Futurology Focus

I was really fortunate yesterday to be able to spend time listening to a presentation by Robin Mannings, Chief Researcher and Futurologist for BT Innovate. In his presentation, Mannings set out his predictions for the long-term challenges that he thinks we are all facing. Given the pervasiveness of these challenges, they will inevitably impact upon sport and it would therefore seem worthwhile summarising them to promote consideration of just exactly how sport will be affected:

• Financial chaos: it was stated that, with current UK debt levels running at 300% of GDP and with other countries also suffering similar debt crises, the economic problems of the last two years are a slow-burner that will continue to cause further, future, possibly even more serious, problems;
• Global pandemics: with bird flu and now swine flu thought to be posing a danger to human health, and with global mobility ever increasing, the threat level of virulent viruses will remain high;
• Extreme weather: there was no debate here; weather patterns are changing, the climate is definitely changing, and the climate problems we are therefore likely to face will intensify leading us into a need to radically address both how we consume/produce, and how we respond to the difficulties we will inevitably face;
• Energy demand: a specific issue about the use of current use of unsustainable sources of energy that one can nevertheless extrapolate from into a more general discussion about future competition for resources and space, allied to the likelihood of major human security worries;
• Demographic shifts: larger populations, ageing populations, more mobile populations, sedentary lifestyles; all will cause major headaches for governments, for the financial system, for health care providers et al.

Hence, the important questions would seem to be: how will each of these mega-issues impact upon sport, how will sport respond and what will sport therefore look like in 50, or even 25, years time?