The new measures could last six months and came as more than 100 sports bodies wrote to Prime Minster Boris Johnson to ask for emergency funding.

The letter, which had the support of organisations including the Football Association, Premier League, Rugby Football Union, Lawn Tennis Association, and England and Wales Cricket Board, warned of “a lost generation of activity” because of coronavirus.

It added: “Our sector will be at the forefront of your plans to improve the health and wellbeing of all communities…to solving societal issues…including reducing health inequalities, tackling obesity, cutting crime, easing loneliness, and enhancing social cohesion.”

While the economic effects of the pandemic on the sports industry are clear for all to see, the health and wellbeing of the nation and how future generations may suffer as a result is a fundamental concern.

In July, the UK government unveiled a new obesity strategy to urge people to ‘lose weight, beat Covid-19 and protect the NHS.’

The shocking statistics stated that almost two-thirds (63%) of adults in England are overweight or living with obesity – and one in three children leave primary school overweight or obese, with obesity-related illnesses costing the NHS £6 billion a year.

The NHS website adds that exercise can reduce the risk of major illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer by up to 50% and also lower the risk of early death by up to 30%.

As well as the increased physical health benefits associated with exercise, the impact of physical activity on mental health cannot be underestimated.

The Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK (FSEM) produced a guide looking at the role physical activity has in treating mental illness for health professionals, sports participants, schools, parents and carers.

The report claimed that ‘strong evidence exists showing a 20-30% reduction in depression in adults who participate in physical activity daily.’

It is no wonder then, that the public were encouraged to keep exercising once a day during the height of lockdown in the face of the continued spread of the virus.

Despite this, research by Rethink Mental Illness highlighted the impact of lockdown measures on the physical health of people living with severe mental illness.

When asked if they had experienced any other impacts other than those to their mental health during the crisis, over half (54%) of respondents to the survey from April and May said they had been exercising less than usual during lockdown.

Reasons for this included gyms and pools being closed, a fear of catching Covid-19, low motivation due to medication or low mood induced by the crisis.