Sport & Sustainability

The world of sports is evolving rapidly and recovering from the devastating impact of the current health pandemic. Sports organizations at all levels and their respective sports events have to redefine their operational and business models to continue to engage players, sponsors, fans, and other stakeholders. There is a mutual dependency between climate change, health, and sport, but the potential impact of sport goes much beyond the field of play. Sports organizations, fans, and those working in sport, and in particular athletes, have an enormous potential to accelerate systemic change in society to foster and encourage inclusion, healthy lifestyles, climate action, and collaboration.

Sustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainability is a holistic concept that includes ensuring the needs of people, the planet, and profit, also referred to as Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG). A sustainable sports program, including a sports event, needs to incorporate all three elements.

The purpose of this course is to learn how to understand and approach sustainability in sport, and how to get started with your own sustainable sports action plan, whether this is in designing a program, strategy, or initiative. Additionally, you will learn how to develop new policies, strategies, and actionable plans to build resilience and develop sustainable and profitable business models for your sports organization.