ICSS committed to sustainable development and environmental protection through sport

Massimiliano Montanari, Chief Executive of Qatar’s International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) has explained that sustainability is a key priority for the agency and that its Save the Dream initiative is committed to promote and protect core values of sport for the good of youth and the future.

Speaking to the Qatar News Agency, Montanari stated “sustainability means for us promoting long-term programmatic approaches rather than one-off projects while supporting initiatives which can continue over time through solid partnerships and the creation of self-sustainable eco-systems able to ensure proper resource mobilisation.

"It means working with multipliers and promoting as much as domino effects and multisectoral actions that can benefit sport as an industry and as system of values to be protected.

"Sport teaches sustainability. There are so many lessons we can learn from sport at all levels. Most of grassroots sports succeed (not just survive) since they are grounded on both well planned or in many cases spontaneous self-sustainable mechanisms where small sponsors, volunteers, communities, municipalities, and civil society work together to provide sport to youth.

"The same way that athletes are preparing and managing competitions, the way they utilize their energy provides us with important notions.”

Adding that messages about the environment are present in all ICSS initiatives, Montanari stated “we talk about it (environment) when we promote sustainability safety and security policies, when we promote ethics and integrity in sport or when we use sport and its values to empower and educate young people.

"Environment is always one of the key topics. We think about environment also in our daily activities. The items we procure, the water we drink.

"We give priority to zero-miles products, goods manufactured with recyclable materials and any other solution that can help us in delivering a better world to the future generations.”

Image: ICSS Chief Executive Massimiliano Montanari. Credit: Qatar News Agency.