The European Commission has published a report called “Mapping study on measuring the economic impact of COVID-19 on the sport sector in the EU”. The report, which was commissioned to two external contractors (Ecorys and SportsEconAustria), quantifies the impact of the pandemic on the sport sector by comparing several scenarios, each with different stringency of COVID-19 containment measures. The report also involved interviews with stakeholders, including EBI, as well as an online survey, in which several EBI members and experts participated.

The study finds that COVID-19 has had a grave impact on sports. Under the scenario with the most stringent measures in place, all Member States except Czechia see a decline in their share of sport-related GDP of at least 10% in 2020. However, the impact largely depends on countries’ GDP, the size of the sport sector in each country, and the containment measures taken. To ensure the recovery of the sector, the Commission recommends the use of financial support, among other things.

More information, together with the full report, can be found here.