World Athletics
Sustainability Report 2020-2021

Our Organisation’s vision

Our Sustainability vision

To use the power and accessibility of athletics
and our athletes to create a healthier and fitterworld.

To become the leading international sports
federation in delivering best in class sustainable
events.

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | ﻿↓ ↑Contents

Contents
A Message from World Athletics President Sebastian Coe .  .  .  .  .  . 4Executive Summary .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 6The World Athletics Sustainability Strategy .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 11
Progress Report – Leadership in Sustainability  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 15
COP26: ‘We can still fix this’ .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 21

Progress Report – Climate Change and Carbon .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  24
Oslo Bislett Games  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 29

Progress Report – Sustainable Production and Consumption  .  .  . 31
Progress Report – Local Environment and Air Quality  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  34
Air Quality Project in Nairobi  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 37
Run Smarter City Challenge  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 38
Clean Air Collaborations  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 39
Select Air Quality and Athlete Safety Research Published in 2020-21 .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 39

Progress Report – Global Equality  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  41
Progress Report – Diversity, Accessibility and Wellbeing  .  .  .  .  .  45
World Athletics announces safeguarding policy .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 48
World Athletics publishes Online Abuse Study covering Tokyo Olympic Games  .  . 48

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World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | A Message from World Athletics President Sebastian Coe↓ ↑Contents

A Message from World Athletics President Sebastian Coe
When we published ourWhen we launched our strategy, I said our ambition

take up the baton and the World Athletics Indoor Championships

Sustainability Strategy inis be be a leader in organising sustainable events as we go forward.

Belgrade 22 being our first local organising committee signing up inearly April 2020, we unveiled

That ambition will already bear fruit in 2022.

April 2021.

an ambitious framework
for the organisation, ourMember Federations and our
event organisers on how to
produce tangible, meaningful
and measurable results on environmental, social and economic
sustainability. To help combat climate change, one of the great global
challenges we face today, a central piece of the strategy is to achievecarbon neutrality across all our operations by 2030.

More than 100 one-day meetings and events were represented
at a series of workshops we held in December to introduce our

We were well represented at the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow

Sustainable Events Management System and Athletics for a Better

last November where sport, with its near unprecedented global

World Charter, which will be piloted by several dozen one-day

influence and reach, was rightly identified as an industry with an

meetings, including each of our five World Athletics series events,

increasingly important role to play in the battle against climate

in 2022. The system, which works in tandem with the certification

change.

charter, offers best practice guidance across all aspects of an event’s
delivery, and will make a measurable difference in the environmental
and social impact of our events. Over the next two years, the system

At the time, the COVID-19 pandemic was already forcing us to face,

will be embedded into our bidding and sanctioning processes, giving

head on, another massive challenge. We witnessed country after

sustainability a much more important role in how and where ourcountry enter various stages of lockdown as the deadly virus rapidlycompetitions are staged.

spread. Hundreds of competitions and events were postponed andcancelled. Our work, and that of our partners across the sport, wasstalled in many areas.

Meanwhile, we are engaging with all our stakeholders on the issues.
We continue to build partnerships, both within and outside ofour sport, joining forces with those who are forging a similar path

But I’m happy to report that in spite of those challenges, we havetowards a more just, equitable and sustainable world. We committed

made some meaningful progress which is detailed in this, our very

to the UN Sport for Climate Action Framework and are encouraging

first Sustainability Annual Report.

our Member Federations and local organisers to join us. They are,with our Kenyan federation being the first member federation to4

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | A Message from World Athletics President Sebastian Coe↓ ↑Contents

I am especially proud of the way our athletes have added their
voices and passion to the battle against climate change, the greatest
challenge facing us today. Through the video we produced andsurvey we conducted ahead of COP26, our athletes connected
athletics to millions of like-minded people around the world. The
have made a difference. They continue to challenge us as anorganisation and as a sport to deliver on their concerns. We should
pay attention. And we will.
We’re under no illusions - 2022 will continue to throw challenges ourway. But we’re better prepared, better informed and better equipped
to continue to meet those challenges. I’m excited about what thiscoming year will bring.

Sebastian Coe
President, World Athletics

5World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Executive Summary↓ ↑Contents

Executive Summary6World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Executive Summary↓ ↑Contents

World Athletics launched is Sustainability Strategy in April 2020,

Many of the key deliverables from 2020 and 2021 are highlighted

a ten-year road map with a central goal of making the organisation

below.

carbon neutral by 2030. The strategy addresses global issues thatpose a threat to the quality of our lives, including climate change, airCompetitions

pollution and inequality, using the power of sport and athletics toWorld Athletics aims to embed sustainability principles into thecreate a better world for communities.

sanctioning process for all the events that it owns, such as our World

Through the strategy, which was designed to deliver tangible
benefits across environmental, social and economic sustainability
and promote diversity and wellbeing, World Athletics committed
to embracing sustainability principles and practices within its
operations, its Member Federations and the organisation of future
World Athletics Series events.
The strategy’s launch also coincided with the onset of the deadly
COVID-19 pandemic that rapidly spread around the world, forcing

Athletics Series (WAS) events, and all the events that it sanctions –those that make up the Wanda Diamond League, the World Athletics
Continental Tour, the World Athletics Indoor Tour, the World Athletics
Cross Country Tour, the Combined Events Tour, the Race Walking
Tour and the World Athletics Label Road Races.
To help guide the process, two tools have been developed andshared with event organisers in 2021:• a Sustainable Events Management System (SEMS) which provides

country-wide lockdowns, the cancellation or postponement ofbest practice guidance for organisers to incorporate into theirhundreds of events and competitions and sending shockwaves

event planning and implementation; and an Event Standard, athrough the global economy. The pandemic’s impact was felt acrossscorecard which includes a set of expectations based upon the

all areas of our sport as well and impacted the start of the strategy’s

guidance from the SEMS which will measure an event’s level of

implementation.

achievement in sustainable practice.

In spite of those challenges, meaningful progress was made, much of

The SEMS will be piloted in 2022 and launched across ourwhich is detailed in this first annual report.

sanctioned Tours in 2023 and 2024.

