From Commitment to Impact: World Athletics Reviews the Midway Progress of Its Sustainability Strategy
Sustainability in sport is increasingly about building robust systems, setting measurable goals, and regularly assessing progress. A strong example of this approach is World Athletics‘ recently published report, “From Commitment to Impact: 2026 Sustainability Report and Strategy Review”, which reviews the first five years of implementing its 2020–2030 Sustainability Strategy.
The publication demonstrates how the international governing body for athletics has gradually moved from setting ambitious commitments to embedding sustainability into its everyday operations. It also serves as an inspiring example for sports organisations seeking to strengthen their work in ESG, good governance, and responsible management.
Sustainability as Part of Everyday Management
The report highlights that the most significant change over the past five years has been the integration of sustainability into the organisation’s day-to-day operations. Rather than being a standalone initiative managed by a single department, sustainability has become part of decision-making across event planning, collaboration with Member Federations, athlete welfare, and organisational governance.
This approach demonstrates that responsibility is no longer limited to isolated environmental or social initiatives. Instead, lasting organisational systems are becoming the foundation for long-term impact.
Athletics for a Better World – A Standard That Measures Event Sustainability
One of the report’s most significant achievements is the implementation of the Athletics for a Better World (ABW) Standard, a framework designed to assess the sustainability performance of athletics events.
The standard covers 55 action areas related to governance, environmental impact, accessibility, diversity, engagement with local communities, and participant safety. Events are evaluated through a tiered recognition system (Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum), enabling organisers to measure progress and benchmark performance against common criteria.
In its first full year of implementation, 104 events submitted sustainability reports. That number increased to 121 events in 2025. From 2026 onwards, meeting minimum ABW requirements will become mandatory for all World Athletics Series events.
This marks an important shift: sustainability is no longer an optional addition but an integral component of quality event management.
Climate Change as One of Sport’s Greatest Challenges
The report also places significant emphasis on climate change, which World Athletics describes as one of the greatest threats to the future of athletics.
The federation highlights that increasingly frequent heatwaves, deteriorating air quality, heavy rainfall, and flooding are already affecting athlete safety, competition scheduling, and sports infrastructure. In response, World Athletics has developed a Climate Transition Plan, combining greenhouse gas emission reductions with adaptation measures that prepare the sport for a changing climate.
The organisation has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and by 90% by 2040 compared to its 2019 baseline. At the same time, it continues to invest in climate-adaptive event planning, energy efficiency, and more sustainable transport solutions.
Responsibility Also Means Safety and Equality
The report makes it clear that sustainability extends far beyond environmental issues.
A substantial part of World Athletics’ efforts has focused on increasing women’s representation in sports leadership, protecting human rights, and strengthening safeguarding systems. World Athletics became the first Olympic international federation to achieve gender parity within its Council, while its updated strategy sets further targets to increase the participation of women as coaches, technical officials, and leaders.
At the same time, the federation continues to strengthen measures protecting athletes from abuse and harassment. Mandatory safeguarding policies have been introduced for Member Federations, supported by training programmes and procedures for responding to safeguarding concerns, including those occurring in digital environments.
What’s Next?
The report not only reviews achievements but also outlines priorities for the second half of the strategy.
Among the key objectives for 2026–2030 are the development of social impact standards for Member Federations, the further expansion of the ABW Standard, the implementation of sustainable procurement policies, new partnerships supporting renewable energy and low-carbon transport, and increased support for national federations in implementing ESG and sustainability practices.
Why Does This Report Matter?
The World Athletics report demonstrates that successfully implementing sustainability requires consistency, practical tools, and measurable performance indicators.
For sports organisations, it offers valuable inspiration for developing comprehensive management systems that address not only environmental performance but also transparency, participant safety, equality, collaboration with local communities, and long-term strategic planning.
Above all, the report sends a clear message: the future of sport will increasingly depend on the ability to combine sporting excellence with responsible governance. In this context, sustainability is no longer an additional element of organisational strategy—it is becoming one of its core foundations.
