Sports sector fights its corner
Turnover in the sports sector in Switzerland rose from SFr15.6 billion ($16.5 billion) to SFr17.8 billion in the most recently studied three-year period.
However, this increase of 14 per cent between 2005 and 2008 was less than that of the economy in general, which grew by 17 per cent, the sports ministry said in a statement.
At the same time the number of people employed in the sector went up eight per cent from 82,320 to 88,650.
The gross value added (GVA) – a measure of the value of goods and services produced in an industry or sector of an economy – rose from SFr8.1 billion to SFr9.1 billion over the same period.
In 2008, sport contributed a total of 1.7 per cent to Switzerland’s gross domestic product, down from 1.8 per cent three years previously. It was thus comparable with the food industry or the processed metal sector, the ministry said.
The largest part of the GVA was made up by sports tourism (24 per cent) and sports facilities (22 per cent).
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