by Thomas Cuckston, University of Birmingham

For the 2024 Games in Paris, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) asked all Olympic sports to develop sustainability strategies. Sustainability, it said, was central to the Olympic movement. But some sports have not responded at all, and there is a large gap between the best and worst performers.

Colleagues and I from the University of Birmingham’s Centre for Responsible Business analysed the published sustainability strategies of the 34 international federations that together govern all permanent Olympic sports.

Our aim in examining these publicly available strategy documents was not to assess a sport’s current sustainability measures, such as carbon emissions, but to evaluate the level of commitment and ambition of each international federation. The documents give us a sense of the future direction of each sport.

We gave each strategy a quality rating: gold, silver, bronze or DNF (did not finish). This gave us a sustainability ranking of Olympic sports.

Our analysis took into account several factors. For example, we looked at whether sustainability-relevant topics were addressed, such as climate change, nature and human rights. We looked at whether the strategies had measurable targets (for example on carbon emissions or recycling) and a commitment to reporting on progress. And we looked at whether sustainability was included in the overall strategic vision for the sport.

Olympic Sports: Sustainability Strategy Ranking

Of the 34 Olympic sports, only seven achieved a “gold” rating, demonstrating clear leadership within the Olympic Movement. These were: athletics, biathlon, hockey, rugby, sailing, speed skating and skiing/snowboarding.

Twelve sports received a DNF rating, including tennis, basketball and gymnastics. These sports organizations have provided little public evidence of their commitment to sustainability.

What they do well

What do the seven sports leading this race have in common? They have all developed sustainability strategies that apply not only to their own business operations (their headquarters, suppliers and staff), and not even just to the sporting events they host (such as the Olympic Games and World Championships), but also to the global family of sports participants and spectators.

It is this third sphere of influence that makes sport such a potentially powerful force for advancing sustainability, inspiring millions of people around the world to take action.

Sustainability becomes more meaningful to people when they can see how planetary challenges impact the sports they are passionate about. Examples include:

• World Athletics has partnered with the United Nations Environment Programme to campaign on clean air. Air quality is important to athletic performance. World Athletics certified tracks are required to work with local governments to set and monitor clean air targets. In this way, athletics can be used as a lever to improve the health and lives of local communities.

• The sustainability strategies for biathlon (a sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting) and speed skating both emphasise their reliance on snow and ice, and therefore (for outdoor versions of these sports) on cold winter climates. Athletes are acutely aware of the effects that climate change is having on the viability of their sports. Both sports have set ambitious carbon reduction targets as a way to raise awareness and inspire wider action on climate change.
• Rugby is hugely popular in a number of low-lying Pacific island nations, including Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. Given the vulnerability of these countries to climate change, World Rugby became one of the first sports to sign up to the UN’s Sports for Climate Action initiative.

• Sailing is a sport that depends on the world’s waters. World Sailing sees protecting these waters as part of its organizational mission. Its sustainability strategy includes adapting technical standards and equipment regulations to reduce waste, hazardous chemicals, and pollution.

While some sports are showing impressive leadership, others are lagging behind. Some are showing no sign of commitment to sustainability. Some lack ambition and limit their sustainability strategies to small-scale efforts focused only on their own corporate offices, such as encouraging employees to use less paper or cycle to work. While such actions are credible, they are a missed opportunity. Billions of people are watching the Olympic Games in Paris. Those who govern our sports have a major responsibility to use this incredible platform wisely.

Thomas Cuckston, professor of accounting and ecology, University of Birmingham

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Published by Laura B.

I am a licensed librarian with over 30 years of experience as an environmental information professional. I am currently the Sustainability Information Curator for the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center and also manage the center’s strategic communications. View all posts by Laura B.