GAMES project kicks off with two environmental audits

Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, the project’s technical partner, also conducts literature review of sport and carbon management reports, guides and documents

The aim of the GAMES (Green Approaches in Management for Enhancing Sport) project is to raise awareness and increase the adoption of climate change mitigation practices by key sports actors in order to improve sustainability at sports events.

A final report demonstrating a number of recommendations to decarbonise sporting events is the main deliverable (find out about the five main aims of the project here). Over a three-year period, with the support of GAMES’s sports partners, the project’s technical partner, the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, will oversee a number of activities to help shape those recommendations.

Through regular updates via the GAMES website, we will showcase those activities.

Highlights: Months 1-6

The Erasmus+ funded GAMES project kicked off in June 2022 at the headquarters of the International Biathlon Union in Salzburg, Austria. During the meeting, each of the partners presented their own organisations – including their existing work around environmental sustainability and decarbonisation – and the project goals and deliverables were presented by technical partner, the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies.

Through this meeting an assessment of the decarbonisation potential of the participating sports organisations commenced, as well as defining goals around dissemination and awareness raising.

One of the first pieces of work that was undertaken by all project partners, led by Sant’Anna, was a literature review of reports, guides and documents related to carbon management and reduction in sport (the full report will be published on the GAMES website in the coming weeks).

This was followed up by our first two environmental audits – both occurring in the Swiss city of Zürich.

The first site visit and audit took place at the World Athletics Diamond League meet on 7/8 September 2022. Day 1 of the event, organised by Weltklasse Zürich, took place on the city’s Sechläutenplatz, where anyone walking around the area could watch world-class athletes compete in the shot put, pole vault and high jump. 

On Day 2, the action returned to the more formal setting of Letzigrund Stadium, shortly after a panel session titled ‘Sustainability: Is athletics on track?’ was hosted. Tiberio Daddi (Sant’Anna), Seb Coe (World Athletics) and Matthew Campelli (Touchline) represented the GAMES partners on the panel.

The full environmental audit of the event, conducted by Sant’Anna, will be published on the GAMES website in the coming weeks, as will the environmental audit for the Men’s World Floorball Championships 2022 (5-13 November).

Both environmental audits including the on-site identification of good practices and improvement opportunities in the following areas:

• Mobility of supporters, athletes and staff
• Waste management
• Water management
• Energy management
• Use of materials
• Food and beverage activities
• Environmental governance actions

A similar audit will take place early next month at the Biathlon World Championships in Oberhof, Germany. During this auditing period, Tiberio Daddi, Matthew Campelli and Max Cobb and Olle Dahlin (secretary general and president of the IBU respectively) will participate in an IBU Sustainability Seminar titled ‘From energy efficiency to long-term decarbonisation.’

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