IOC names winners of 2024 Climate Action Awards

The International Hockey Federation has been named among the winners of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Climate Action Awards 2024, in recognition of its 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.

Other winners included Olympic rower Imogen Grant from Great Britain, Olympic beach volleyball player Lina Taylor from Bulgaria and the Swiss Olympic Committee while the Mauritius National Olympic Committee and the International Biathlon Union (IBU) were 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.

Commenting on the awards, IOC President Thomas Bach stated “as climate change accelerates, the Olympic Movement is accelerating its efforts to address it.

“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."

The four winners were selected from amongst the 15 finalists announced during the Olympic Games Paris 2024:

In the athlete category
Imogen Grant
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, Grant 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
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, Taylor 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.

In the NOC category
Swiss Olympic
Swiss Olympic reduced its 2023 greenhouse gas emissions by 66% compared to 2022, largely due to its decision to choose train rather than flights 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.

International Hockey Federation
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has reduced water usage by an estimated 60% 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% reduction of water use between London 2012 and Tokyo 2020, and what is estimated to have been a further 20% 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 program.

Welcoming the award, FIH President, Tayyab Ikram stated “we are extremely honoured and grateful to receive this very high distinction from the International Olympic Committee for the efforts to reduce the impact on the environment generated by the practice of our sport.

“Sport has a major role to play in building a better future for society and this includes protecting the environment.

“We are determined to be an important stakeholder in this area.”

In the Highly Commended category
Mauritius National Olympic Committee
The Mauritius National Olympic Committee has developed a comprehensive carbon footprint reduction plan focusing on travel and procurement, achieving a 40% 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% renewable energy and natural air ventilation instead of carbon-heavy air conditioning - the first of its kind in Mauritius.

International Biathlon Union
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%. 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.

Click here for more information about the IOC Climate Action Awards.

The Poligras Paris GT hockey surface used at the 2024 Paris Olympics was the subject of an article in Australasian Leisure Management issue 163. Click here to view the issue.

Images: The Poligras Paris GT hockey surface used at the 2024 Paris Olympics (top, credit: Polytan), award winner Imogen Grant (middle, credit: IOC) and award winner Swiss Olympic has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions through travelling by train rather than plane (below, credit: IOC).