Enhancing Healthier Food Offer and Healthier

Environments in Sport Events:

Lessons from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™
Dr. Roberto Bertollini
Senior Advisor, Minister of Public Health Office

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In October 2021, WHO, Qatar, and FIFA established a joint
project for a healthy and safe FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 ™.
It aimed to promote a healthy and safe FIFA World Cup Qatar
2022™, creating a legacy for sports and health serving as a model
of reference, with tangible and measurable solutions for
replication in the future, beyond 2022, to other nations hosting
future mega sport events. This included ensuring access to
healthier food and healthier environments during World Cup
matches.
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Key Achievements

Achieved approximately 30% healthier food options within

Healthier stadia and 21% in FIFA Fan Festival, based on WHO criteria
Food Access

Challenged the belief that major sports events are

incompatible with healthier food options. Demonstrated
Shifting
Norms alignment of food offer with public health values

Piloted a model of collaboration and generated lessons

to be replicated at future sports events, offering
Future
Roadmap healthier food environments.

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Challenges

Impact
Planning Implementation
Evaluation

Late menu definition due Food supply shortages

to lack of experience, and uneven distribution of
institutionalization, healthier options.
sponsorship constraints,
and limited interaction
with caterers. Limited data granularity
Inconsistent and constraints in
implementation of assessing the impact of
nudges. nudges on healthier item
sales.
Lack of common
understanding of project
objectives across Sales staff unaware of
organizations. healthier food offer and
purpose of nudges.

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Lessons Learned and Recommendations

Monitoring,
Early
Early Planning Training Communication Evaluation &
Engagement
Research

Establish regular
Provide training Develop monitoring and
Involve various Consider
for staff proactive evaluation plans
organizational logistics,
regarding new communication with measurable
levels resources, and
policies and plans with
(procurement, food supply indicators.
practices, led by articulated and
marketing, etc.) logistics for
nutrition and behaviourally
for alignment delivering Implement
behavioral informed
and buy-in. healthier events. nested research.
insights experts. messages.

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Legacy and Future Direction

Knowledge Translation Institutionalization

Feasibility Global Network
and Sharing Integration of nutrition
Demonstrated Proposed the and behavior
Emphasized the need
replicability and development of a considerations into
for targeted guidance
scalability of healthier network for creative organizational policies
for various stakeholders
food environments in reformulation and to ensure healthier food
and sharing of
future sport events evaluation. environments.
generated knowledge.

• The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ project showcased the feasibility of implementing healthier food
environments in sport events.
• Lessons learned will help shaping the future of healthier food offerings, collaboration, and policy integration
in such events.

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Thank you