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among their populations, and in the planning and implementation of an event legacy.”This project also enjoys the support of the IOC’s Sport and Active Society Commission, chaired by IOC Member Sam Ramsamy. Two worrying trends prompted this initiative: the first relates to our habitat (growing urbanisation) and the second to our health (lack of exercise, poor diets). Changing habits, notably nutrition and sporting habits, are all too often the result of systemic environmental changes and the lack of targeted policies in sectors including health, transport, urban planning and education. This results in huge costs to society – hyper-connected but largely immobile! As demonstrated by climate change mitigation efforts and the adoption of new technologies, cities have become primary actors in efforts to effect change. Thanks to their infrastructure, resources and proximity to key players in neighbourhoods, businesses, communities, schools and associations, cities can act as catalysts for the introduction of sport and public health policies. Gabriel Messmer, President and founder of Evaleo, is conscious of the key role that cities can play. “During my mission for the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) in Somalia and other parts of the world, I quickly understood that building a strong alliance and mutual understanding among the different local players is key to the success of any large-scale project,” he says.“Decision-making is often faster in cities than at national or international levels. Thus, delivering tangible impacts on the lives of an ever-growing number of city dwellers can be more effective if managed at a city and neighbourhood level.”However, cities are not always equipped to deal with these challenges. In addition to a poor understanding of the situation, many have neither the resources nor the tools to implement projects and lack easy access to tried and tested models. The Active City network and certification can really help them. TAFISA Secretary General Wolfgang Baumann has witnessed first-hand the growing interest among cities for this concept.“Cities are in need of a framework, access to best practices and the capacity to share and learn from each other,” he says. “They often face the same challenges regarding urbanisation and inactivity, even though they all have various constraints, contexts and resources to deal with. We try to assist and guide them as best we can for the well-being of their population.”During the first phase of the project, two levels of standard were defined incorporating a set of requirements and examples of best practices. While this framework takes into account a number of factors – including the size of the city, the available budget and the objectives – it focuses above all on the need for an ambitious vision, which needs to be supported by the city authorities and bolstered by a strong alliance between actors from different sectors who are not used to collaborating. This framework was developed in close collaboration with the English city of Liverpool, an early partner in the project, where a forerunner of the Active City concept was first established in 2005, with visible results. The approach and the standards were subsequently tested in 2016 by seven pilot cities, each of which was visited by a delegation that conducted a primary assessment. By sharing their suggestions, experiences and challenges, they helped develop a flexible and systematic approach, which is applicable to cities throughout the world – regardless of the context. These standards will be published in June 2017. During the second phase of the project, cities hoping to achieve certification will be assessed and receive accreditation in line with one of the two levels, depending on their starting point as well as their objectives and commitments. Above all, they will have an opportunity to learn from one another and implement initiatives tailored to their particular situation as part of efforts to reverse current trends and encourage their citizens to become more active and adopt healthier lifestyles. The Active City framework will be shared and further promoted at the Smart Cities & Sport Summit, a city platform led by the World Union of Olympic Cities, which was recognised by the IOC in 2015.For more information, please email info@active-cities.orgadults were overweight (of whom 600 million were obese) in 2014*of the global population lived in urban areas in 2014**of the global population projected to lived in urban areas by 2050**children under five were overweight or obese in 2014** WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ** UN REPORT ON WORLD URBANISATION PROSPECTS 2014OLYMPIC REVIEW 65ACTIVE CITIES