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World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Executive Summary↓ ↑Contents

Leadership and Credibility• World Athletics marked Earth Day 2021 by signing on to theavailable to any registered user.
• The World Athletics leadership team delivered key note speeches,

United Nations Climate Change (UNCC) Sports for Climate Action

research findings, position papers and future planning talks acrossFramework, an initiative supporting and guiding sports organisations

many public platforms and forums and continue to be sought after

to measure, reduce and offset their carbon emissions in line withas speakers by those involved in sustainability an sport.

the Paris Climate Agreement and the UN’s Race to Zero ambition.
Signatories of the framework pledge to reduce their greenhouse gas
emissions by 50% by 2030 and to reach net zero by 2040. In AugustAthletics Kenya became the first Member to join us a signatory.
• The COP26 United Nations Climate Summit, hosted by Glasgow
from 31 October to 13 November, highlighted how the sports
industry is taking an increasingly active and important role in the
climate change and sustainability debate. World Athletics figured

Engaging with Athletes• World Athletics surveyed athletes to gauge their attitudes about
Climate Change and sustainability in the lead-in to COP26, theonly sport to do so. Among the findings: 77% of athletes are very
concerned or extremely concerned about climate change, 52% saythat Climate Change has impacted them directly and 71% say that
Climate Change has impacted our sport.

prominently among the sports represented in Glasgow both in• Fourteen athletes, including Olympic champions Eliud Kipchoge

formal and informal discussions and through our partnership withand Neeraj Chopra, lent their voices to a powerful video WorldSport@COP, which centred around an all-day interactive training

Athletics produced for COP26 which was viewed more thanevent organised by the Sport Ecology Group, an organisation

100,000 times across our platforms, screened widely during theof academics producing ground-breaking research into theconference and featured on the BBC. It continues to be screened

intersection between climate change, sustainability and sport.

at events on our 2022 World Indoor Tour.

• World Athletics designed, developed and released a series of• An Athlete Sustainability Ambassador working group is being

e-learning modules to help stakeholders better understand the key

established to engage athletes around our WAS events and one-areas of the World Athletics Sustainability Strategy. Those are now

day meetings.

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Outreach
Athletics for a Better World, the social responsibility programmeof World Athletics’, was given stronger prominence on theorganisation’s website through a substantial expansion and redesign.
Accessible from anywhere on the site via a top tier ‘Better World’tab, the mini-site features sections dedicated to the organisation’ssustainability initiatives, air quality project and its Athlete RefugeeTeam. The aim of the sustainability section is to become a leadingin 2021. Several successful models were identified that can bestaged solo or incorporated into World Athletics Series events andlarger campaigns.

Corporate and Headquarters• A broad educational outreach programme was conducted to
introduce the strategy to our Member Federations and World
Athletics staff

resource for all things related to sustainability and athletics through• Initiatives continued to embed the sustainability strategy acrossregularly updated news stories, features and interviews that highlightthe entire organisation to involve and include every staff member

best practice examples from around the sport.

from every department

Health & Science• The headquarters waste management system was updated• World Athletics’ Health & Sciences Department continued to• A thorough review of our travel policy was begun

develop and deliver ground-breaking works around air quality andathlete safety.
• Collaborations with other organisations including Sport andSustainability International, an organisation committed toaccelerating sustainability in and through sport, were created.

• Preparations began for ISO 20121 Sustainable Events certification• The organisation’s carbon emission inventory was updated andmodified to ensure better accuracy and to help identify a more
optimal overall reduction plan.

• The Run Smarter City Challenge, a pilot project aimed to help
communities promote physical activity, raise awareness about
air quality issues and encourage action to impact policy, was run

9World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Executive Summary↓ ↑Contents

Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing• World Athletics launched a Safeguarding Policy which defined
specific roles and responsibilities of Member Federations, Area
Associations and the global governing body in protecting athletes
and other participants in our sport• Published findings of an online abuse study conducted during theTokyo 2020 Olympic Games to identify and address targeted,abusive messages sent to athletes via social media.
• Coinciding with International Women’s Day, World Athletics
launched #WeGrowAthletics, a campaign designed to build on thestrides the sport has taken towards gender equity.

Looking Forward
Studies released after the Tokyo 2020 Games illustrated once againthat athletics remains the No. 1 Olympic sport. That standing alsooffers an important opportunity for World Athletics to lead, often by
example, in delivering sustainable events. Those efforts will continue
across our strategy’s six main pillars in 2022. Some of the key
deliverables looking ahead are detailed in the report.

10World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | The World Athletics Sustainability Strategy↓ ↑Contents

The World Athletics Sustainability Strategy

11World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | The World Athletics Sustainability Strategy↓ ↑Contents

World Athletics is the global governing body for the sport ofathletics which today encompasses track and field athletics, racewalking, road running, cross-country, mountain and trail running.
Boasting 214 national Member Federations – 17 more than the
United Nations – World Athletics has significant global reach and is
responsible for the worldwide development of the sport of athletics.

principles;• Actively involves interested parties and is open about decisions
and activities; and• Ensures actions take a balanced approach to their social, economicand environmental impact.

World Athletics is committed to ensuring that all its athletics

Putting in place a robust sustainability strategy ensures thatevents - those it owns and those it sanctions - which are held all

World Athletics and its partner organisations have a framework forover the world, and its headquarters, based in Monaco, are fully

delivering tangible benefits across the three pillars of sustainability:aligned with the principles of sustainability. This is in recognition ofenvironmental, social and economic.

but not limited to the growing environmental challenges that theworld faces today, specifically, climate change, air pollution and ourover consumption of resources and materials alongside the social
issues of global inequality and unequal opportunities. All these
global issues pose a serious threat to the quality of our lives andcommunities.

Embracing those principles and practices, World Athletics unveiled
its Sustainability Strategy 2020-2030, a ten-year plan thatprovides a framework for the organisation, its Member Federations
and its event organisers on how to produce meaningful, tangible,
and measurable results on environmental, social and economic
sustainability.

World Athletics defines sustainability within athletics as driving thepractices and behaviours of individuals and organisations developing
the sport in such a way that it:• Accounts for the needs of future generations;• Provides a fair and level sporting platform based on sound ethical

12

United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals addressed by the World Athletics
Sustainability Strategy

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | The World Athletics Sustainability Strategy↓ ↑Contents

The strategy was developed and built with input from all sectorsof World Athletics as well as a wider stakeholder audience that
included event organisers, manufacturers and practitioners with asound understanding of the sustainability issues and opportunities
that World Athletics faced. That feedback was then aligned withestablished international sustainability standards.
The strategy was based on key areas of impact recognising thatsome are under World Athletics control and others under its
influence through its sanctioning process. Aligned to all aspects is
the importance of working with the stakeholders, in particular acrossthe permitted and licensed events.
The strategy sets out World Athletics’ commitment to accelerating
athletics towards a sustainable future, contributing to a better world.
In some areas, this will require a change from ‘business as usual’. In
others it will be about influence and specification and in others it will
be around developing partnerships to deliver scalable change.
The key benefits of the strategy include:• better management of the sport’s social and environmental risk
factors;• identification of opportunities benefitting the sport and engaging• more efficient use of resources delivering lower operating costs
enabling greater investment in the sport; and• wider activation platform for partnerships to bringing significant
economic, social and environmental benefits to local communities.
Components of the Sustainability Strategy include a plan to reduce
World Athletics’ carbon output by 10 percent each year, a switch to
100 percent renewable energy at its headquarters, the introduction

