Public and private sector sports providers need to work together and make sport fun in order to curb the increasing obesity crisis, says Sport England chair, Derek Mapp.

Speaking at the FIA Industry Summit, in the light of a recent survey predicting that 60 per cent of men and 40 per cent of women will be obese by 2050, Mapp said targets for levels of physical activity needed to be “tougher and stronger.”

Mapp suggested one solution to local government funding shortages could be the formation of “community sports hubs” with private and public facilities on the same site with common objectives. He also called for government departments to work together towards a solution, and also to team up with the commercial sector.