European Tour group among 18 Sport Positive Awards winners

There were 18 winners in total in 2024.

This year’s edition took place at the Kia Oval in London and saw the European Tour group emerge victorious courtesy of its Green Drive campaign which has propelled environmentalism into a core pillar of the organisation.

It was launched in 2021 and since then, the Tour has become a signatory to the United Nations Sport for Climate Action Framework and its Net Zero by 2040 Pledge, completed a full audit of ten tournaments to set sustainability baselines, and publicly reported its emissions breakdown.

“We have made huge strides in recent years to embed sustainability across the organisation,” European Tour Group Director of Sustainability Maria Grandinetti-Milton told Global Sustainable Sport.

“It is a team effort, and I am proud of how my colleagues have embraced the challenge to get us to net zero by 2040.

“We were perhaps behind the curve only five years ago, but we can confidently say that we are now leading from the front with a robust strategy, excellent delivery partners such as the GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf, and a willingness to be creative and trial new innovations.

“The Sport Positive Summit convenes the great and the good from the intersection of sport and sustainability, so it is an incredible honour to have our hard work acknowledged in this way by our peers.”

Also victorious was the World Surf League, which claimed the biodiversity project award for its One Ocean initiative.

It has seen the planting of more than 100,000 corals, restoration of 45,374 hectares, and two tonnes of plastic removed from rivers.

“We are honoured to receive the Sport Positive Biodiversity Project award for WSL One Ocean! This is a reflection of the heart and dedication of our partners, local communities, and everyone who shows up everyday to protect our ocean,” a spokesperson for WSL One Ocean told Global Sustainable Sport.

“This work is about so much more than reaching milestones – it’s about preserving the beauty and biodiversity of our planet for future generations. We couldn’t do any of this without the incredible people and organisations that share our passion and who drive the work on the ground. This award reminds us why we’re in it, and it pushes us to keep going.”

The Green Gooners Cup, a collaboration between Ball Corporation and Arsenal FC, was named campaign of the year due to its work in reducing environmental impact by promoting sustainable practices among supporters.

A 49% reduction in Scope 1 emissions ensured that Starboard won the climate impact reduction award. Its plastic offset programme has also collected more than 900,000kg of shoreline plastic and three million mangroves have been planted, which absorb 10 times the amount of CO2 than the organisation releases into the atmosphere.

The Jadir Taekwondo Association took home the community initiative prize for its Kicking for Nature programme, which combines free taekwondo classes with environmental education. This aims to instil awareness, protection, and climate action among its participants.

The education and training award went the way of English Premier League club Liverpool FC for its The Red Way scheme. The educational programme was aimed at increasing sustainable awareness among staff, fans, and local communities.

Guppyfriend was awarded the inspired innovation award as a result of its technology that prevents microplastics from entering soil and water systems.

The Leeds Equipment and Kit Exchange Partnership won the purpose-led partnership prize. It aims to tackle inequalities and address the climate crisis by recycling and distributing unwanted sports kit to deprived communities in the city.

Sailing’s 11^th Hour Racing Team won the report of the year award for its Impact Report that detailed specific methods, data, and learnings in the team’s quest to become sustainable.

Alessandra Ghezzi, VP of Communications and Marketing at 11th Hour Racing, told Global Sustainable Sport: “We’re truly honoured to receive the 11th Hour Racing Team 2019-2023 Campaign Report of the Year Award at the Sport Positive Awards.

“This recognition is a testament to the dedication of our team and partners, and it underscores the power of collaboration and transparency in achieving meaningful environmental change. Our campaign report not only highlights the innovative methods, data, and strategies we employed but also shares the real-world challenges we faced. It serves as a blueprint for reducing the environmental footprint of high-performance sailing while pushing the marine industry to redefine what success looks like in an era where sustainability is paramount.”

Elsewhere, story of the year went to BBC Sport for its report on findings that 81 flights were taken by Premier League teams for 100 games in a two-month window.

Brian McCullough kicked off the individual awards with his win in the research paper of the year category.

His work, titled ‘Advancing sport ecology research on sport and the natural environment’, identified gaps that need to be addressed to improve understanding of environmental management in sports.

Karishma Ali was named as the next generation trailblazer for her eponymous foundation. The Karishma Ali Foundation supports sustainable sport programmes particularly for Kalash girls in Pakistan.

A total of six regional leaders were also named for the environmental work. Arabinrin Aderonke stood out in Africa, Amara Wichithong won the Asia title, Dr Susie Tomson was named European Leader, Dr Allen Hershkowitz was the North American representative, Dr Sheila Nguyen was Oceania’s leader, and Rodrigo Weinhardt was the South American winner.

Image: Matt Aylward on Unsplash