Driving sustainability across the sport is a significant undertaking,requiring a robust, structured programme that maps out ajourney towards World Athletics’ vision. To deliver on this aim, thesustainability programme is taking a two-tiered approach:• addressing the areas in World Athletics’ direct control, enabling
World Athletics to lead by example and set a framework to be
adopted across the sport at regional, national and local levels, andof a sustainable procurement code and travel policy and to develop• focusing on, engaging and inspiring stakeholders influenced bybest practice guidance for its event organisers and its 214 Member

World Athletics, including Member Federations, its sanctioned

Federations.

events, its supply chain and its athletes to drive change more

The strategy is divided into six pillars, each of which contain actions
and targets for the organisation to pursue:• Leadership in sustainability;• Sustainable production and consumption;• Climate change and carbon;• Local environment and air quality;• Global equality; and• Diversity, accessibility and wellbeing.

a wider group of stakeholders;13

broadly.

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | The World Athletics Sustainability Strategy↓ ↑Contents

The action plan identified is aligned to six World Athletics
operational business areas to deliver sustainability across each of its
six sustainability pillars. The business areas are:
• World Athletics Corporate – leadership including headquarters andoperations;• Events – both World Athletics Series (WAS) and sanctioned
events;• Member Federations and governance;• Coaching, training and development;• Technical and venue standards; and• Partnerships.
The Sustainability Strategy sets out a clear ten-year roadmap ofactions starting in 2020. This report shares the progress madeacross each of its six pillars, by highlighting achievements andillustrating case studies, and then offers a look at what is to be
developed and implemented in 2022. The report, while note
exhaustive, does aim to be transparent about progress, someof which has been considerably impacted by the restrictions
around the COVID-19 pandemic during the first 20 months of its
implementation in 2020-2021.

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World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Leadership in Sustainability↓ ↑Contents

Progress Report –Leadership in Sustainability

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World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Leadership in Sustainability↓ ↑Contents

OBJECTIVES

2030 TARGET

Be a recognised driver in sports sustainability• Promote sustainability across athletics and sport• Ensure delivery showcases best practice

100% World Athletics, sanctioned events andMember Federations are aware of sustainability
implications and start to take action• Visible commitment and credible evidenced action
across a range of sustainability targets for World
Athletics and through influence across the sport• 100% Sanctioned events commit to World Athletics
Sustainability Charter• 100% World Athletics Series (WAS) events deliverto ISO20121 standard and deliver continual
improvement• 100% corporate partners are engaged andactivating around an aspect of sustainability

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DELIVERY THROUGHWorld Athletics corporate, World Athletics events

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Leadership in Sustainability↓ ↑Contents

the development and implementation of a Sustainability Strategy,
World Athletics set out to demonstrate solid leadership in thissphere by proactively addressing the transition to a more sustainable
future and showcasing what is possible across events, technology
and general operations. The strength of an international federationthat embraces sustainability is the broad reach it can achieve by
setting examples through existing systems of permitting, licencing
and selection of venues, through the bidding process for its world
championship events and in supporting its athletes.
Underscoring its commitment to a cleaner, greener, healthier and

These workshops and webinars continued in 2021.

The course set by World Athletics, a holistic approach tosustainability that incorporates social, environmental and economic

The organisation began an initial carbon emission inventory acrossobjectives, is one that few international sports federations haveits headquarters operations in Monaco to develop a baseline fromembarked upon. That ambition was noted by the International

which to measure tangible progress. This was expanded in 2021 to

Olympic Committee when it recognised the World Athletics

cover the travel to key World Athletics Series events.

Sustainability Strategy as one of its standout sustainability casestudies in 2020.

e-learning modules
World Athletics designed, developed and released a series of
e-learning modules to help stakeholders better understand the
key areas of the World Athletics Sustainability Strategy. The four
modules - Understanding the World Athletics Sustainability Strategy,
Understanding Carbon Emissions, Understanding Sustainable

more equitable world, World Athletics launched its Sustainability

Procurement and Impacting Air Quality – provide a solid base ofStrategy on April 7, 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic, which began

introduction to help Member Federations and event local organising

to take less than two months earlier, had already left a slew of event

committees design and develop their own carbon mitigation andcancellations and postponements in its wake by then, and would

sustainability strategies. The modules were made more available

go on to have a serious impact on many of the strategy’s first year

in 2021 to all registered users of the World Athletics elearning

deliverables. Despite the setbacks and challenges brought on by theplatform.

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World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Leadership in Sustainability↓ ↑Contents

The IOC’s case studies highlight international federations that arealigned with one or more of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), which provide a common framework fororganisations to explain how they plan to contribute to sustainable
development and tackle key global sustainability challenges.

2021 – Making its Mark Across the SportIn April World Athletics hired a full-time Head of Sustainability,
making the organisation one of only a small handful of international
sports federations with a dedicated full-time resource to drive its
sustainability strategy forward.
Meetings and workshops were held with all World Athletics

World Athletics Events - Developing a Sustainable
Events Management System
World Athletics aims to embed sustainability principles into the
sanctioning process for all the events that it owns, such as its World
Athletics Series (WAS) events, and all the events that it sanctions –those that make up the Wanda Diamond League, the World Athletics
Continental Tour, the World Athletics Indoor Tour, the World
Athletics Cross Country Tour, the Combined Events Tour, the Race
Walking Tour and the World Athletics Label Road Races.
To help guide the process, two tools have been developed andshared with event organisers in 2021:

departments to help staff become acquainted with the sustainability• a Sustainable Events Management System (SEMS) which provides

strategy broadly, and more specifically on how it applies to their own

best practice guidance for organisers to incorporate into theirareas of expertise, concentration and operations. Informal working

event planning and implementation;groups, which meet regularly, have been established to further
involve staff from the health & science, competition & events andcommunications teams.
The organisation also reached out to involve stakeholders
throughout the sport, with a particularly strong focus directed
towards organisers of the events it owns and sanctions.

