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Sustainability round-up: Irish Football Association, Women In Sport…
Also in the news: Formula E, Winter Youth Olympic Games and more…
Formula E donates €25,000 from Better Futures Fund to Mexico City educational charity
Ahead of this weekend’s Mexico City (pictured) E-Prix, Formula E has pledged €25,000 to charity Centro transitorio de capacitación y educación recreativa El Caracol AC (El Caracol). The all-electric racing series has made the donation as part of its Better Futures Fund, which focuses on leaving a positive legacy across the season’s event destinations. Season 11’s charitable donations will total €250,000, building on the €100,000 that was donated from the Better Futures Fund in Season 10.
bettercup will return to the Australian Open
The upcoming Australian Open will once again replace single-use cups with durable options made by Victorian company, bettercup. Sustainability Victoria said this initiative is projected to avoid more than 50,000 single-use cups going to landfill during the three weeks of the tennis major.
World Curling and Gray Dawes announce new exclusive international travel partnership
World Curling has partnered with Gray Dawes as their Exclusive International Travel partner for two years. Gray Dawes will sponsor the 2026 and 2027 World Junior Curling Championships, enhancing junior curlers’ participation. This collaboration also supports World Curling’s environmental sustainability goals through advanced travel technology and carbon offsetting.
The Guardian Footballer of the Year Sofie Junge Pedersen: ‘We wanted to send a message to FIFA’
Inter Women and Denmark international Sofie Junge Pederson was recently named the Guardian’s Footballer of the Year for not only her impact on the pitch, but off it as well. Last year, Pederson, along with Dutch international Tessel Middag and New Zealand’s Katie Rood, launched a campaign that resulted in an open letter to FIFA criticising the football body’s relationship with Saudi state oil company Aramco. Concerns were raised over Saudi Arabia’s LGBTQ+ laws, human rights abuses and workers’ rights. It was signed by 135 female players. Saudi Arabia was eventually named as the host of the 2034’s men’s World Cup. In 2023, Pederson also led a group of 44 players that took action to offset their flights for the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Foundation’s work with refugees recognised by UEFA
The Irish Football Association has been awarded €40,000 by European governing body UEFA to help refugees and asylum seekers in Northern Ireland. The Irish FA Foundation runs coaching sessions at a number of facilities to accommodate as many groups as possible, while also providing tickets to games and stadium tours. Additionally, the Foundation runs tournaments for teams formed by refugees.
Chasing the Olympic dream: Closing the dream deficit in sport
More young girls are dreaming of reaching the pinnacle of sport after a stellar celebration of women’s sport in 2024. According to charity Women In Sport, some 38% of girls aged 13-24 now dream of reaching the top, compared to 29% in 2023. However, this is still a deficit compared to 59% of boys who aim to reach the highest levels.
Football clubs from Bhutan and Italy join high-performance sailing series as the latest Sports for Nature signatories
Thimphu City FC from Bhutan, ASD Riccione Calcio 1926 from Italy, and the TF35 Trophy sailing series have joined the Sports for Nature Framework, committing to biodiversity conservation. Thimphu City FC’s ‘Goals for a Cause’ supports the endangered white-bellied heron, while ASD Riccione focuses on sustainable event management.
Celebrating five years of YOG Lausanne 2020 – a legacy of local engagement, youth participation and sustainability
Lausanne and the surrounding areas have continued to benefit from the legacy of the Winter Youth Olympic Games 2020, which brought together 1,784 athletes from 79 National Olympic Committees across eight venues in Switzerland and France. The event provided valuable experience for young people, with nearly 150,000 students involved in the process of hosting, from designing the mascot to composing the official song. Alongside the Games, young people helped to curate the Lausanne en Jeux! Festival, attracting 640,000 spectators. The success of this festival inspired Dakar en Jeux!, a cultural and sporting festival taking place annually in Senegal, as it prepares to host the Youth Olympic Games in 2026. The most recent Dakar en Jeux! was held in November. The Games also accelerated the redevelopment of the Vaudoise Arena, which hosted ice hockey, hockey 3×3 events as well as the Opening Ceremony. It now serves as the home of Lausanne Hockey Club and a new short-track programme.
Image: María Fuentes on Unsplash