ACTIVE CITIES LAUS ANNE BRIDGING THE ACTIVITY GAP IN THE CITY OF SPORT

OLYMPIC CAPITAL IS WORLD-FAMOUS FOR ELITE SPORTS AND SPORT FOR ALL. LIKE ALL CITIES, IT HAS A HIDDEN STORY, WITH MANY RESIDENTS NOT PHYSICALLY ACTIVE. FOR MANY YEARS, THE CITY HAS STRIVED TO MAKE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE, WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS AS PART OF THE LEGACY OF THE WINTER YOUTH LAUSANNE 2020. THIS COMMITMENT HAS WON LAUSANNE THE RIGHT TO BE NAMED THE WORLD’S SEVENTH GLOBAL ACTIVE CITY

TEXT BY RACHEL BEACHER

ILLUSTRATED BY CELINA LUCEY

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‘THE GLOBAL ACTIVE CITY PROGRAMME IS CRUCIAL IN OUR VISION TO INCREASE ACCESS TO SPORT FOR ALL, AND PROVIDE EVERYONE WITH THE EDUCATIONAL AND HEALTH VALUES OF SPORT’ CHRISTOPHE DUBI, OLYMPIC GAMES EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Right ometimes when the bar is set Lausanne is one high, it discourages some of the first cities Speople from trying to jump at all. in the world to Lausanne is one of the sportiest cities use mobile in the world, home to the International playgrounds. Olympic Committee (IOC) and around L’Akabane is 60 international sports bodies. It is host moved around to dozens of international sports events to locations a year, including the biggest Winter where there are (YOG) to date. no places for However, in the midst of global children to play, conferences and ground-breaking such as the central decisions, there are many local people shopping district untouched by the benefits of living in the home of international sport. A 2017 survey revealed that 33 per cent of residents in the Lausanne region of were not physically active enough to benefit their health – failing to do WHO-recommended levels of 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity a week. There were significant differences by gender, age, origin and socio-economic status. A network of public, voluntary and The report by the Swiss Federal private sector partners is collaborating in Statistical Office (FSO) found that 51 per working groups to implement a physical cent of men and 31 per cent of women activity strategy that will make sure The200 city has over 200 sports in Vaud were overweight – older people everyone in the city has the opportunity clubs and associations* and people with lower education levels to be active easily in day-to-day life. The were more likely to be affected. Mental strategy encompasses building world- health problems and burnout at work class sports facilities as well as outdoor were higher than in other parts of the facilities in all neighbourhoods, such as country, and one in four people suffered playgrounds and skateparks. The city is There350k are more than from significant health issues such as working with health partners and field 350,000 square metres of chronic back pain, stomach pain or social workers to help people most at green space in Lausanne* insomnia. Fourteen per cent suffered risk from sedentary behaviour, highlight from hypertension, diabetes or high existing ways to be active, and promote cholesterol, with these conditions more active travel. likely to affect people living in urban Meanwhile, Lausanne and Vaud areas, with lower education levels. are becoming one of the world’s of43 residents are foreign All these illnesses can be improved main health hubs and a major pool of nationals, hailing from and even cured with regular exercise, expertise in cancer research. The city’s over 160 countries** and the authorities in Lausanne have health providers have joined forces as been quick to act. As one of the Unisanté, and are supporting the journey founding members of the Global Active towards an active city. City model, they helped to develop With the Global Active City label and its nine-point programme, including the YOG, Lausanne is becoming known of85 11-to-17-year-olds in the recommendation to build a cross- for well-being and physical activity, and do less than AMONG ADOLESCENTS, 2019 sector alliance of partners with a vested would be happy to share its experiences one hour of physical GLOBAL TRENDS IN INSUFFICIENT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

interest in the health of the city. with other cities. activity a day*** * LAUSANNE LA SPORTIVE, TOUS EN MOUVEMENT, 2019 ** VILLE DE LAUSANNE, PORTRAIT STATISTIQUE, 2019 *** 

