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 organisations, fans and those working in sport, and in particular athletes, have an enormous potential to accelerate a systemic change of society to foster and encourage inclusion, healthy lifestyle, climate action and collaboration. Furthermore, sports, from organizations to leaders, to athletes and grassroots coaches, all have a role and responsibility in rebuilding societies and economies post COVID-19.
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 programme 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 programme, 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 organisation.
To do so, we will use the most relevant techniques and frameworks from the world of sustainability illustrated with good practices and insider stories from the world’s leading sports events and organisations such as the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, Athletics World Championships, Formula E races but also listen to medium and small events to understand how to start your sustainability journey.
