We created the event to "shake, shape and share" the future; to accelerate change in a sports economy fast approaching a tipping point, as the forces of digital transformation and the lifestyles, values and expectations of a new generation were starting to expose fundamental cracks in the global model of sport.

If there was a conclusion, it was that sport's future lay at the intersection of business and society, at the heart of the new economy of purpose.

The last words on stage were spoken by Max-Patrick from Cameroon, one of our 50 international Young Sports Makers. 

"Are you ready to change now?" was his challenge to the 2,000 sports, business and society leaders attending from around the world.

Ready or not, we have all changed now.

The shock has been enormous. But for all the damage, it creates the conditions to move faster and further than we ever thought possible.

Suddenly, our imagination is no longer constrained by assumptions about what the future will look like. In uncertainty, a thousand blogs, podcasts and webinars have speculated, argued and set out bold visions for the future of sport.

These past few months have been a time to think big. The next few months will be the time to put big ideas into action.

It's what we will do when Global Sports Week returns for its second edition between February 1 and 5, 2021.

We're bringing a new format for a new era – connecting continental hubs in Tokyo, Beijing, Dakar, Los Angeles and Milan with our central base at the new GSW House in Paris.

We think this first multi-country sports forum – with its mix of physical and virtual events – can be a new model.

Most of all, we want to be a platform to shape this new era in sport and society.

Our agenda will build on what we discussed during the first edition at the Louvre. In many cases, the crisis has only accelerated existing forces of change.

The power shift towards athletes is growing, for example, with new evidence of the strength of their media platforms and positive social reach.

With the data shift, we see the fast-tracking of augmented, virtual and mixed reality solutions to enhance fan engagement as sport returns to empty stadiums.

Many believe the climate movement will also benefit from a new emphasis on social responsibility and new awareness of the scope for intervention.

If there is one new fundamental, it is clearly the emergence of health as a crucial dimension in the future of sport.

The perception of sport's place in Maslow's hierarchy has shifted from top to bottom. We see more clearly that sport is both a primary human need and a solution to the biggest challenge facing global society and the global economy.

As a movement, sport must seize this opportunity for greater alignment with the health agenda. It is a once-in-a-century chance to strengthen our influence in the world.

It was notable this week that the International Olympic Committee marked Olympic Day with its #HEALTHYTogether initiative and the announcement of a new partnership with the World Health Organization.

In France, the Minister of Sport Roxana Maracineanu has been a pioneer of the sport-for-health revolution, working in partnership with the Ministry of Health to provide medically prescribed sports activities through a network of dedicated facilities.

The opportunity for sports federations and rights-holders is to better integrate fan engagement and grassroots participation products, thinking especially about new digital tools and the role of top athletes in driving this virtuous cycle. 

Brands will also see benefits from shifting sports investment towards the grassroots in this new age of conscious capitalism. We can expect to see more sponsor activation focused on health and physical activity. In this scenario, women's sports are well placed to continue closing the gender gap.

As with everything, success will increasingly depend on our willingness to work across sectors and international boundaries.

The six hub cities of Global Sports Week have a particular role to play, with the responsibility and influence that comes from their status as future Olympic hosts.

We believe it is important to take the debate to the places where the future of sport will happen; to offer a bridge between them and out to the wider world.

It's time to put reinvention in action. We must not be afraid of change.