The World Health Organisation (WHO) has collaborated with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the French government to ensure a healthy and safe Paris Olympics.

The Games will begin on July 26 (11 PM IST) and the World Health Organisation is promoting physical activity in the country.

“From promoting physical activity to protecting people from a variety of health threats, WHO is proud to play its part in making the Paris Olympics a success,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization.

WHO and the IOC have launched the “Let’s Move” physical activity campaign. The initiative leverages the power of sport and the platform of the Paris Olympics to inspire athletes and the global public to engage in physical activity for better health.

In support of this campaign, the French government has implemented a program encouraging 30 minutes of physical activity per day for school students, in order to leave a lasting, healthy legacy from the Paris Olympics.

Health protection experts from the World Health Organisation’s Geneva headquarters and the European Regional Office in Copenhagen are actively supporting national and regional authorities to protect health during the planning and implementation of the Games.

This includes preparing for potential health hazards such as heat waves, infectious disease outbreaks, food and water security threats, terrorism, and crowd management.

Joint public health advice has been developed in collaboration with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and France for travellers attending the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, which start on 28 August.

This guidance includes advice on necessary vaccines, protection against respiratory illnesses and mosquito-borne diseases, and staying cool and hydrated.

WHO has participated in the practice exercises for the Paris 2024 Olympics to test public health plans. They have set up special health surveillance for the event and are preparing daily reports with the ECDC.

These reports help identify early signs of health problems and ensure rapid response, providing vital information to the IOC and other partners.

The World Health Organization (WHO) aims to support countries to improve diets, promote physical activity, and provide services to diagnose and manage obesity, with the aim of reducing the prevalence of obesity to 5% in target countries by 2030.

For the first time, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the Sports Ministry have sent a team of mental health experts, who are part of the medical team accompanying the athletes to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, to ensure that the mental health of the players is taken care of.