Sports

Commission’s advertisement team-up with UEFA raises hackles

The launch of the European Commission’s new #EveryTrickCounts campaign seeks to leverage the widespread love of Europe’s favourite sport but has resulted in ridicule and scathing accusations of "greenwashing".

English football league launches environmental sustainability scheme

The English football league (EFL) announced Monday (11 October) that it would join forces with the environmental accreditation scheme GreenCode to make the second-highest league in England more sustainable.

German Bundesliga aims to introduce sustainability criteria for clubs

German football league association DFL aims to anchor sustainability in its licensing criteria by 2024. The 36 first and second class clubs are to take a vote in December whether the recommendations by the task-force “Future of Professional Football” should be included.

French club Monaco to feed footballers with organic, seasonal veg

The AS Monaco football club launched on Tuesday (21 September) its first vegetable garden, which will be used to feed the players with organic, local and seasonal produce. EURACTIV France reports.

German football fans ahead of wider European push for sustainability

European football fans want to get involved in making sure their sport is ecologically sustainable but lack a proper framework, the European football fan association SD Europe said in its sustainability report. Meanwhile, Germany seems to be ahead of the pack when it comes to tackling football's ecological footprint.

Seine river could become swimming ground for Paris 2024 Olympics

Despite the health risks and lack of infrastructure, organisations in Paris are working hard to make swimming in the Seine a reality for the 2024 Olympic Games. EURACTIV France reports.

Belarus sprinter heads for Austria in fresh twist to Tokyo diplomatic drama

Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya left Tokyo for Austria on Wednesday (4 August), adding another dramatic twist to a diplomatic saga in which she had sought refuge at the Polish embassy.

Belarusian sprinter refuses to leave Tokyo

A Belarusian sprinter refused to get on a flight from Tokyo on Sunday (1 August) after being taken to the airport against her wishes by her team following her complaints about national coaching staff at the Olympic Games.

Italy erupts in celebration after Euro soccer triumph

Italians poured into streets and squares in massive numbers as the national soccer team beat England to win Euro 2020, celebrating a success widely seen as a rebound from the heartbreak failure of not qualifying for the last World Cup.

EU’s Schinas says UEFA should rethink Wembley final

A top European Commission official has said he has "doubts" about COVID-hit Britain hosting the Euro 2020 semi-finals and final at Wembley and urged UEFA to "analyse" that choice of venue.

London, Copenhagen, Amsterdam are most eco-friendly sports cities in Europe

A recent Reebok study has ranked the most eco-friendly cities for practising sports, with London, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam coming out on top in Europe, and France trailing behind in 19th  place.

Social media challenge urges French athletes to be more green

Former rugby player and founder of the Fair Play For Planet label Julien Pierre has launched a challenge to film himself on social networks collecting waste or cycling to the stadium as part of the #FPFP challenge.

‘Most eco-friendly’ Euro championship to date will see players, fans travel continent

The European football championship starts on Friday (11 June) and teams will face each other in 51 matches in 11 cities across the continent. Despite the travelling, UEFA has pledged that it will be “the most eco-friendly championship to date”. EURACTIV France reports.

Euro 2020 set to capture continent’s attention but pandemic challenges remain

The Covid-19 pandemic was responsible for its postponement but, with the health situation on the continent gradually improving, the delayed Euro 2020 finally kicks off on Friday (11 June) in Rome.

Athletes join forces to make sports greener in Europe

Sporting events should be given an environmental red card given the amount of energy they consume and waste they generate. To back the sports world in its ecological transition, athletes got together at a conference organised by the European Surfrider Foundation on Tuesday (25 May). EURACTIV France reports.

French football club FC Metz looks to making its pitch more eco-friendly

At a time when the EU has just raised its climate ambitions, Metz football club, which currently ranks 10th in France's Ligue 1, is trying to curb the heavy carbon footprint that comes with the watering, lighting, and fertilising of football pitches. EURACTIV France reports.

Europe reunited against football Super League proposal

From top EU officials to European leaders, UK politicians and bosses of nationalist parties: the universal condemnation against the project of a new football tournament has reunited Europe for once.

French rally champion commits to planting one tree for every lap win

Three-time French rally champion Yoann Bonato announced in late March that he would commit to planting a tree each time he sets the fastest time 'scratch' during a 'special', of which there are many during a race. As he will be competing in 17 races in the 2021 season, there is a chance for many trees to be planted. EURACTIV France reports.

VfL Wolfsburg tops new Bundesliga environmental rankings

Football club VfL Wolfsburg is the most environmentally friendly team in the Bundesliga, according to the latest rankings from Sport Positive, an organisation working to rank Europe’s football leagues by environmental commitment.

Paris 2024 Olympics on course to being world’s first ‘climate-positive’ sporting event

The Olympic Games to be held in Paris in 2024 will be the "first sporting event in the world" to have a positive impact on the climate, according to the Paris 2024 board of directors, which approved its climate strategy in mid-March. EURACTIV France reports.

Football can drive green revolution, French group says

Football might not be seen as the most eco-friendly of sports, but a new report suggests it has the potential to become one of the main drivers of the coming green transition, EURACTIV France reports.

Toulouse stadium to invest in fight against climate change

The largest stadium in the French city of Toulouse that hosts mostly football and rugby matches announced its partnership last month with Time for the planet, an initiative that allows citizens, investment funds, banks, and companies to invest as little as €1 in the fight against climate change. EURACTIV France reports.

Two-thirds of French sports fans ready to boycott non-eco-friendly events

Sports fans are interested in environmental issues and brands should take such trends into account, according to the new "Meaningful Passions" study. The study also confirmed that about two-thirds of French fans would even boycott an event with no environmental commitment. EURACTIV France reports.

French association teaches sports clubs to be more environmentally friendly

The French association Match for Green, which aims to make sports more environmentally friendly, started offering training to support sports clubs in their green transition from Monday (22 February). EURACTIV France reports.