World Athletics releases annual sustainability report for events
The sustainability report categorised events from 2024 into five achievement levels - platinum, gold, silver, bronze and recognised - based on compliance with the ABW standard.
"The World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24 and the Oslo Bislett Games achieved platinum, and the Hypo-Meeting combined events meeting in Gotzis, Austria, and the Weltklasse Zurich achieved gold," World Athletics said in a statement.
The review, which looked at reports from 102 events from 36 countries, found that 48 meets reached one of the achievement levels.
"It's a start our entire sport can be proud of," World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said in a statement.
'We knew from experience and discussions with organisers that sustainability planning and reporting does require an allocation of additional time, resources and expertise. And we know that poses organisational challenges across our events, which will need time to change."
The ABW standard evaluated events in six areas, including leadership in sustainability, sustainable production and consumption, climate change and carbon, local environment and air quality, global equality as well as diversity, accessibility and wellbeing.
"When fully adopted, the ABW standard will apply to about 500 in-stadium athletics and mass participation road running events, making it the largest sustainability evaluation system in the sport industry," World Athletics added.
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Reuters
18 minutes ago
- Reuters
England coach Wiegman has learned to enjoy the good times
ZURICH, July 25 (Reuters) - Sarina Wiegman sang a celebratory song in her native Dutch when England clinched a spot in the Euro 2025 final. She attempted to high-five assistant Darren Ward, but missed. She admitted she planned to treat herself with a "glass of something nice." If England's women's coach was reserved when hired in 2021, she said she has grown into the role, and her passion has been on full display at the Euros, particularly through two nail-biting knockout victories in which the Lionesses were on the brink of elimination. "First of all, my English has improved, so I understand a lot more, but also you learn more about people you work with," she said on Friday. "You learn more again about yourself and while I'm always working on developing the team, I always try to keep developing myself. "What I really wanted to do over all these years is try to enjoy it a little bit more, you have to be focused in this job, but you need to celebrate the moments that are good, it's really nice." As England get ready to contest their third successive major final on Sunday, when they face world champions Spain in the Euro 2025 showpiece, Wiegman's players have described her as a second mum -- direct and demanding but caring and supportive. Ella Toone said the coach has been kind-hearted in the midfielder's first major tournament after the death of her father. Aggie Beever-Jones said after England's loss to France in their Euro opener, Wiegman put a consolatory arm around her and explained her reasons for not playing her in the game. Midfielder Keira Walsh called her "one of the best managers I've played for in terms of trying to make everyone feel loved". "It's a really difficult job when you're in a tournament, and obviously people want to play, people aren't, but she really, really cares about the human side," Walsh said. "Another thing that you notice when you play for her is how calm she is. It makes a massive difference in the 95th minute when you're losing 1-0, and you look to the side and she's very calm." Wiegman said the job can be a difficult balance. "I'm a caring person, so maybe that's the part, I care about them but at the same time I'm the coach, I'm making these hard decisions at the moment," she said. On Sunday, Wiegman will become the first person, in men's or women's soccer, to have coached teams in five consecutive major tournament finals. The 55-year-old, who is under contract through the 2027 World Cup, guided her native Netherlands to two finals before continuing that run with Euro 2022 champions England. Football Association executive Mark Bullingham said they will not let Wiegman leave for any amount of money, and Wiegman certainly does not sound like she is going anywhere. "I'm sorry, I'm still learning English but yes I have (fallen in love) with England," Wiegman said. "Otherwise I would not be sitting here with such a smile on my face. "This team has always shown so much resilience, I see that in abundance and I see that entirely through the prism of the Lionesses. They are absolutely the most resilient of people. They really want to work so hard and are so committed."
