Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sports industry

Sport is an important enabler of sustainable development and a cost-effective and flexible tool for development goals. International sports organizations such as International Olympic Committee and national or international sports federations play a significant role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For this, they take extensive and fundamental activities in joint with other international organizations such as the United Nations. But the global outbreak of the COVID-19 virus as the most important crisis of the present era had a profound effect on the performance of sports industry and its contribution to sustainable development. This chapter discusses the role of sport in sustainable development and the achievement of its goals through sport, and also discusses the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on how sport works and changes in the actions of sports organizations to help sustainable development during the pandemic.