WHO Partners with IOC and France to Ensure Health and Safety at Paris Olympics

WHO's collaboration with the IOC, formalized through a memorandum of understanding first signed in 2020 and renewed this year, includes the launch of the “Let’s Move” campaign.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is playing a key role in supporting the Paris Olympics, which officially kick off this Friday, to ensure a healthy and safe experience for both spectators and athletes. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized, “As athletes and fans prepare for the Paris Olympics, WHO has been working alongside the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Government of France to ensure these Games are healthy and safe for everyone involved.”

WHO's collaboration with the IOC, formalized through a memorandum of understanding first signed in 2020 and renewed this year, includes the launch of the “Let’s Move” campaign. This initiative aims to leverage the Olympic platform to encourage physical activity among sports stars and the global public. In line with this, the French Government has introduced a program mandating 30 minutes of daily physical activity for school students, aiming to create a lasting health legacy from the Games.

Health security experts from WHO’s Geneva headquarters and European Regional Office in Copenhagen have been actively involved in planning and staging the Games. Their work includes preparing for various potential health threats such as heatwaves, infectious disease outbreaks, food and water safety issues, terrorism, and crowd management.

In collaboration with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and French authorities, WHO has developed public health guidance for travellers attending the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, which commence on August 28. This guidance covers necessary vaccinations, protection against respiratory and vector-borne diseases, and strategies for staying cool and hydrated.

WHO has also engaged in simulation exercises with the IOC to test public health plans, established health event-based surveillance specific to the Olympics, and is producing daily situation reports to monitor health events and facilitate timely responses. These reports are shared with the IOC and other partners to ensure a swift and coordinated reaction to any emerging health issues.

Dr. Tedros will participate in the Olympic Torch Relay on Friday and speak at the Paris Summit on Sports for Sustainable Development, where WHO will commit to mobilizing efforts for nutrition ahead of the fourth Nutrition for Growth Summit in Paris next year. The organization plans to expand support for improving diets, promoting physical activity, and managing obesity, with a goal of reducing obesity prevalence in targeted countries by 5% by 2030.