Substantial evidence shows that regular participation in physical activity reduces chronic disease risk and promotes well-being and quality of life, yet many people are insufficiently active to reap these benefits. Encouraging participation in sport represents one way to increase physical activity levels in the population. In this chapter, we summarise the evidence linking sports participation and physical activity levels and outline characteristics of sports activities and programmes that are conducive to increased physical activity. In addition, we examine the links between sport and health promotion and provide suggestions for effective strategies and policy actions to optimise the health promoting potential of sport in a variety of settings.