The European Olympic Committees (EOC) Sustainability & Active Society Commission met to discuss the EOC Sustainability Strategy on the 11 October, ahead of the As Sustainable As Possible (ASAP) Forum in Prague, Czech Republic.

During the meeting, the commission reflected on the newly developed EOC Strategic Agenda 2030, which includes Sustainable Development as one of its Key Strategic Priorities. Aligned with the IOC Sustainability Strategy objectives, members of the commission emphasised the importance of utilising sport as a driver for sustainability.

Additionally, members of the commission talked about how the EOC could lead by example to promote sustainability and legacy objectives at sports events so that European National Olympic Committees (NOCs) can take note of learnings and support initiatives.

On the 12 October, the “ASAP Forum: Inspiring sustainability in sport” took place, as the flagship event of the ASAP project. Its main purpose was to inspire and motivate sport organisations to approach sustainability strategically and as an important opportunity for positive development and transformation.

“Through the ASAP project, the sports community have a tool to move from words to action. We need to get into delivery mode on sustainability,” said the Chair of the EOC Sustainability & Active Society Commission Berit Kjøll. “The project partners, led by the Czech NOC, have created a tool we will all gain from as we move forward. The ASAP project is a fantastic example of how cooperation and partnerships between sport organisations can become a true driving force in integrating sustainability into our movement,” she added.

The forum, which is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, started with presentations on:

• Future of sport: Seizing the opportunities of the Global Goals, by Rikke Rønholt Albertsen, Board Member of the National Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation of Denmark, PhD Fellow in Sustainability and EOC Sustainability & Active Society Commission member.
• Why should sport organisations approach sustainability as a strategic objective by International Olympic Committee’s senior sustainability manager, Julie Duffus.
• How to make it happen? ASAP project and its results by Jana Janotová, International Relations and ASAP Project Manager, Czech Olympic Committee and EOC Sustainability & Active Society Commission member.

Next on the agenda was a panel discussion on Strategic approach to sustainability in practice and following this were inspirational roundtables on topics including.

• Carbon footprint: travel and transport as a major challenge for sport.
• Leveraging the power of communications to drive sustainability in and through sport.
• Advancing sustainability together with commercial partners.
• Athletes and sport organisations: working together on reaching sustainability objectives.

Finally, Berit Kjøll ended the meeting with some rousing closing remarks to ensure delegates felt empowered to take action and engage in the delivery mode on sustainability within their organisations.

You can read more about the presentations from the ASAP Forum here.