Christmas marks a time of year when diet and exercise habits can fall by the wayside, often replaced by excessive eating and drinking. Celebrations and events get in the way of those regular runs, staff holidays halt gym classes and even everyday activity such as walking sometimes tail off.

The wider health implications of lockdown are becoming increasingly understood. The Chief Medical officer Professor Chris Whitty, said when questioned about the impact of lockdown 2.0, “there are no good solutions. All the solutions are bad”. Countries and regions across Europe have approached lockdowns with different levels of severity. While gyms have been asked to close in England, it has been striking that the health authorities have repeatedly pushed the importance of exercise and continued to champion its benefits, allowing people to leave their homes to maintain some level of activity.

The current health pandemic has focused many minds on protecting themselves, their families, their neighbours and for those serving in government, their country. At an individual level, everyone has been called to play their part. The advice issued here in the UK, as with much of the world centres around social distancing in order to “flatten the curve”. It is hoped this will reduce the speed of viral spread so our health system is able to protect those most vulnerable.

Handshaking hit the Premier League headlines this weekend. A number of managers told the media that players have been instructed to stop shaking hands in light of continued concern about coronavirus.

In October 2019, Eluid Kipchoge will attempt to break one of the great barriers in men’s athletics, the two-hour marathon. Supported by INEOS, Kipchoge plans to better his time of 2:00:25 set during the Nike Breaking 2.0 project in May 2017.

The proven benefits of an active lifestyle are many and varied. Those who maintain an active lifestyle continually report physical, mental and emotional advantages compared with matched groups of less active individuals. Conversely links between sedentary lifestyles and illness are overwhelming with obesity and diabetes now at the heart of public health messaging.

Beer companies have a long history of sports sponsorship. Beer remains a fixture within the top ten spending categories across the sponsorship industry. Major deals exist across high profile sporting properties such as the Football, Basketball and Rugby World Cups, which are synonymous with hospitality and fan engagement programmes.