Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm very pleased to be able to present this report from our committee to the Assembly today, and in doing so, I want to begin by thanking the witnesses who've given us evidence and of course the committee staff who serve our committee exceptionally well.

Sport, as I'm sure we all agree, is a vital part of our life in our nation, from international level to elite professional sport to community sport and to physical activity that doesn't really fall into the sporting category. I know that it's very close to the hearts of many of us in this Chamber. Laura Anne Jones reminded us again earlier in our deliberations today of how very passionate, for example, Mohammad Asghar was about his cricket.

The immediate impact of the crisis on sport has been devastating—'catastrophic' was the word that witnesses used. Immediately, a total shutdown. And the £8.5 million made available straight away—repurposed funds—by Sport Wales was indeed very welcome. It has made a huge difference—this is what we were told—but there is, of course, now the issue for longer term support.

We heard during our evidence sessions that not all of those working in the sector had been able to be supported, either by UK Government or by Welsh Government schemes, and the examples given were individuals like self-employed instructors and coaches. That's why we've recommended that Welsh Government should intervene to ensure that all of those working in the sector are eligible for an element of financial support. It is crucial that we retain that human infrastructure. I have been hearing over recent days that the Government's original proposed hardship bursary, which was targeting particularly self-employed people who hadn't yet been helped, may be in doubt. And today, I would like to urge the Deputy Minister to have some further discussion with colleagues to ensure that, if that scheme does not go ahead, there are alternatives for those people working in the sporting sector.

Members will be aware, of course, that, in response partly to austerity, some of our local authorities have created leisure trusts to run their sporting and leisure facilities. We heard during our evidence sessions that these trusts now face particular difficulties. They have, of course, no income and this will only get worse once the furlough scheme starts to taper off. That's why we've recommended that Welsh Government should work with local authorities to consider the support that might be needed to be made available to leisure trusts and to be prepared to extend some necessary public support. It is, of course, true that those leisure facilities that remain in local government hands can have a certain amount of cross-subsidy from other parts of the local authority; the independent trusts, of course, cannot. We can't afford to lose these vital community facilities.

We heard that there had been equality impacts in participation in sport and in the way that sporting clubs and organisations were affected by the crisis. We heard, for example, that women's football has been disproportionately impacted when compared to the men's game. We also heard that, whilst some people have engaged in more physical activity during the lockdown, others have been doing less. People from higher socioeconomic backgrounds tending to do more than they would've done before the crisis and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, in fact, many of them doing less. This is why we have recommended that the Welsh Government's recovery plan and financial support for the sector should tackle the widening gap in physical inactivity between groups, and that Sport Wales's financial support should be focused on those organisations facing the biggest challenges as we go forward.

But there are also opportunities. The very fact that all the Governments in these islands prioritised exercise by permitting an hour a day out of the house all the way through the lockdown and at the height of the crisis sends a very clear message about the importance of physical activity. Now we must build on this, which is why we have recommended that Welsh Government lead conversations with representatives from the health and the sports and physical activity sectors to set a long-term, joined-up policy direction for physical activity and public health. And it is vital that this long-term policy direction tackles those inequalities to which I have earlier referred.

We have seen the beginning of the return to elite sport behind closed doors, and that has been, of course, very welcome. And, clearly, it is not time yet for the return of crowds, and we received no evidence from the sector suggesting that they wish to push the process faster than was safe for their audiences. However, witnesses did tell us that the sector needs time to prepare for the point when they will be able to welcome their audiences back and that they need more clarity. So, for example, the Football Association of Wales told us that they need a clearer definition from Welsh Government about what constitutes a large crowd, and they made the point that a large crowd in one size of a stadium would be a very small crowd in another. So, for these reasons, we have recommended that Welsh Government should issue guidance on mass gatherings for sporting events, developing this in collaboration with the sport governing bodies and facility providers, and that they should develop this guidance as soon as possible to enable sporting venues to prepare for when audiences may be able to return.

Dirprwy Lywydd, sport and physical activity are central to our health and well-being as individuals, as communities and as a nation. The sector at this time—and I know the Deputy Minister is well aware of this—is very vulnerable in a number of ways. Leadership is vital if this important sector is to be protected. I commend our report to the Senedd, and I look forward to Members' contributions to this debate.