• and an Event Standard, a scorecard which includes a set of
expectations based upon the guidance from the SEMS which willmeasure an event’s level of achievement in sustainable practice.
The Sustainable Event Management System has been developedwith feedback and input from key stakeholders, including event
organisers and the World Athletics competitions and events teams,
to provide a clear actionable checklist, aligning to a “plan, do,18“Climate change is one of thedefining issues of our time.
We are witnessing irreversible
changes that are impacting
our sport across the board– from the quality of the air
our professional athletes andrecreational runners breathe to
our ability to hold events safely.
It is critical that sport is seen as amajor player in the battle against
climate change and a driving
force for solutions.”– World Athletics President Sebastian Coe

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Leadership in Sustainability↓ ↑Contents

check, act” framework, which is broken down into 13 sustainablefrom a local park run or club track meet all the way up to a World

planning topics: sustainable procurement, waste management,

Championship should be able to achieve the highest standard ofenergy management, food management, water management, travel

sustainable event achievement.

planning, accommodation, carbon neutrality, accessibility & inclusion,

Joining the UN Sport for Climate Action Framework
World Athletics marked Earth Day by signing on to the United
Nations Climate Change (UNCC) Sports for Climate Action

The Standard will be tiered, with gold, silver and bronze level

Framework, an initiative supporting and guiding sports organisations

achievements initially, with a higher platinum level added later. World

to measure, reduce and offset their carbon emissions in line with

Athletics will eventually require that all of our events - WAS events,

the Paris Climate Agreement and the UN’s Race to Zero ambition.

It has also been designed in compliance with ISO20120, thesanctioned ‘tour’ events and national/local events - achieve a certain

Signatories of the framework pledge to reduce their greenhouse gasinternational standard for event sustainability management systems,

level as part of the sanctioning process. The Standard will be piloted

emissions by 50% by 2030 and to reach net zero by 2040.

developed during the 2012 Olympic Games which provides ain 2022 and 2023 across all of our sanctioned events prior tocredible robust framework for delivering sustainable events.

implementation in 2023 and 2024. Input and feedback from event

health & safety and wellbeing, digital, IP rights and data protection,
monitoring and reporting and communication.

The Event Standard is scalable so that any event at any level,organisers will be crucial to help us define what the final standard will
look like and what those levels will be.
Three introductory workshops were held in December 2021 withrepresentatives from more than 100 events participating. Morespecific workshops, covering specific planning topics, will be held
throughout 2022 beginning in February.

World Athletics became involved in two Sport for Climate Action
signatory working groups: Reduce Overall Climate Impact and
Educate and Advocate for Climate Action. The latter explores ways
in which athletes can become better advocates for sustainability ingeneral and more specifically in the battle against climate change.
On 19 August 2021, Athletics Kenya became the first Member
Federation to join World Athletics as a signatory of the framework.
The announcement by the nation’s athletics governing body comes

The SEMS is available for download in English, French and Spanish.

just 10 days after the release of the latest Intergovernmental PanelMore translations will be added throughout 2022.

on Climate Change (IPCC) report that concluded that some impactsof global warming are now unavoidable and warned that the impacts
will worsen dramatically if efforts to curb additional warming fail.
“The IPCC report last week served as a vivid reminder of what is19

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Leadership in Sustainability↓ ↑Contents

at stake,” said Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei. “We are
already seeing the devastating impact of climate change in Kenya
and elsewhere in Africa. We all have an important role to play and thetime to start doing our part is now.”More.

Amplifying Athletes Voices
Involving and reaching out to our sport’s athletes, those competinginternationally at the highest level, and the hundreds of millions
around the world who run regularly, is a core component of theWorld Athletics Sustainability Strategy.
An athlete survey conducted in the lead-in to COP26 identified
more than 100 athletes who expressed interest in acting as Athlete
Sustainability Ambassadors for World Athletics Series or sanctioned
events, participating in social media campaigns around sustainability
issues or participating in climate communication trainings. Those
trainings will begin in 2022.
Meanwhile, athlete surveys will become a regular feature at
sanctioned one-day meetings throughout the year in order to
identify and reach out to more athletes who are interested inengaging on sustainability issues.

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COP26: ‘We can still fix this’The eagerly anticipated UN COP26 Climate Summit, the world’s
largest gathering of international leaders in 2021, brought parties
together in an attempt to accelerate action towards the goals of
the Paris Climate Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change.
The event, hosted by Glasgow from 31 October to 13 November,also highlighted how the sports industry is taking an increasingly
active and important role in the climate change and sustainability
debate. Several events with sport as the centrepiece took placein both the UN-controlled blue zone and the UK governmentcontrolled green zone while some globally renowned sports stars– Kenya’s Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge among them
– represented their national delegations during the talks.
World Athletics also figured prominently among the sports
represented in Glasgow.
In the lead-in to the summit, World Athletics conducted a survey
to gauge the attitudes and level of concern that elite level trackand field athletes have about global warming. It found that 77% of
the respondents said they are either very concerned or extremely
concerned about climate change. No other sport had surveyed its
athletes in a similar way, making World Athletics the first to both ask
athletes about their concerns and report on them.

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Coinciding with the start of the summit, World

The World Athletics Air Quality project was

Athletics also released a powerful four-minutealso given centre stage during the event withvideo comprised of passionate personal

Paolo Emilio Adami, Medical Manager at World

messages from athletes urging their fans, fellow

Athletics’ Health and Science Department,

athletes and others to rise to the challenge

highlighting some of the pioneering work his

to combat climate change. It was screened

team has produced since the inception of therepeatedly at various events in both the blue

project in 2018. The event concluded with theand green zones through the duration ofannouncement of the winner of the first Global

COP26.

Sport Sustainability Hackathon, a competition
for undergraduate and masters level university

World Athletics also partnered withstudents to ideate and pitch their best ideas

Sport@COP, an all-day interactive training

for sustainable sports solutions to global

event organised by the Sport Ecology Group, an organisationindustry leaders. Miguel Escribano Hierro of Kunak Technologies,of academics producing ground-breaking research into thethe manufacturer of the air quality monitoring devices used in theintersection between climate change, sustainability and sport.

World Athletics Air Quality project, served as the competition’s

One hundred and twenty-two athletes participated in a climate

head judge.

communication workshop, several of them from the sport of trackand field.

22

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Leadership in Sustainability↓ ↑Contents

Athletics for a Better World website expansion redesign

Looking Ahead to 2022

Athletics for a Better World, the social responsibility programme of• Successfully pilot the Sustainable Events Management System andWorld Athletics’, was given more prominence on the organisation’sStandard across our sanctioned event series and tours, as well thewebsite through a substantial expansion and redesign. Accessible

five World Athletics Series events scheduled to take place in 2022

from anywhere on the site via a top tier ‘Better World’ tab, the minisite features sections dedicated to the organisation’s sustainability
initiatives, air quality project and its Athlete Refugee Team. The aim• Prepare and achieve ISO 20121 Sustainable Events certification• Incorporate sustainable delivery obligations into the biddingof the sustainability section is to become a leading resource forprocess and structure for World Athletics Series event hosts, to be

all things related to sustainability and athletics through regularly

implemented for some events beginning in 2024.

updated news updates, feature stories and interviews that highlight
best practice examples from around the sport.

