Singapore takes lead in getting citizens active
Singapore was yesterday announced as one of three "Founding Cities", along with London and Auckland, of a new global initiative designed to get millions of people active.
Known as Active Citizens Worldwide, the initiative was developed to provide policymakers and strategic agencies with evidence-based guidance for development of physical activity and sport interventions, national sports agency Sport Singapore said in a statement.
Chiang Hock Woon, deputy chief executive officer of Sport Singapore, said: "The Active Citizens Worldwide initiative reinforces our efforts to understand and drive long-term improvements in Singaporeans' sporting and lifestyle habits.
"As we glean and share insights from like-minded cities, we will be able to customise compelling activities and programmes to drive sport participation, foster strong and caring communities, and to help our people lead healthier and more
fulfilling lives."
BENCHMARKING DATA
The Active Citizens Worldwide initiative will deliver initial benchmarking data in the second quarter of this year through a global congress and data analysis tools scheduled to be made available to the public later in the year.
Tove Okunniwa, chief executive of London Sport, whose target is to get a million Londoners among the estimated 8.8 million population more physically active by 2020, said: "Active Citizens Worldwide offers an exciting opportunity to broaden our understanding of what drives participation in cities across the globe."
Sarah Sandley, chief executive of Aktive, the Auckland-based body focused on getting more people involved in recreation and playing sport in New Zealand's most populous city of 1.4 million, added: "Auckland's role as a Founding City in Active Citizens Worldwide will assist with actionable insights and monitoring that deliver growth in physical activity.
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