In his keynote address at this week’s Sport Positive Summit in London, Chris Boardman, the Chair of Sport England, stated that sports teams and organizations need to get more aggressive in their efforts to become leaders in the battle against catastrophic climate change.
Sports organizations are making an attempt to promote crucial issues related to waste and fossil fuels through their platforms and recycled kit sales, but Boardman feels that the industry is not taking full advantage of its position to effect change.
“As a sector, we have the option to use this special gift to assist society. But as a sector, we’re not yet punching above our weight, notwithstanding a few ardent pioneers. Thus, I’m calling for a mental adjustment and an increase in our aspirations today. Both internal operations and public influence need to be given equal weight. In order to win people over, we need to take use of the special platform that sports and physical exercise provide,” Boardman emphasized in his lecture.
The gold medallist in cycling at the Olympics also urged Premier League teams to prioritize lower-carbon meals, cut back on single-use plastic, and quit taking short-haul flights.
“Manchester United traveled nearly 13,000 miles in their preseason schedule to play games in the US, Norway, and Scotland. In May, three days after the season concluded, Spurs and Newcastle headed to Melbourne, Australia, for an exhibition match. When those air miles are taken into account, both teams will have traveled more than 30,000 miles—or more than once around the world—to participate in non-competitive games during the closed season. We all need to find a lot better balance, but I don’t think flying should be completely outlawed,” Boardman stated.
Boardman said that the 2030 World Cup will take place on three continents, which will increase the carbon footprint of the sport. Boardman feels that UEFA is “putting growth first and the planet second” by adding 177 games to its men’s European club competitions.
Recently, the former Olympian covered a lot of ground on a bicycle. Boardman left Manchester for the Paris Olympics with promises from sporting bodies to use less energy and water, encourage eco-friendly travel, limit single-use plastics, and support conservation.
“Those phenomena, like temperature spikes and flooding, are just happening more frequently. That’s what sport is all about. When BBC Sport accompanied him on the 885-kilometer cycle in July, Boardman informed them that it was seriously impacting people’s capacity to get active.