Harm Tegelaars, the recently appointed president of the European Health & Fitness Association (EHFA), has called for European Union (EU) support to enable the fitness industry to contribute in the continent-wide fight against obesity.

Tegelaars claimed that while other sectors, such as the food industry – which he said could be “partly blamed for the problem” – receive subsidies from the European Union, the health and fitness industry is being overlooked when funding is decided upon.

He said: “We know Brussels has earmarked a multi-million euro budget to address the community’s public health issue. The great irony is that the food industry receives around 43bn euro while we, a sector with the skills, the resources and the capability to help solve the problem, have not yet received any support.”

Tegelaars also rued the missed chance of getting the industry involved in a free advertising campaign, which aims to make Europeans more active.

Launched in partnership between the EU and the European football body UEFA, the TV advertising campaign will be screened during the half-time break of this season’s televised Champions League football games.

It is expected that around 80-100 million viewers will see the advert, which aims to encourage people to make physical activity part of their daily lives.

“The strategy is absolutely perfect; broadcast an amusing advert which parodies the irony of overweight, sedentary men watching some of the fittest men in Europe playing football,” said Tegelaars.

“But the question is, where is the joined up thinking, what is the real call to action? The (health and fitness) industry should be working with the EU and persuade them that we should have been at the table to provide that call to action.”

The EHFA represents around 40,000 health and fitness clubs and sites across the continent, and it is estimated that the industry currently employes more than 370,000 people.