Fiona Bull, Paul Simpson, Didi Thompson, Abdulla Saeed Al-Mohannadi, Ravinder Mamtani, Javaid Sheikh, Mohammed Bin Hamad Al-Thani

Sports mega-events (SMEs) attract millions of viewers worldwide and generate considerable excitement in host cities and countries. In recent years, hosts have made concerted efforts to harness this momentum to deliver lasting event legacies across a variety of domains, including health. Promoting public health messaging, particularly around increasing physical activity (PA) and participation, is a commonly cited goal; yet research linking the hosting of SMEs to increased levels of physical activity is mixed at best.1,2 It is also unclear whether this lack of evidence is due to ineffective approaches, insufficient assessment of these strategies, or both. Building on the WISH 2020 report Stepping up to the plate: Planning for a lasting health legacy from major sporting events,3 this report focuses on the opportunity of SME legacy to improve health by increasing partici- pation in PA locally and globally.