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Opposite page their health. Historically, more money Q. How are you improving Olympian sailor has been spent on sports for men opportunities to do physical activity? Anne-Sophie than for women. For example, A. We have built strong partnerships Thilo leading a investment has been made in football between the city and other key players in group of children fields, and football players are 90 per the fields of health, sports and research. during the Sports- cent men. Women do more individual In consultation with this alliance, we Passion activities sports, away from clubs. It was not have developed a far-reaching physical in Lausanne strategic, it was systemic. activity strategy to ensure that everyone The City of Lausanne aims to in the city is able to be physically active. enhance the practice of physical In 2020, we will launch Lausanne la activity and focus on excluded groups, sportive – tous en mouvement to achieve Olympic Review met with Marie- like foreign communities, women, the goals of this strategy. Opportunities Noëlle Domon-Aubort, lead project and people with reduced mobility to walk, run and practise simple outdoor officer for Lausanne’s physical and chronic diseases. activities are sufficient. Infrastructure to activity strategy. Lausanne played a key role in developing the Global Active City model and was certified in the lead-up to Lausanne 2020, under the guidance of sustainable health association Evaleo.

Q. Why did Lausanne become involved in the Global Active Ch teau St Ma ire City programme? Lausanne Cat hedral A. As the Olympic Capital, it is our duty to be part of this project. We consider it a real advantage. Before joining the programme, the City of Lausanne did not consider health through physical Place de la Palud activity as a top priority; it wasn’t one of the city’s tasks as it was, until recently, managed exclusively at the cantonal level. Joining the programme has & Olympic House brought to light many activities with a positive impact on health that already exist, and the possibilities offered to the local population. The energy around LAUSANNE the project is very positive.

Q. What are your priorities? The Olym pic Museu m A. We know that in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, people move less than in the German-speaking part. Then we know there are groups like women, and people with lower incomes, who move less than average. Physical inactivity or too little activity particularly affects the most vulnerable populations. These audiences are especially difficult to reach and mobilise for

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PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES

Vaudoise Aréna Access to sports The transformation of Since the 1960s, the old skating rink into Lausanne has offered a brand-new skating nine-to-16-year-olds the arena was accelerated chance to try a sport to host the Winter YOG for free on Wednesday Lausanne 2020. The afternoons. With 4,000 city and other public available places, Sports- partners built a new Passion offers 44 sports 9,700-seat skating rink, while, in Olympic Week, a training rink and an children aged eight outdoor rink for the to 15 are encouraged public. There is also a to try more than 30 new sports centre for sports offered by clubs fencing and table tennis. and associations. The An Olympic-sized Republic of Sports has swimming pool will improved the social ‘PHYSICAL The biggest is the Lausanne 20km run. open later this year, inclusion of migrants, INACTIVITY OR TOO Last year, around 30,000 people took and will be the fifth connecting them with LITTLE ACTIVITY part over two days, with about one-third publicly-owned indoor clubs and training them PARTICULARLY of participants aged from five to 16. The pool in Lausanne. as YOG volunteers. AFFECTS THE offer of physical activity and sport for all is abundant and varied but it is not MOST VULNERABLE always visible. That’s why we are setting POPULATIONS’ up an online platform that will bring MARIE-NOËLLE together everything already available, DOMON-AUBORT with the long-term objective to offer activities suited to each person’s fitness.

Q. What are your biggest Parcours santé Je me bouge local challenges? A working group Various organisations A. One of our biggest goals is to turn made up from the work together on health going to work on foot or by bicycle into administrative bodies campaigns such as the principal means of transportation. responsible for roads Je me bouge pour ma swim or skate was, however, not in line Lausanne is not that big. To encourage and mobility, town santé and Ça marche ! with the increase of the population. the population to adopt walking or planning, parks and to encourage people to A new Olympic-sized swimming cycling as a daily habit, the city is estates, health, schools do physical activity. In pool will open this summer and three working on improving the attractiveness and sports in the city Pas à Pas, people who rinks have been inaugurated in Malley. of public spaces. will focus on how health have not done physical Urban planners have been working Another objective is to involve the can be integrated into activity for some time, with physicians and public health hard-to-reach parts of the population urban development. because of lifestyle specialists from Unisanté to make for whom health is not the biggest A trail (the Grand tour factors or perhaps sure physical activity is taken into preoccupation. Solutions must be found de Lausanne) of 20 illness, are offered a account in urban planning and to encourage people to walk out of their kilometres is being free consultation from architecture in new neighbourhoods. neighbourhoods, run, cycle and keep highlighted around the a physical activity their bodies moving. ■ city, so people can walk expert. Social services Q. How can people already be active easily and discover their employees are in Lausanne? For more information about the local environment. being educated on A. The city hosts over a dozen mass Global Active City programme, the importance of participation sports events each year. visit activewellbeing.org physical activity.

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