BY AMUDA GBEMISOLA EUNICE
Olympic rower Imogen Grant from Great Britain, Olympic beach volleyball player Lina Taylor from Bulgaria, Swiss Olympic and the International Hockey Federation have been named the winners of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Climate Action Awards 2024, in recognition of their efforts to help address climate change and make the world of sport more sustainable.
Supported by Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner Deloitte, the IOC Climate Action Awards reward innovative projects from National Olympic Committees (NOCs), International Federations (IFs) and athletes that are aimed at reducing the environmental impact of sport while inspiring the wider Olympic Movement to take action.
In addition to the four winners, the Mauritius NOC and the International Biathlon Union (IBU) have been recognised in the “Highly Commended” category for the innovative nature of their efforts to reduce emissions.
The announcement was made by the IOC and Deloitte during Climate Week NYC – an annual event that brings together business leaders, decision-makers and civil society to drive action to address climate change.
“As climate change accelerates, the Olympic Movement is accelerating its efforts to address it,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “This year’s winners of the IOC Climate Action Awards show that the Olympic Movement is taking its responsibilities seriously: reducing our impact, while inspiring others to take action. We congratulate the winners for their innovative and impactful projects that are making the world of sport more sustainable. We hope these efforts inspire others – in sport and beyond – to join the collective effort to address one of the toughest challenges our world is facing today.”
“The path to a more sustainable future will be driven by innovative technologies and creative approaches, and Deloitte is proud to work with the National Olympic Committees, International Federations and athletes to support their efforts in furthering sustainable behaviour change at scale,” said Joe Ucuzoglu, Deloitte Global CEO. “As the supporting partner of the IOC Climate Action Awards, Deloitte congratulates and celebrates the 2024 winners, and those distinguished as highly commended, who are taking concrete measures to help address climate change within the Olympic Movement.”
The four winners were selected from amongst the 15 finalists announced during the Olympic Games Paris 2024:
Imogen Grant (rowing, Great Britain) was instrumental in the launch of the Clean Water Sport Alliance to improve river health and water quality. In addition, as part of the UK National Training Centre sustainability group, Imogen has helped introduce measures such as the composting of food waste, the recycling of plastic waste and the regular testing of water quality at the national training centre in Caversham. As an ambassador for the Rivers Trust , Imogen has also contributed to over 2,400 river surveys and inspired people to participate in water-testing campaigns and initiatives, which saw over 9,000 people join September’s “Big River Watch”. She has spoken at a number of events across the UK to raise awareness and educate athletes on sustainability.
Lina Taylor (beach volleyball, Bulgaria) is using her background as a scientist, Olympian and coach to help address climate change. Through her Climate Executive Coaching non-profit, Lina is helping accelerate climate action through science-based climate education, professional coaching and collaboration with professionals from government, corporations and NGOs. In just two years, Lina has worked with over 2,000 people in 30 countries and across 60 organisations. Lina is also supporting fellow athletes and NOCs, coaching them individually on climate solutions.
Swiss Olympic reduced its 2023 greenhouse gas emissions by 66 per cent compared to 2022, largely due to the fact that it chose train over plane for Games-related travel in Europe. In addition, the NOC is focusing on providing funds to its national federations and their clubs, and partner organisations, through the “Swiss Olympic Climate Fund” to support their carbon-reduction efforts. For example, the NOC has contributed to the funding of a heat pump system for a 50-year-old swimming pool in Frauenfeld, Thurgau, which has the potential to save 500 tons of CO2 annually. The Swiss Olympic Climate Fund has also helped fund an electric bus for the Ticino Group of Blind and Visually Impaired Athletes. Moving forward, the NOC is aiming to support 100 other projects across all its member and partner organisations, leading to a long-term plan of reducing emissions across all sports within Switzerland in areas such as energy, athlete mobility and construction.
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has reduced water usage by an estimated 60 per cent since 2012 through the development of innovative “Dry Turf” technology, which reduces the amount of water needed for elite hockey pitches. This new technology has already led to a 40 per cent reduction of water use between London 2012 and Tokyo 2020, and what is estimated to have been a further 20 per cent reduction for Paris 2024. The ultimate aim is to replace the 2,000 or so water-based artificial hockey pitches globally with dry turfs, saving approximately 7.6 billion litres of water per year. The FIH is also developing other innovative solutions, including “self-wetting balls”, which release water at the point of contact between the ball, the surface and the stick, to enable the sport to be played at the highest level on dry turf. The project is part of the FIH’s wide-ranging sustainability strategy and comprehensive carbon reduction and mitigation plan, which includes the first-ever carbon-zero artificial turf, inaugurated at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, and the global “Give Back to Forest” tree-planting programme.
The Mauritius National Olympic Committee has developed a comprehensive carbon footprint reduction plan focusing on travel and procurement, achieving a 40 per cent reduction in 2023 from its 2022 baseline. Key initiatives include a local community-based project which has encouraged around 50,000 people to switch from plastic bottles to glass bottles in order to reduce plastic waste, and the design of a “bioclimatic gym” that uses sustainably sourced PEFC-certified wood, a self-sufficient waste system, climate-resilient architecture and 100 per cent renewable energy and natural air ventilation instead of carbon-heavy air conditioning – the first of its kind in Mauritius.
The International Biathlon Union (IBU) has been working with TV broadcasters, in collaboration with the European Broadcasting Union, to measure their carbon footprint during the 2023/24 World Cup season and identify initiatives they can implement to reduce emissions in the future, with the aim of providing learnings for other sports. The IBU is the first Olympic IF that has looked at systematically reducing its major events’ broadcasting emissions – an area that is often deemed difficult to address. The project is part of the IBU’s comprehensive sustainability strategy, which includes a commitment to reduce the sport’s climate impact by 50 per cent. The strategy takes into account the IBU’s own activities, but also IBU events and the activities of member federations, partners, sponsors, media and fans.
The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit, civil, non-governmental, international organisation made up of volunteers which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of USD 4.2 million goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.
