European National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and European athletes have received nine nominations in the inaugural International Olympic Committee (IOC) Climate Action awards.
The awards have been introduced to celebrate athletes, NOCs and International Federations in the Olympic Movement who are taking tangible steps to tackle the climate crisis.
More than 70 applications were received from across three award categories – sustainable travel, innovation and athlete advocacy – with five of the 11 athletes nominated from Europe and four of the six NOCs.
Both the Swiss and Spanish NOCs have received two nominations, highlighting their commitment to taking action against climate change, as has Great Britian fencer Marcus Mepstead.
The Sustainable Travel Award recognises innovative action and advocacy to travel more sustainably within the sports calendar, with the IOC saying that all stakeholders showcased remarkable efforts in this field.
The Swiss NOC have been nominated for travelling to the Winter European Youth Olympic Festival Fruili Venezia Giulia 2023 by coach and minibus, rather than flying, with the Spanish NOC for promoting sustainable mobility by using electric and hybrid vehicle and prioritising the use of trains for domestic staff travel.
In the athlete section of this award, Hungarian alpine skier Marton Kekesi has been nominated for recognising the impact of his travel schedule and taking steps to reduce his carbon footprint, while fencer Mepstead is recognised for advocating climate action through an Environmental Sustainability Athlete Group and for his work as an Ambassador for the Trees for the Future charity.
The next category is the Innovation Award, which focuses on how innovation and education drives climate action and on creative and innovative solutions that have been demonstrated by athletes, IFs and NOCs.
The Spanish NOC are again recognised in this category for working to develop a climate mitigation programme using seagrass and marine reforestation, following the successful launch of the Spanish Olympic Forest. They are joined by the Swiss NOC, who launched the Swiss Olympic Climate Fund, which is an innovative carbon mitigation scheme for their country’s sporting system.
Bulgarian beach volleyball player Lina Taylor launched a non-profit organisation called Climate Executive Coaching, which supports climate and sustainability leaders through science-based training and solution-focused professional coaching, and is the lone European athlete in this category.
Two of the four nominees in the Athletes Advocacy section are from Europe, with Mepstead again recognised, this time for driving the development of fencing equipment made from recycled ocean plastic and for advocating climate action through his role as an ambassador for Trees for the Future and as a member of an Environmental Sustainability Athlete Group.
Fellow Great British athlete James Farndale, a rugby sevens player, is included for his work with Athletes of the World – a non-profit that inspires athletes to become climate leaders, where he has engaged in panels, participated in podcasts and used his platform to educate others.
The EOC congratulates all European NOCs and athletes who have been shortlisted for these prestigious awards, with the winners to be announced prior to the International Athletes’ Forum taking place in Lausanne on 1 and 2 October 2023.
Chair of the EOC Sustainability and Active Society Commission Berit Kjoll said: “Congratulations to all International Federations, National Olympic Committees and athletes shortlisted for the inaugural Climate Action Awards, and a special congratulations to those from Europe.
“In recent weeks we have seen the impact that climate change is having on the world, and in Europe, with extended periods of high temperatures across the south of our continent and devastating fires in Greece and other countries.
“Sport can play a leading role in the fight against climate change. As well as making our events and competitions more sustainable, we can use the special role of sport in society to influence others. I hope that these awards will encourage all involved in sport to take the lead in this area.”
The EOC are committed to taking a leading role in the fight against climate change and signed up to the United Nations’ Sports for Climate Action framework in November 2022.