• Athlete Sustainability Ambassadors to participate in activities andactivations at each of our five World Athletics Series events set
to place in 2022, as well as other sanctioned World Athletics Tour
events.
• World Athletics will continue to encourage and support Member
Federations and annual one-day meetings to join the UN’s Sport
for Climate Action Framework.
• Continue to provide sustainability workshops to Member
Federations• Establish an Area Association Sustainability Working Group• Launch a global awareness campaign on air quality

23

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Climate Change and Carbon↓ ↑Contents

Progress Report –Climate Change and Carbon

24World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Climate Change and Carbon↓ ↑Contents

OBJECTIVES

2030 TARGET

Transition to carbon neutrality by 2030

Achieve 2030 carbon neutrality across World• Minimise carbon emissions across World Athletics

Athletics operations and WAS events (annual 10%

activities• Identify credible means to offset unavoidable
emissions

reduction in carbon emissions from 2019 baseline)• 100% sanctioned events commit to carbon
neutrality targets

25

DELIVERY THROUGH
Events, World Athletics operation

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Climate Change and Carbon↓ ↑Contents

Climate change, driven by accelerated global carbon emission, is

The World Athletics Sustainability Strategy calls for the organisation

already impacting our lives. And, as was vividly illustrated in 2021,

to reduce its carbon footprint across five main areas: travel -our sport as well.

including flights, ground transport and freight; energy consumption

One particularly brutal example was the ‘heat dome’, an area ofhigh pressure that traps hot ocean air in the same area for days oreven weeks, that caused record high temperatures in the PacificNorthwest in June that coincided with the US Olympic Track and
Field Trials in Eugene. The heat was so severe that organisers had tosuspend two of the morning sessions. That’s never happened before
at a US national championship. That week resulted in record hightemperatures across that entire part of North America.

- which includes heating, cooling and power used at permanent andtemporary venues and at its headquarters; and resources - food andbeverage and waste, all considered with the sustainable production
and focus area.

World Athletics undertook an initial carbon emission inventory in
2019, focusing on its headquarters operations and highlighting the2019

12,000impact of both electricity and travel on the carbon footprint of theorganisation. The inventory used a hybrid method of both actual

marathon, one of the endurance road events that had alreadydata, including travel and electricity, and the actual spend in specificbeen moved 900 kilometres north of Tokyo where conditions werecategories, such as supply chain, transportation and fuel.

reached 41 (C) between sessions.

World Athletics HQ 2019-2021(tonnes CO2e)

2020-21

In Sapporo the heat forced a change to the start of the women’s

deemed unsafe. In Tokyo trackside temperatures at Olympic Stadium

OPERATIONALCARBON FOOTPRINT

That initial inventory was modified to include other areas that areconsidered to be under the federation’s direct control (indicated in

As an international sports federation, World Athletics produces agreen in the diagram below), such as athlete travel to World Athletic

significant carbon footprint that contributes to climate change -Series events and coaching and development programmes. Thatparticularly through its championship events. However, it also wellscope will be broadened going forward to provide an even moreplaced to inspire change by using its events to drive the technology

accurate inventory of the organisation’s travel footprint to helpthat in turn helps drive the transition from fossil fuels to renewable

identify a more optimal overall reduction plan.

sources of energy.

26

2020

2021

1,000

4,000

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Climate Change and Carbon↓ ↑Contents

World Athletics Sustainability: Carbon Plan

Other actions taken:

Carbon Neutral by 2030

• World Athletics headquarters switched to a 100% renewableenergy tariff in early 2020, which guarantees that all its electricity

Participants
Area
Federations

Suppliers andEquipment

Suppliers
Area
Federations
MemberFederations

Coaching andDevelopment
Programmes

World Athletics
Series Events

Sponsors andPartners
Venues

HQ Meetings,
Congress

HQ
Operations

Sanctioned
EventsCommittee Members,
AttendeesMedia andBroadcast

Health andScience Projects

External
Broadcasters

Partners

Test Events

Equipment

VenuesFans

Local Organising
Committee

Suppliers andContractors

Host Member
Federations

Volunteers

AthletesSponsors andPartners

Referees andTechnical Officials

Host Cities

Circuit Events

National
Championships

Regional
Championships

Athletes

Road Race
Label Events

Fans

Fans

Key
Control

Collaborate

Influence27

is sourced from 100% renewable resources.
• Travel was dramatically reduced in 2020 and 2021, but that waslargely due to COVID-19 restrictions, event postponements andcancellations.
• A preliminary travel assessment was conducted in 2021 to help
develop a new travel policy to be implemented in 2022 with astrong sustainability component as its backbone.

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Climate Change and Carbon↓ ↑Contents

Climate Change and Carbon: An Opportunity forPartnerships
As the impacts of climate change grow, corporations are increasingly
committing to carbon reduction strategies. Associated with thathas been a growth of ‘partnerships with purpose’ with corporations,WORLD ATHLETICS

through their sponsorships, choosing to align with sport organisations
that share common values and messages.
With a strategy that is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development

22 février 2021

Goals and the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, World Athletics isworking to secure new partnerships around its sustainability strategy,
to add both momentum and resources to its implementation. Using
its sustainability focus areas as a starting point, World Athletics
commercial strategy will continue to identify business sectors and,
subsequently, brands for a targeted commercial approach.
The Oslo Bislett Games, one of the most historic one-day athletics
events on the planet, provides a strong model of how ending one
corporate sponsorship helped drive a transformation that redefined
its own purpose, one driven by robust sustainability initiatives.

219 90628

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Climate Change and Carbon↓ ↑Contents

Oslo Bislett GamesA focus on sustainability is ‘Smart environmentally,
economically and reputationally’
When the Oslo Bislett Games found itself without a title sponsor
after its 2016 season, meeting director Steinar Hoen was facedwith a critical decision. Should he seek out another title sponsor
to replace Exxon Mobil, a partner of the previous 29 years, orshould he steer one of the world’s premiere one-day meetings – andNorway’s biggest annual sporting event – on an entirely different
direction?
Choosing to usher in a new era, Hoen went with the latter, forging
a path that would turn the Norwegian capital’s historic Wanda
Diamond League fixture into the most environmentally sustainable
track and field meet on the planet.
Over the course of just three editions (2017-2019), the Oslomeeting has managed to reduce its carbon emissions by nearly 40
percent and its travel costs by a third. And that’s just the start ofwhat has resulted from an operating decision that Hoen insists was
simply “a no-brainer”.
More.

