There’s a quiet crisis growing right in front of us, and chances are it’s affecting someone you know. But before you think this is just another gloomy stat, here’s the twist: a global sports icon is stepping in with a powerful mission that brings both urgency and hope. It’s not just about raising awareness… it’s about real change and a new story for the next generation. And this story starts with a hard question that Lakers legend Pau Gasol is boldly asking: “Why is the life expectancy of children born today lower than that of their parents for the first time in history?”
Pau Gasol, two-time NBA champion and longtime UNICEF ambassador, has been UNICEF’s Global Champion for Nutrition and Zero Childhood Obesity since July 2019. But he’s not stopping there. On May 26th, Gasol is front and center in a new documentary titled “Child Obesity: The Neglected Pandemic,” airing on Movistar Plus+. In the film, the kids, analysts, and Pau Gasol himself open up in Spanish: “It had a question to ask… Burgers, Chinese food… Have we lost healthy and sustainable eating? He caught addiction… ketchup. You go into that negative spiral, your self-esteem keeps going down. He didn’t want his body. He hated his body. The sedentary life that causes being hooked… Bullying discriminates against children with depression, socially isolated children. The time to act is overwhelming.”
The documentary isn’t just an emotional watch, it’s a wake-up call. Gasol’s Instagram post promoting the premiere reads: “Why would the life expectancy of children born today be lower than that of their parents? On May 26th on Movistar Plus+, we premiere ‘Child Obesity: The Neglected Pandemic’ .” With over 40 million children under five overweight, and millions more suffering from malnutrition, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore stated, “The burden of child malnutrition around the world is unacceptably high… We are delighted to welcome Pau to UNICEF to help shine a light on this invisible emergency.”
Gasol’s passion is clear: “Far too many children are not getting the nutrition they need to grow well,” he says. “If children don’t get the right nutrients, their bodies and brains cannot be expected to perform well in school, in sports, and as they grow.” Through this new project, he’s not just aiming to reduce numbers. He’s aiming to change lives.
Pau Gasol has been in the forefront of the new project ever since retirement. In 20o3, he partnered with UNICEF for the first time and since then he has been actively involved in UNICEF’s work, particularly in areas like nutrition, education, child protection, and humanitarian aid. Now. with his foundation, he is taking steps to ensure no mother loses her child due to obesity.
Fight Against Child Obesity by Pau Gasol and UNICEF
For Pau Gasol, this fight didn’t start today. “I first got involved with UNICEF in 2003 when I realized that my success as a basketball player could be beneficial in ways that I didn’t imagine before,” he shared. Since then, he’s traveled to places like Ethiopia, Chad, and Angola to meet children and support UNICEF’s work in nutrition and education. “What better organization to do that with than UNICEF?” he added.
In 2013, Pau Gasol and his brother Marc founded the Gasol Foundation to promote healthy habits and reduce childhood obesity. “We know the vital role a child’s health plays in their overall development and want to empower all children to live healthier lives,” Pau Gasol explained. Their work, active in US and Spain, focuses on four pillars: healthy eating, physical activity, sleep, and emotional well-being.
Gasol believes the problem is not just food. “It’s not just diet, right? It’s also about how much you exercise, how well you sleep, and how you feel,” he says in the documentary. He points to a modern world that’s made kids more sedentary, more distracted, and more stressed. “Children are getting more and more sedentary. They’re more distracted and stressed by the overload of information that technology brings.”
The solution, he says, has to come from all directions. “Tackling childhood obesity takes a huge, coordinated effort,” Gasol insists. “It requires a commitment and involvement at all levels of government, schools, media, health care professionals, the food industry and also community programs.” For Pau Gasol, it’s more than a campaign—it’s a lifelong commitment. “I’m working with UNICEF to make sure every child has access to good nutrition, so they can grow up healthy and strong.”
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