The digital platform for sustainable sports events can now be accessed via the following link: www.nachhaltige-sportveranstaltungen.de. This marks the successful completion of the project “Sustainable (large-scale) sports events in Germany”. The platform is designed to help sports organizers make their events more sustainable.
The project “Sustainable (Large-Scale) Sports Events in Germany” was funded in equal parts by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community (BMI) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Nuclear Safety (BMUV) with a total of approx. 680,000 euros. The project partners were the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), the German Sport University Cologne (DSHS) and the Oeko-Institut.
BMI State Secretary Juliane Seifert: "Germany is a strong sports nation.We stand for sustainability. We showed that at the 2024 European Football Championship. And that applies in every respect: from the carbon footprint to good social standards for employees. We also rely on the strength of volunteering and the power of sport to bring people together, regardless of where they come from and how much money they have.Our new web portal for sustainable sports events offers a wealth of information on responsibility for human rights and sustainability. No sports organizer in Germany has to start from scratch, but can find valuable tips and recommendations that can be implemented in practice. The project team's efforts have paid off. I would like to thank the project team from the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, the German Olympic Sports Confederation, the German Sport University and the Öko-Institut."
Parliamentary State Secretary at the BMUV Dr. Jan-Niclas Gesenhues:“Sports events should be environmentally friendly, socially responsible and economically viable. For international sports events such as the World and European Championships or the Olympic Games, this is already a must and is also required by the EU. However, it is important to us that sustainability is also increasingly implemented at the regional and local level.The portal for sustainable sports events will be a helpful tool for associations, sports clubs and organizers. That is why the relevant stakeholders have been widely involved in its development. It is also based on a scientific analysis of all aspects of sustainability. Our goal is for sport to be able to make its contribution to making sporting events ecologically fair and socially just."
The central features of the developed platform are the recommendations and support services for sustainable and value-based sports events developed by the project partners. The portal presents transformation areas, fields of action and specific measures for sustainable action. It formulates possible specific goals and suitable indicators. The portal supports organizers in implementing the process efficiently and individually while maintaining an overview. In its approach and depth, it is exemplary in Europe.
Prof. Dr. Ralf Roth, Head of the Institute for Outdoor Sport and Environmental Research at the German Sport University Cologne: “Our goal was to create a tool that helps organizers of all sizes to integrate sustainability into their events in a simple and feasible way. By working with athletes, organizers, NGOs and numerous other institutions, we were able to develop a platform that offers real practical relevance and can be applied individually.”
Michaela Röhrbein, Director of Sports Development at the DOSB: “With the new web portal, we are offering sports associations and clubs in Germany an innovative tool that makes it significantly easier to organize sustainable sports events. I am pleased that we are setting a good example and that, in addition to ecological issues, we are now also anchoring social issues such as diversity, gender equality and participation as integral parts of sustainable development.We are particularly keen to enable not only large organizers but also smaller or less experienced ones to integrate sustainability into their events.”
Dr. Hartmut Stahl, Senior Researcher at the Öko-Institut: “Sustainability at sporting events is often talked about. But what does it mean in concrete terms and how can it be evaluated? With this portal, we are providing organizers with orientation for the first time on where to go.Specifically, goals are proposed in all fields of action of sustainability, measurable indicators are provided and, of course, a wide range of measures for practical implementation.”
The platform is one of the outcomes of the National Strategy for Large Sporting Events published in 2021. The strategy's guidelines include developing the basis for transparent state funding of large sporting events and ensuring minimum standards in the areas of the environment, integrity, security and human rights. Accordingly, the platform is, on the one hand, a concrete catalyst for more sustainable sports events in the Federal Republic and, on the other hand, serves as a starting point for future funding of sporting events that could be more strongly aligned with sustainability criteria.
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