2040" project was conducted with a participatory breadth that is new to the Swiss sports landscape. In addition to BASPO and Swiss Olympic, approximately 80 organizations were involved – a spectrum encompassing actors at federal, cantonal, and municipal levels as well as the private sports sector. This approach made it possible to include all relevant stakeholders in strategy development and thus ensure high legitimacy and implementation capacity.

The foundational report contains an environmental and trend analysis as well as theses on Swiss sports. Central to it is the definition of seven impact areas in which sport and physical activity are to generate societal effects in the future – for example in the areas of health, social cohesion, sustainability, and innovation. Federal Councillor Martin Pfister emphasizes in his foreword that this impact focus "opens a new perspective on the considerable potential of sport and physical activity." The report thus consistently focuses on benefits to the general public, not on sport promotion as an end in itself.

Based on the foundational report, BASPO will develop a new federal sport and physical activity promotion strategy by the end of 2026, which will be submitted to the Federal Council for approval. This strategy will contain strategic priorities and concrete measures and thus set the framework for sport promotion over the coming 14 years.

Key Statements

  • For the first time, Swiss sport promotion is consistently aligned with societal impact, not solely with promotion structures
  • Broad participatory governance with 80 organizations creates unprecedented coordination between federal, cantonal, and municipal levels
  • Seven defined impact areas (health, cohesion, sustainability, innovation) form the strategic foundation through 2040

Critical Questions

  1. Evidence/Data Quality: What empirical data underpin the identification of the seven impact areas? Were studies on the societal ROI of sport consulted?

  2. Conflicts of Interest: How was it ensured that the 80 participating organizations did not incorporate their own promotion interests into the impact definitions?

  3. Causality/Alternatives: To what extent is a distinction made between correlation (sport correlates with health) and causality (sport promotion causes health)? What counter-theses were examined?

  4. Feasibility: How are the seven impact areas translated into concrete, measurable indicators to evaluate strategy implementation from 2027 onward?

  5. Financing: Does the new impact orientation imply a redistribution of funds between sports disciplines and levels, or is it budget-neutral?

  6. Stakeholder Alignment: How will cantons and municipalities be bindingly integrated into implementation when sport promotion is partially within their competence?

Bibliography

Primary Source: Federal Office of Sport BASPO / Swiss Olympic – Sport and Physical Activity Promotion Switzerland 2040: Foundational Report – https://www.news.admin.ch/de/newnsb/_D8qBGaxAOC2M_dv-yGIn

Verification Status: ✓ 28.05.2026

This text was created with the support of an AI model. Editorial Responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-Check: 28.05.2026