Sustainable Events Management:

Leadership in Sustainability - Best Practice Guidance & Examples

Road Races Sustainable Development Forum at the 2024 C&D Xiamen Marathon (© Xiamen Marathon)

This page includes:

Best practice examples from events
Best practice guidance for organisers from the World Athletics Sustainable Events Management System, and
additional resources

Attention event organisers:

- Did you know that our Sustainable Events Resource Centre has 13 templates available to help with your sustainability planning and reporting?

- What are some of the ways that you have illustrated sustainability leadership in your event - in your collaborations with your home city, your sponsors, partners, athletes and participants? Share some of your examples so we can share them here with others. Get in touch at sustainability@worldathletics.org.

Last updated: 07 January 2026

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Leadership in Sustainability - Best Practice Examples

04 November 2025

Hosting the the Lidingöloppet, the world’s largest annual cross country race

First held in 1965, the TCS Lidingöloppet is the world’s largest annual cross country race, held in Lidingö, Sweden.

A dedicated sustainability page on the race’s website provides information on the organiser’s approach to sustainability, dividing it into environmental, social and economic perspectives, as well as focusing on five of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

The website page also promotes sustainability efforts of Lidingöloppet partners.

14 September 2025

Promoting athlete voices with Zürich Diamond League and Ajla Del Ponte

Swiss sprinter Ajla Del Ponte is an ambassador of the UBS Kids Cup. Created by Weltklasse Zürich, an event highly dedicated to sustainability, this is the biggest youth development project in Swiss sport. The cup promotes physical activity with more than 1000 events that draw up to 160,000 children and young people aged 7 to 15.

Del Ponte, a World Athletics Champion for a Better World, wrote about environmental sustainability on the UBS Kids Cup blog and talked about it on Weltklasse Zürich’s Instagram, showing that all of us, including athletes, have a role to play in developing a more sustainable future.

Del Ponte has also participated in sustainability roundtables (see below) to highlight how much sustainability issues and climate change matter to athletes.

26 February 2025

Brussels Diamond League publishing an ambitious and transparent sustainability report

The Allianz Memorial Van Damme Diamond League in Brussels published a sustainability report after the 2024 edition of the meeting, transparently detailing key initiatives such as developing a procurement charter for suppliers and carbon reduction mapping.

Based on 2024 insights, organisers committed to evolving their sustainability strategy for the 2025 edition.

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Sustainable Events Management System best practice guidance:

Sustainability Leadership

When we think about leadership in sustainability, we think about Innovation, collaboration, communication and advocacy.

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> Sources of energy to be used

World Athletics Sustainable Event Best Practice Guidance

[Sustainability Leadership] [Developing Your Sustainability Plan] [Sustainable Procurement] [Waste Management] [Energy Management] [Food Management] [Water Management] [Travel Planning] [Accommodation] [Carbon Neutrality] [Air Quality] [Diversity, Accessibility and Inclusion] [Health Safety Wellbeing] [Monitoring and Reporting] [Communications]