A sustainable sports environment
Text Kim Bakker
© ANP/Koen Suyk
How does climate change affect sport and can sport affect climate change? In a programme developed by TU Delft and NOC*NSF, sports administrators are looking for sustainable solutions.
Flooded football pitches, sailing races cancelled due to extreme wind, marathons at night and no more tennis camp during the summer holidays. The changing world of sport was the focus of the Sustainability in Sport Leadership Programme, which took place at TU Delft during the first half of 2024. That the climate is doing badly will come as no surprise to the participants, says TU professor Herman Russchenberg. He is director of the Climate Action Programme and spoke at the inaugural event. “You read about that in the newspaper, but realising it is another thing. Afterwards, participants came up to me saying: I thought I knew everything, but it’s even worse than I realised.”
This is exactly why urgency was the theme of the first meeting, says Daan Bregman. He is a director at the Sports Engineering Institute, which combines sports research at TU Delft. Without a sense of urgency, there’s no decisiveness, is his reasoning. The second and third meetings focused on sustainability opportunities for sport and their implementation.
Bregman set up the programme together with NOC*NSF (the umbrella organisation for sports in the Netherlands). The participants were managers from the Dutch sports world and major sports sponsors such as Rabobank. The issue on the table was twofold, says Bregman. On the one hand, what impact does climate change have on sport? On the other hand, what impact does the sports world have on the climate and what can we do about it? These are two sides of the same coin.
Joint agenda
Participant Guido Davio, director of grassroots sport at NOC*NSF, added a question: how could sport become more sustainable together? A lot is happening already, he says, but it’s not really coming together yet. “While we actually achieve the most when we have a joint agenda.”
Dirk van den Bosch also sees collaboration as the main objective of the course. From the National Climate Platform, set up by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, his job is to identify bottlenecks and help organisations to become more sustainable. In short, he is a ‘connector’. He can see that the programme is perfect for that role. “I am learning a lot about the sports world, and how to look at climate policy from that perspective. To help them properly, I need to know what they need.” Van den Bosch believes that the Netherlands can take a global lead. “There are not many places in the world where people think this way, in such a triangle of scientists, administrators and government. The Netherlands can lead the way in that regard.”
NOC*NSF director Davio believes that the scientific contribution made by TU Delft is essential. “Scientists have the experience, the content knowledge and know how to model a complex issue like this. And unlike us, they are not hindered in their ideas by the day-to-day practice of the sports world.”
‘We actually achieve the most when we have a joint agenda’
The Leadership Programme was organised by TU Delft in collaboration with NOC*NSF. During the first half of 2024, the 30 participants were expected at the Co-Creation Centre in the Green Village on the TU campus four times. The first module focused on urgency, the second on the opportunities that sustainability offers for sport and the third module was about action. During a dinner on 18 June, the organisers and participants presented together a sustainability plan for the next four years.
Huge range
You could simply say: everyone must do their bit, including the sports world. But there are more reasons why specifically making sport sustainable is important, says participant Ron Francis, financial director at the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), among others. “With 1.2 million members, we have a huge reach in the Netherlands. We can stick to solar panels at our headquarters, but we will achieve much more if we influence others as well.”
So, according to Francis, sport is the perfect place to achieve a lot with small measures. For example, the football association is working to classify recreational leagues in a smarter manner. In the algorithm that determines the classification, travel distance then plays a greater role, thus reducing CO2 emissions. Francis: “Ideally, we organise the schedules so that you can get to almost all the matches on bicycle. This will save thousands of kilometres of travel.”
Davio has also been putting sustainability into practice for some time. From NOC*NSF, he holds talks with municipalities to make sports facilities more sustainable. This is going very well, he says. There is even more demand for sustainability grants than is available. Making sports facilities more sustainable is not only good news for the climate, but also for the sports association’s bank account. Francis agrees: “Take the high gas bill due to showering after training. That already causes a real headache for many associations. You also partially solve that problem by becoming more sustainable.”
Concern
Small changes, big difference. That motto applies to Sportvisserij Nederland, which accounts for nearly 700 thousand members. HR manager and course participant Frodo de Valk sees how anglers are watching with sorrow as fishing waters change under the influence of climate change. “Biodiversity and water quality are hugely important for their sport. Without it, there’s no fishing. I see a huge concern about the environment there.” The fishing association is already putting a lot of effort into sustainability, says De Valk. The organisation is therefore encouraging members to choose materials not containing harmful lead ahead of new legislation.
In case of pollution or low water, the ‘Fish Ambulance’ rushes out, and volunteers release the fish elsewhere in a responsible manner. And thanks in part to the union, a rare fish such as the European sturgeon is once again swimming around the Netherlands. Association sport in the Netherlands is sometimes referred to as a kind of ‘glue that holds society together’. It is a source of inspiration, says Francis (KNVB), a driver of social development, even beyond sustainability. De Valk also emphasises the power of fishing and other sports on mental health. “Call it the ‘inner green deal’. Doing sport is hugely important for mental health and social cohesion. That’s another form of sustainability.”
Top-level sport
The same challenges apply to top-level sport as to amateur sport, says NOC*NSF director for sports participation Davio. “But the context is different. Top athletes are dependent on where tournaments take place. Flying for work is somewhat of an inevitability.” However, less flying is an option to a certain extent. For example, in February, cycling team Beat took the train to their training camp in Girona, and this summer, the Dutch Olympic delegation will take the train to Paris and back. Davio is in favour of measured choices. “What do you do with the clothing? With the food? The main thing is to consider what is actually possible.”
Sports Engineering Institute
The Sports Engineering Institute celebrated its tenth anniversary in June. The institute is a collaboration of various disciplines and engages in research for both top-level and recreational sports. Innovations that have brought about major changes in the sports world include a cycling suit (in which Tom Dumoulin won the Giro d’Italia in 2017), a sledge for skeleton star Kimberley Bos (bronze at the 2022 Olympics) and a pioneering dart.