29

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Climate Change and Carbon↓ ↑Contents

Looking Ahead to 2022
• The climate change and carbon roadmap will continue to be
developed to align with the targets set in the Sustainability
Strategy as well as those of the UNFCC Sport for Climate Action
Framework which calls for a 50% reduction in absolute emissions
from the 2019 baseline and carbon neutrality by 2030.
• Climate Change and Carbon are a key component of the
Sustainable Events Management System (see page 18) which
will be piloted by dozens of our sanctioned events in 2022.
• World Athletics will encourage and support more Member
Federations and one-day meetings to sign on to the United
Nations Climate Change (UNCC) Sports for Climate Action
Framework• World Athletics will prioritise developing commercial partnerships
based on sustainability principles.

30

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Sustainable Production and Consumption↓ ↑Contents

Progress Report –Sustainable Production and Consumption31World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Sustainable Production and Consumption↓ ↑Contents

OBJECTIVES

2030 TARGET

DELIVERY THROUGH

Positively manage the impact of procurement

Technical and event standards account for social

World Athletics event delivery partners,• Minimise any social or environmental impact fromand environmental impacts as well as performancesponsors, suppliers, technical standards

procurement of products and services• Maximise local economic impact around events• Establish sustainable procurement code and 3rd

requirements• Baseline of impact at WAS events and action plan
for all events establishedparty assurance of world athletics procurement• 100% compliance with sustainable procurement
code across World Athletics activities• 100% compliance with sustainable procurement
code at sanctioned events32

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Sustainable Production and Consumption↓ ↑Contents

Optimising the lifecycle of materials, reducing waste and the
management of supply chain issues are one of the most effective
ways to embed principles and practices of sustainability into
an organisation’s operations. This begins with developing andimplementing a sustainable procurement policy, applicable to abroad range of products, services and operations. Identification of
suppliers able to support the delivery of sustainability goals is also
crucial.

Event delivery
Sustainable production and consumption is a core requirement forthe delivery of sustainable events. As such, a priority in 2021 was todevelop the Sustainable Events Management System (SEMS) that

Headquarters

Looking Ahead to 2022

Work-at-home orders and recommendations and a temporary• Development of a sustainable procurement code for World

furlough programme in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic meant
staff time spent at headquarters was limited. That provided an
opportunity to explore options for an updated waste management
system which was implemented in 2021. That included the removalof some single use items and an entirely revamped recycling systemdeveloped and designed in line with local waste management
options and solution and putting each staff member at the centreof the process as individuals sharing collective recycling stations.
Further reductions in line with the waste management hierarchy will
be implemented in 2022.

Athletics• Development of a sustainable procurement code for World
Athletics suppliers• Continue to promote sustainable sourcing through the SEMS Best
Practice Guidance and On-line training already available• Working to embed sustainability principles into the World Athletics
web shop to be launched in 2022
• Further develop waste prevention and reduction system atwill be piloted by several dozen World Athletics sanctioned events

Development of a sustainable procurement code also began with an

and World Athletics Series events in 2022. The system addresses

aim to implement it across headquarters operations in 2022.

crucial problem areas in event delivery, such as the use of temporary

headquarters• Review technical standards, recommend requirements to embedsustainability criteria for equipment

structures, clothing and food sourcing, waste reduction and the• Establish best practice guidance for sustainable manufacturing

better management of fan and athlete travel. When the pilot phasealigned to sustainable procurement code

has concluded, alignment with all aspects of the SEMS will play adecisive factor in the sanctioning of events.

• Identify areas of collaboration across events for an event reuseprogramme

33World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Local Environment and Air Quality↓ ↑Contents

Progress Report –Local Environment and Air Quality

34

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Local Environment and Air Quality↓ ↑Contents

OBJECTIVES

2030 TARGET

DELIVERY THROUGH

Ensure environmental conditions enable individuals to • Venue, event and equipment standards incorporate Events and Host City partnerships, technicalparticipate safely• Maximise venues for safe participation inenvironmental factors• Venue and event standards minimise impact on

athletics where air quality is safe for athletes andsurrounding environments

communities• Minimise impact of events and venues on local• 100% host cities establish low emission zones
around stadia and athletics arenas

environment• Air quality targets are understood, set andmonitored protecting runners and athletes

35

and venue standards

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Local Environment and Air Quality↓ ↑Contents

Air pollution poses a major threat to both health and climate.
Globally, it’s responsible for the deaths of more than seven million
people per year, according to the World Health Organisation.
Athletes, both professional and recreational, are disproportionallyimpacted since they breathe in more air during their training. For
athletes who train in large urban settings, where pollution is greaterthan in rural areas, the risks are even greater.

2020-21
Even with the challenges broughton by the COVID-19 pandemic,
the World Athletics Health &Sciences team managed to
expand its Air Quality Monitoring
Network with the installation orGiven the direct connection to our sport and our athletes, Worlduse of 27 devices in 21 cities inAthletics launched its Air Quality project in 2018 as part of a broad

16 countries in 2020 and 2021.

campaign to raise awareness about air pollution around the world

Those include past or future

and the impact it has on the health and performance of elite andWorld Athletics Series host cities

recreational athletes. Across the globe, that means nearly 1.4 billion

Doha, Nairobi, Gdynia, Yokohama,people who participate in athletics regularly.

Eugene and Chorzow.

Since the project’s launch, World Athletics has been working closely

The data collected will assist research into the correlation between

with a growing number of cities, sporting venues and events aroundair quality and performance and will help determine the best times

the world to install a network of monitors that collect air quality data

to schedule competitions or exercise in locales whose air is being

in real time, information that is critical in both identifying sources ofmeasured. For communities that host World Athletics events andlocal air pollution and in finding the best solutions to combat it. Itchampionships, it’s an important environmental legacy that thehas since become one of the most identifiable pillars of the World

organisation can create. It’s also a way for the global governing body

Athletics Sustainability Strategy.

to best use the influence it has to advocate for and impact clean air
policy in communities around the world.

36

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Local Environment and Air Quality↓ ↑Contents

Case Study
Air Quality Project in Nairobi
World Athletics’ ground-breaking Air Quality project made a big

The set-up in Nairobi included a perimeter of 20 passive dosimetersleap forward with the Phase 2 launch of its research efforts in theat the stadium that helped map the area and detect potential

Kenyan capital Nairobi in 2021.

hotspots. Two sensor-based stations were installed in the warmup area and at the stadium, just a few metres from where athletes

As part of World Athletics’ pilot programme to measure and analyse

generally gather, to collect data that will contribute to the Healthair quality at sporting venues around the world, an air quality

and Science Department’s research on the correlation between air

monitor was installed in 2020 at Kasarani Stadium, the host venue

quality and performance. These hyperlocal monitoring stations areof the World Athletics U20 Championships. That installation, usedequipped with sensors to measure nitrous oxide, ozone and carbon

primarily to assess the feasibility of maintaining high-end air quality

monoxide, along with wind speed and direction and heat stress.

devices in remote locales, paved the way for the deployment of awide range of technologies that will enable researchers to collectMore.

and analyse more data than ever before.

