Sport generates billions for Swiss economy, study finds

Nick Puentner from Switzerland took part in the men's snowboard big air event at the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games, in Leysin, Switzerland on January 22, 2020 Keystone / Valentin Flauraud

Sports-related activities are worth CHF22.2 billion ($22.8 billion) a year to the Swiss economy, a national report has revealed. 

Overall, sport accounts for 1.7% of Swiss gross domestic product (GDP), according to a report External linkby the Federal Office of Sport released on Tuesday which uses 2017 figures. This is comparable to the machine tools or metal products sectors.

Switzerland’s sports sector employs 97,900 people (full-time positions), or 2.4% of all jobs in the country.

Since 2005, turnover in the sports sector has increased by 41%, the report said. Some 11,000 jobs were created over a 12-year period. 

Sports facilities generated the biggest added value (23%) to the economy, followed by individual clubs and federations (19%) and sports tourism (18%). Sports-related services have also expanded since 2005 from 8% to 11% of annual turnover.

The growth is partly due to major international sports competitions organised in Switzerland, such as the European Athletics Championships in 2014, or the FIS Alpine World Cup Ski Championships 2017.

The 2020 Youth Winter Olympic Games are expected to generate additional revenues this year. The Youth Olympics took place from January 9-22 in Lausanne and at seven other locations in three cantons, as well as at Les Tuffes over the border in France. It brought together a record 1,872 athletes aged 15-18 from 79 countries. Some 640,000 spectators followed the Games, according to Olympic officials.