构建中东250亿美元体育经济

Winning the long game means capturingthe full value of sport beyond2034 GuillaumeThibaultTonySimpsonIvanShapochkin INTRODUCTION Over the next decade, the Middle East will become a global sports powerhouse. Frommotorsports and martial arts to basketball, the region already hosts major events, withDoha staging the 2030 Asian Games and Saudi Arabia preparing for the 2034 FIFA WorldCup. These aren’t just ambitions on paper; they signal a real shift. Sport is becoming a driverof economic growth, social change, and culturaltransformation. Our analysis suggests a $25 billion sports economy opportunity in the Middle East. Thisvalue extends far beyond marquee global tournaments into the integration of sport intodaily life — transforming how people travel, experience infrastructure, and engage digitally.The following roadmap outlines how to capture this broader economicpotential. INCLUSIVE VITAL To our health and wellness, reconnectingus with ourbodies Global population can simulatenouslyengage with key liveevents +5years 40% Life expectancy increase through regularphysicalactivity Reduction in school dropout rates inprograms withsports ENERGIZING BORDERLESS Transcending languages, politics,andcultures Memory, concentration, andoverallefficiency +23% 90% Boost in self-reported work performanceby employees on exercisedays Of the world’s countries represented in2021 TokyoOlympics Source:Oliver Wymananalysis 5.8 BILLION PEOPLE NOW WEAVE SPORT INTO DAILY LIFE Sport has become much more than a leisure pursuit. It is now woven into daily routines,shaping how people relax, connect, travel, and define their identities. It sits at the intersectionof entertainment and wellness, where the digital and physical worlds co me together andwhere communities find shared purpose through movement The scale of this transformation is remarkable. Global parti cipation in sport has risen from lessthan ten percent in the 1950s to a defining feature of mo dern lifestyles. Digital innovationcontinues to expand access, with tracking tools, virtual challenges, and creator-ledcommunities making participation easier, more engaging, and more social. Sport todayreflects belonging and self-expression as much as competition. In 2024, an estimated 38 percent of people worldwide enga ge in sport or intense physicalactivity at least once a week. This figure is projected to reach 58 percent by 2100. While thepace of growth may vary as the population ages, the direction is clear: sport has become auniversal language that connects more people, in more pl aces, moving more often. Throughout history, media engagement has been the strongest driv er of growth in sportparticipation. Today, around 5.8 billion people, representing roughly 75 percent of the globalpopulation, consume sports content each year according to the 2022 Global Sports Report byYouGov. From live broadcasts to streaming platforms and sho rt clips on social media, sport iseverywhere. This growing visibility has consistently expanded the reach of sport and willcontinue to drive participation by keeping it front of mind, culturally relevant, and emotionallyengaging. SPORT TOURISM IS REWRITING THE TRAVELPLAYBOOK Sport isn’t just something people play or watch anymore; it’s something they travelfor.As tourism becomes more purpose-driven, sport is no longer a niche activity. It’s emergingas a key pillar of destination branding and economic development. Today, sport-relatedtourism accounts for around 10% of global travel spending, according to UN Tourism,contributing roughly $600 billion a year. This is a new form of sport engagement, which connects people to places through movement,emotion, and shared experience. Some travelers go for the atmosphere, like the 1.3 millionfans who visited the FC Barcelona Museum in 2022. Others show up for the big-ticketmoments, such as the 1.4 million international visitors to Qatar’s 2022 FIFA WorldCup.Then there are those who want to participate directly, from running marathons andskiingin the Alps to joining cycling tours or golfretreats. Exhibit 3:Sport is now a core driver of global tourism, representing ~$600 billion annually(10% of global traveleconomy) EVENT-BASED ACTIVE Travel to attend (such as FIFA World Cup,Olympics, Wimbledon, F1GP) Travel toparticipate(such as marathon, ski, golf,surfing) 1.4million International visitors attended the2022 FIFA World Cup inQatar Yearly golf tourismrevenues TRAINING ANDREHAB HERITAGE Travel to visit iconiclandmarks(such as stadiums or halls offame) Travel for elite training, recovery,oraltitude performancecamps $10billion 1millionpeople Valuation of high-performance trainingtourismsector Visit Camp Nou (FC Barcelona’sStadium)annually Source:Oliver Wymananalysis THE EXPERIENCE REVOLUTION IS RESHAPING SPORT ENGAGEMENT The rise in sport travel reflects a broader shift in how people experience sport. What beganas competition, and later entertainment, is now centered on experien