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The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Sarina Wiegman: I have fallen in love with England after ‘craziest' tournament yet
Shortly before Sarina Wiegman walks into one of the grand rooms at England 's five-star Dolder base overlooking Zurich, Ella Toone can't help but laugh. 'We've nearly killed her twice in this tournament,' Toone says. It sometimes feels like at least twice in single games, especially those against Sweden and Italy. 'You've definitely aged me,' Wiegman told the players after the semi-final. You wouldn't think it as she walks in for a more informal chat with media on the eve of the Euro 2025 final. Wiegman is all smiles and laughs, as you might well be when your team repeatedly get through emotional late rescue acts. Everyone conspicuously looks to the coach in such moments. That isn't always the case in football. Wiegman admits that she finds focus on her 'awkward', if of course 'very special'. Except, it's hard not to focus on her. This is the 55-year-old's third consecutive major final in the England job, and fifth as a manager, going back to Euro 2017. It sums Wiegman up that she says it's a record she doesn't even want to think about until she retires. For everyone else, it defines her. While there have been a number of factors in England's rise, not least FA investment, the money they have spent on Wiegman is well justified. She is almost certainly the single most important figure in the history of the women's team. Hence the FA being 'in awe' of Wiegman, according to many insiders, to the point chief executive Mark Bullingham says she's priceless. If England loves Wiegman, however, what does Wiegman think of England? As a manager, she can come across as an abrupt figure, especially when talking in that matter-of-fact manner. Some close to her just say it's part of being Dutch. Nevertheless, Wiegman's success comes as her own players talk about how she's changed; maybe even softened. She is relaxed enough to elaborate on her relationship with England outside the job, something she hasn't really done before. 'I have been here four years and it just feels like my home away from home. I always enjoy it when I'm at work, when I'm in England. It is just the people, the sporting culture. I really love the sporting culture and the fans of course. It is the connection I have with the people, we are very, very close. The people at the FA, with everyone.' Wiegman is eventually asked whether she's 'fallen in love' with England? 'Yes, I have,' she says. 'Otherwise, I would not be sitting here with such a smile on my face.' Wiegman has certainly harnessed some of England's distinctive sporting traits, most visibly in the resilience of this team. 'Proper England', as her players keep saying. 'I absolutely see that,' she says. 'People that really want to work hard and are very committed.' That quality has been honed for this England team through Wiegman's nurturing of a proper old-fashioned team spirit. It has meant that, no matter how the team plays - and, in this tournament, that hasn't been very well - they always have a chance. Hence her resistance to speak about herself, except in the most couched way. 'I think I'm pretty good at bringing people together. But, without the quality, you're not going to win a tournament. So you need very good players and the support staff. The environment we created, the performance, how we do recovery… but they're important things to be the best prepared. 'What I'm trying to do is bring people together in the best possible way. Players and staff and the people around are really, really good.' As is always the case with such figures, you can't truly separate the real personality from the sporting personality, much as they try to. 'I'm kind of a caring person,' Wiegman says. 'I care about them… but at the same time I'm the coach.' The England players say she now lets out more emotion when they score. 'That comes from these performances,' she laughs. 'It's so intense. Of course I look very calm, but when the whistle goes and we score a goal and we change the game, when you have one minute left, of course that is emotional. Now, yes, like every person, I develop too with experiences. 'What I really wanted to do over all these years was try to enjoy it a little bit more, instead of always being so…' Wiegman interrupts herself. 'You have to be focused in this job, but you need to celebrate the moments that are good. It's really nice.' Some of the squad go even further and describe her as 'a mum'. 'Yeah, you know, sometimes when people say about 'the girls', I think 'do they mean my daughters or my team?!'I care about them but at the same time I'm making these hard decisions at the moment. So sometimes you should leave that caring and leave it up to them. They're grown-up women! But at least a mum should care.' Being in the job for four years has naturally seen her become closer to players, though. 'Those informal moments are just nice, to have a conversation in so you get to know each other better on and off the pitch. I say this a lot, but I truly believe connections make a difference. That's why I like team sports so much. That's what I like about the tournaments because you have more time together, so you have more time to have these informal moments.' Wiegman even admits that she misses the players away from camps. 'When we go into international breaks it's 11 days… you don't have much time. And then I'm not a person who just goes out and has a conversation where there's no purpose.' Much of this comes from the amount of consideration she put into actually taking the job in 2021. 'I think from both sides, before 2021, we have been really diligent to figure out if we were a good match. And you never know until you go in.' They now know so well that she's signed a contract to take her at least to the 2027 World Cup. There was 'a click', as Wiegman puts it. No matter how long she goes in the job, though, she's unlikely to face a tournament as tumultuous as Euro 2025. From the retirements beforehand to the being on the brink throughout, she admits there's been nothing like it. 'Before the World Cup, we had challenges with players who were injured. But in this tournament, it has been the craziest one with how the games went. That has been different.' The words don't quite reflect the mock exasperation on her face. Wiegman does admit that she now recovers from matches better. 'I've worked on that, too, because I always say don't put too much emphasis on the result. Of course, we are here to win, but you can't control winning. You can control what you do and what you try to do to win the games. And I do better at that.' As another tournament proves, however, she's not bad at winning either.