37World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Local Environment and Air Quality↓ ↑Contents

Case Study
Run Smarter City ChallengeRoad races in urban settings are uniquely placed to provide atreasure trove of data to scientists and researchers, given theamount of time runners spend on the course, and the varying
environmental conditions they’re exposed to over that time. So
are popular public trails, roads and parks where runners regularly
exercise, which is why World Athletics chose to reach out directly
to recreational runners and invite then to help collect data fromtheir communities through the Run Smarter City Challenge, which
was launched in the Swiss cities of Geneva and Lausanne on 5 June
2021, World Environment Day, and piloted throughout that month.
The Challenge aimed to help communities promote physical activity,
raise awareness about air quality issues and encourage action to
impact policy. A key goal of the air quality monitoring network is tohelp build the capacity of local governments to better manage air
pollution in their urban areas by providing them with critical data.
More.

38

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Local Environment and Air Quality↓ ↑Contents

Case Study
Clean Air Collaborations

Select Air Quality and Athlete Safety Research Published in
2020-21

World Athletics and Sport and Sustainability International join forces to lead sportindustry air quality working group• Air quality monitoring during city marathons: a pilot study. EI Ulzurrun, M Escribano, M del Mar Viana,
PE Adami, J Fernandez. Greencities, 11º Foro de Inteligencia y Sostenibilidad Urbana: Actas del XIInternational Greencities Congress / coord. por María Luisa Gómez Jiménez, Olga Romero Guisado, 2021.

In September 2021 World Athletics and Sport and Sustainability International (SandSI) announced thecreation of the Air Quality & Sport Working Group, a coalition of international sports organisations• Athletes’ exposure to air pollution during World Athletics Relays: A pilot study. Science of the Total

dedicated to solving air quality issues that impact global sport. The working group will be the first ‘lab’ toEnvironment. 2020 May 15. Reche C, Viana M, Van Drooge BL, Fernández FJ, Escribano M, Castaño-

operate within the Sustainable Sport Lab, a programme powered by SandSI that is focused on exploring,

Vinyals G, Nieuwenhuijsen M, Adami PE, Bermon S.

experimenting, and engaging sustainable initiatives that advocates for high impact systematic change• Prehospital management of exertional heat stroke at sports competitions for Paralympic athletes. British

across the global sport sector.

journal of sports medicine. 2021 Oct 7. Hosokawa Y, Adami PE, Stephenson BT, Blauwet C, Bermon S,

This announcement aligns with the UN Environment Programme’s International Day for Clean Air for Blue

Webborn N, Racinais S, Derman W, Goosey-Tolfrey VL.

Skies and its 2021 theme, ‘Healthy Air, Healthy Planet’, which was celebrated earlier this month. The day• Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Games of innovation and resilience. The

was established to focus attention on the impacts of air pollution on health, particularly during the global

Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. 2021 Jun 22. Pelliccia A, Adami PE.

Covid-19 pandemic, and to facilitate solutions and urge action to clean our shared air.

• The innovative role of Olympic sports and exercise in the promotion of health, gender equality andPartnering with SandSI and World Athletics on this global initiative are the European Sports NGO

sustainability. Past achievements and future challenges. The Journal of sports Medicine and Physical(ENGSO), ENGSO Youth, Formula E and the International Cycling Union (UCI).

Fitness. 2021 Jun 22. Adami PE, Fitch K.

More.

• Hydration and cooling in elite athletes: relationship with performance, body mass loss and bodytemperatures during the Doha 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships. British Journal of Sports
Medicine. 2021 Feb 12. Racinais S, Ihsan M, Taylor L, Cardinale M, Adami PE, Alonso JM, Bouscaren N,
Buitrago S, Esh CJ, Gomez-Ezeiza J, Garrandes F.
• The use of infrared thermography for the dynamic measurement of skin temperature of moving athletes
during competition; methodological issues. Physiological Measurement. 2021 Aug 27. Aylwin PE,
Racinais S, Bermon S, Lloyd A, Hodder S, Havenith G.

39

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Local Environment and Air Quality↓ ↑Contents

Looking Ahead to 2022
• Continue air quality monitoring at each World Athletics Series
event, some World Athletics Indoor Tour meetings and at several
mass participation road running events.
• Work to develop minimum air quality standards for events wherepractical• Use data collected through monitoring to drive local air quality
improvement policies as a legacy of World Athletics Series events• Work closely with development, launch and implementation of a
global awareness campaign on air quality

40

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Global Equality↓ ↑Contents

Progress Report –Global Equality

41

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Global Equality↓ ↑Contents

OBJECTIVES

2030 TARGET

Demonstrably share skills across the world
100% World Athletics geographic areas are capable• Build technical, event management and performance of hosting high quality sustainable international
capability across wider geography
events in at least one city
• Build global pipeline and capacity of female leaders • 100% World Athletics geographic areas haveto achieve World Athletics Council minimum genderrecognised opportunity pathways for both genders
targets by 2027
in all professions in athletics across athletes,
coaches, technical officials, administrators• Annual female leadership seminars conducted in all
Areas

42

DELIVERY THROUGHWorld Athletics events,
training and development

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Global Equality↓ ↑Contents

2020-21

Online learning

Events and Global Equality

Aligning with one of the core World Athletics values, universality,

World Athletics launched its own online learning platform in

Through its events World Athletics represents a platform to build

World Athletics has a responsibility to ensure that everyone has

November 2020, a channel designed to make the sport more

the capacity, skills and experience of event professionals bothan opportunity to participate in athletics. This is applicable toaccessible to its key stakeholders and the greater global community.

locally and across the globe, ensuring that the next generation ofindividuals and, also, to the ability of Member Federations to have

Courses cover a variety of areas, from general information about theevent organisers are equipped to deliver sustainable events andthe opportunity to secure World Athletics support and recognition

sport, to gender leadership workshops dedication to our Member

create platforms for wider messaging through skills development

for events. The opportunity is significant through procurement,

Federations to coaching and technical official training.

programmes.

The World Athletics elearning platform also includes a four-part

The World Athletics Sustainability Strategy also underscores

At the corporate level, World Athletics has 98 full time equivalent

series of sustainability modules, initially aimed at our Member

the organisation’s intention to stage events in different parts ofstaff from 26 countries and continues to recruit globally wheneverFederations and local organising committees. In 2021 access to

the world in order to deliver skills development programmes andit can. It also accesses a wide global network of consultants andthe sustainability modules was opened to any registered user andoffer best practice guidance to conduct events sustainably. The

freelancers with the aim of hiring resources locally to support events

has become a popular tool for organisers of our one-day meeting

COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted the organisation’s

and activities. In addition, through its events, both owned andseries preparing to pilot the World Athletics Sustainable Events

ability to do both over the last two years.

sanctioned, and its training and development courses organised inManagement System and Sustainability Standard. The modules willconcert with its area associations and Member Federations, World

be update as needed.

mentoring and building skills to close the global inequality gap.

