RIVM is also actively involved in international networks and consortia, which enables us to keep abreast of the latest knowledge and developments in the field. In this way, RIVM contributes to the development and validation of effective sports and physical activity policies. This page provides you with information on our activities.

Assignment RIVM

The Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport has appointed RIVM to maintain and further develop a set of key indicators for monitoring sports and physical activity. The “Key Indicators” provide an overview of the current state of sports and physical activity in the Netherlands, allowing changes/developments within the indicator to be tracked over time. Quality, comparability, and continuity are essential in this context. Data on the key indicators are collected by several institutes that together form a collaborative network coordinated by RIVM. Facts and figures concerning the key indicators can be found on Sportenbewegenincijfers’ website and are regularly updated.

The Key Indicators Sport and Physical Activity factsheet provides a concise summary of the latest figures, trends, and data sources.

International collaboration

In response to the Council Recommendation of 26 November 2013 on promoting health-enhancing physical activity across sectors, RIVM serves as the HEPA (Health- Enhancing Physical Activity) focal point for the European Commission on behalf of the Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sport. RIVM is also actively involved in the HEPA Europe network through participation in several of its working groups. The two working groups most closely related to our work are the working group on monitoring and surveillance of physical activity and the working group on policy approaches to physical activity. Dr (Doctor). Wanda Wendel-Vos is a member of the steering committee of HEPA. Furthermore, RIVM hosts three WHO Collaborating Centres (WHOCCs) relevant to the topic of physical activity: the WHOCC for Nutrition, the WHOCC on Life Course and Health and the WHOCC on Behavioural Science for Health Emergency Preparedness and Resilience.

RIVM is the primary contact for the Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) is a worldwide network that monitors and promotes physical activity through research, policy and surveillance. Lastly, Dr. Barbara Snoeker is a member of the WHO working group on Monitoring and Surveillance of Physical Activity.

RIVM delivers presentations and pitches at several conferences, including: Health- Enhancing Physical Activity Europe Conference (HEPA), International Society for Physical Activity and Health Congress (ISPAH), Sports Research Day (Dutch: Dag van Sportonderzoek, DSO) and the European Public Health Conference (EPH). See publications for a list of recently accepted abstracts.

In November 2025, RIVM hosted the international WHO 4th Expert Meeting on physical measurement and the integration of wearable technology into population health monitoring systems. We welcomed experts on this topic from all over the world. A WHO report was published in 2026 (Integrating wearable technology into population health monitoring systems for physical activity measurement: meeting report, Utrecht, The Netherlands, 25-27 November 2025).

Additional information on the role of RIVM internationally can be found on our RIVM international website and on our RIVM international Linkedin page.

For questions and future collaborations contact us at sportenbewegen@rivm.nl.