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on Women's Euro 2025: tales of the unexpected have delivered a thrilling football spectacle
In some quarters there were misgivings when Switzerland was chosen as host nation for the Women's Euro 2025. The Swiss track record in women's football was nothing to write home about. The stadiums would be of a modest size, unable to offer the grandeur and sense of occasion that accompanied games at Wembley or Old Trafford in Euro 2022. Would it all be a bit of a comedown after that heady summer's day three years ago, when England beat Germany to end 56 years of hurt in front of almost 90,000 people? As the Lionesses prepare to defend their title this weekend against the competition favourites, Spain, such fears have long been put to bed. Sunday's final in Basel, pitting English athleticism against subtle Spanish passing rhythms, promises a worthy denouement to a tournament that has delivered further progress for the women's game. From the group stages onwards, record numbers of fans have packed out grounds from Lucerne to Zurich, while in Britain ITV's coverage has attracted its highest viewing figures of the year. The Swiss fell in love with their underdog team, which battled courageously through to the quarter-finals. ('This is just the beginning,' read one supporter's banner.) Sweden sparkled and then self-combusted in an unbearably tense penalty shootout against England. Four thousand fans dressed in red and green accompanied Wales's women to their first ever major tournament. Only four years ago, Wales played a World Cup qualifier in Slovenia in front of a handful of spectators. As for England, where to start? Online racist abuse directed at the defender Jess Carter cast a long, unhappy shadow off the field. As the women's game continues to grow, the Football Association must be proactive in seeking to protect players suddenly exposed to some of society's darkest undercurrents. On the pitch, it was thrilling stuff. The Lionesses' madcap progress to the final has been arguably the most gripping spectacle of the sporting year. Dead and buried against the Swedes, down and out against Italy in the semi-final, veterans such as Lucy Bronze and Chloe Kelly somehow found a way to win. The joy of those comebacks will for ever be savoured by girls who have grown up with these players as idols and role models. Michelle Agyemang, the 19-year-old former Wembley ballgirl whose remarkable last-gasp goals twice saved England, announced herself as a star for the next generation. Such stories – and such drama – will become part of the sport's folklore, as women's football writes its own vivid 21st-century history. The game has its challenges to address, particularly at club level, where a gulf in resources has emerged between elite clubs and the rest. But successful international tournaments are crucial to sustaining momentum, or as Bronze put it before England's match against Sweden, 'exploding' the game in Europe and beyond. In that respect, Euro 2025 has more than done its job. Sunday's final is a repeat of the 2023 World Cup final in Australia, which Spain deservedly won. The form book, and the quality of players such as two-time Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmatí, points to another Spanish victory. On the other hand, there is an old football saying often applied to teams that ride their luck and reach a cup final without truly playing well. Could it be that England's 'name is on the trophy'? Here's to one more tale of the unexpected.