Athletics can and does meaningfully contribute to building capacityand expertise across the globe.

World Athletics was able to stage just one World Athletics Series
event in 2020, the World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia,

While the pandemic has negatively impacted some of the

Poland, in October. Two were staged in 2021: The World Athletics

organisation’s activities, it has helped accelerate the acceptance ofRelays in Chorzow, Poland, in May and the World Athletics U20

both online meetings and online learning platforms.

Championships in Nairobi in August. All three were delivered
successfully, albeit under strict restrictions due to the pandemic.

43World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Global Equality↓ ↑Contents

Looking Ahead to 2022
• Identify and develop new on-line training resources to build on theexisting modules• Review the uptake of on-line coaching and training resources andensure promotion to less represented groups• Continue to support roll out of the sustainability training to eventsand Member Federations• Identify support and upskilling for smaller Member Federations• Support development of officials mentoring and training
programme at events to build skills capacity across diverse genderand geography.

44

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Diversity, Accessibility and Wellbeing↓ ↑Contents

Progress Report –Diversity, Accessibility and Wellbeing

45

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Diversity, Accessibility and Wellbeing↓ ↑Contents

OBJECTIVES

2030 TARGET

DELIVERY THROUGH

Ensure athletics is open to everyone• 100% athletes competing at international events have World Athletics events, technical standards,• Maximise participant awareness around health andstandardised basic health checks

training and development, venue, suppliers andwellbeing risks• 100% awareness and implementation of diversity
partners• Ensure diverse workforce and fair treatment of staff
policy throughout the sport
and those working at and on our events, and for our • 100% MFs have established collaborative disability
suppliers and partners• Facilitate a collaborative approach to developing
disability in athletics programmes catering to a

in athletics programmes• 100% implementation of staff wellbeing policy andWorld Athletics process to deal with issues.

range of disabilities across Member Federations• 100% implementation of an athlete and related
officials’ policy, and World Athletics processes totackle harassment and safety.

46

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Diversity, Accessibility and Wellbeing↓ ↑Contents

World Athletics has long been a leading international federation
to champion equal access to competition. However, while manynationalities, genders, races and religions are celebrated withathletics, there remains an imbalance, particularly in relation toretention and progression within the sport as administrators,
technical officials, referees and judges. While programmes are inplace at either end of the participation spectrum, World Athletics willcontinue to innovate to achieve diversity across the athletics world,working to create a well-signposted, inclusive pathway into thegovernance and practice of the sport.
Everyone also has an equal right to be able to participate in athletics,
without fear of discrimination, verbal or physical abuse, and in anenvironment conducive to sporting achievement, at all levels. The
ability to attract all spectrums of society is testimony to the powerof sport to unify.

2020-21In March, coinciding with International Women’s Day, World Athletics
announced the launch of #WeGrowAthletics, a campaign designed
to build on the strides the sport has taken towards gender equity.
Through the campaign, World Athletics pledged to commit to further
advance the role of girls and women in athletics in three core areasof the sport: empowering women in leadership positions, breaking
with traditions and shining a spotlight on women’s stories across its
platforms.
To help address abuse and exploitation with the sport, World
Athletics launched Safeguarding Policy in 2021 which defined
specific roles and responsibilities of Member Federations, Area
Associations and the global governing body in protecting athletes
and other participants in our sport.
In November, World Athletics also published an online abusestudy that covered the period of the Olympic Games whosefindings received extensive high profile coverage by national andinternational media outlets.

47

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Diversity, Accessibility and Wellbeing↓ ↑Contents

World Athletics publishes Online Abuse Study covering
Tokyo Olympic Games

World Athletics announces safeguarding policy
In November World Athletics launched its Safeguarding Policy,
designed to ensure that those in positions of authority in athletics
adopt practices that actively prevent harassment, abuse andexploitation within the sport. The policy aims to create a safe andIn line with its commitment to making athletics a safe and welcoming environment for everyone, WorldWORLD
ATHLETICS
SAFEGUARDING
POLICY

Athletics published findings of a study conducted during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to identify andaddress targeted, abusive messages sent to athletes via social media.
The study revealed disturbing levels of abuse of athletes, including sexist, racist, transphobic andwelcoming environment at all levels of the sport, where everyone

homophobic posts, and unfounded doping accusations. It also unequivocally highlights the greater levels

involved is respected, valued and protected.

of abuse female athletes receive in comparison to their male counterparts.

This policy is founded on the principles that everyone has the right

These results, which follow the launch of World Athletics’ Safeguarding Policy earlier in the month, raise

to participate and enjoy athletics in a safe inclusive environment,

concerns that existing safeguarding measures on social media platforms need to be tougher to protectthat everyone has the right to have their voice heard in raisingathletes. Online abuse may cause trauma for the affected individual and can heavily impact athletes’

welfare and behavioural issues, and that everyone involved inplanning and delivering programmes for children is responsible for

performances – both in training and during competition.
OCTOBER 2021

the care and protection of those children.

The study was carried out in collaboration with Threat Matrix, an initiative by data science company
Signify Group Ltd and sports investigations company Quest Global Ltd, and was developed to

It defines the specific roles and responsibilities of Member

understand the size, scale and gravity of online abuse targeted at Olympic athletes on Twitter. It builds

Federations, Area Associations and World Athletics in protecting

the foundation for the action World Athletics is taking and provides a basis for World Athletics to workathletes and other participants in our sport.

more closely with social media platforms to tackle this issue.

The Safeguarding Policy can be downloaded here.

More.

48

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Diversity, Accessibility and Wellbeing↓ ↑Contents

Looking Ahead to 2022
• Continue to promote diversity, accessibility and inclusion throughthe SEMS Best Practice Guidance and on-line training alreadyavailable• Providing guidance and safeguarding policy template documents
for Member Federations to equip then with all the policies andprocesses needed to deal with any safeguarding issues that arises.
• Build upon the pledges and commitments made during the 2021
#WeGrowAthletics launched on International Women’s Day• Continue to engage Area Associations and Member Federations in
the implementation of the Harassment Policy.

49

World Athletics Sustainability Report 2020-2021 | Progress Report – Diversity, Accessibility and Wellbeing↓ ↑Contents

www.worldathletics.org@WorldAthletics

This document can be found in the publications section of the Athletics for a Better
World section of worldathletics.org
This document is correct as of 31 January 2022
©World Athletics 2022. All rights reserved.
50

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