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This week: ITTF, Extreme E and Atlanta Hawks…
Also in the news: Australian Open, Premier League and more…
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has celebrated its first event achieving ISO 20121 Certification for Outstanding Sustainability Performance. The 2024 ITTF World Championships Finals in Busan, South Korea, is also the first non-multisport World Championships hosted in the country to receive the certification. The award follows on from the Asian Games Incheon 2014, and the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018.
The British & Irish Lions have confirmed that the first-ever Lions Women’s Tour will take place in September 2027 – an announcement that has been widely viewed as a significant step in the continuing growth of women’s rugby union worldwide. It was decided that the series will take place in New Zealand, the home of the current world champions, with the Lions Women’s team playing three Tests against the Black Ferns.
Extreme E has renewed its partnership with Continental, the electric off-roading racing championship’s official tyre supplier and founding partner. Last year, Continental, which was a founding partner of Extreme E in 2019, developed the most advanced CrossContract off-road race tyre yet, utilising 43% recycled and renewable materials.
The NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena have successfully diverted more than three million pounds of all waste from landfills throughout the 2023 season of basketball games, concerts and ancillary events. As part of the figure, the venue recycled nearly one million pounds of materials, including metals, cardboard, plastics and glass, and composted nearly one million pounds of food and organic materials.
Quayclean has helped the ongoing Australian Open to remain clean and green thanks to its workforce of almost 1,200 workers. The cleaning services and waste management provider is working with Tennis Australia and Melbourne & Olympic Park to aid the tournament in its sustainability journey. Last year, Quayclean removed more than 38 tons of mixed recycling, 24 tons of kitchen organics, 37 tons of cardboard and over 33 tons of crushed glass.
Williams Racing Formula One team has extended its partnership with Mercedes-Benz, which will continue providing power units from the 2026 season and beyond. Future power units will exclusively use 100% sustainable fuel, adhering to F1’s sustainability standards and reducing overall fuel consumption.
Football’s English Premier League has charged Everton and Nottingham Forest with breaching its profit and sustainability rules in their accounts for the 2022-23 season. Under Premier League regulations, clubs can lose a maximum of £105m over a three-season period before facing sanctions. The two clubs are at risk or receiving a fine or a points deduction.
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