The survey, carried out over the last three months, seeks to provide an in-depth look at the opinion, current state of thinking and sustainability practices of IFs worldwide in the areas of social equity, environmental integrity and economic efficiency.

Entitled the "2014 Sustainability Study of International Sport Federations,"  its findings come at a pertinent time barely a month after International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach described sustainability as one of three major topics of focus during the organisation's Session in Sochi.

The survey found more than 74 per cent of respondents included sustainability as part of their organisation's policies and strategy, but more than 50 per cent do not report on their initiatives, and 60 per cent not know how to measure the impact of their activities.

Perhaps most worryingly, 46 per cent of respondents do not have a person responsible for sustainability within their organisation - an increase of five per cent on a similar study in 2010.

Thomas Bach, pictured alongside UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon at the IOC Session in Sochi, sees sustainability as one of the three key areas for the IOC to work on
©Getty Images



More than 40 IFs responded to the survey, including 15 of the 28 Summer Olympic Federations.

Interestingly, Olympic Federations considered the most critical areas of sustainability as "assessing its impact and engaging athletes and the public", while non-Olympic Federations considered "creating a commitment and strategy, and marketing and communicating sustainability" as priority needs.

Replicating successful practices from other organisations, top management support, engagement by athletes, and sponsor interest or demand were found to be the four most important levers aiding a successful sustainability strategy. 

"The results are in part encouraging as IFs readily acknowledge the importance of sustainability," said AISTS head of projects Geert Hendriks.

"Yet, it is evident that they face many challenges, including the working cultural differences of local organising committees, to truly align sustainability initiatives with the overall goals of their organisation."

The final report will be made available to all participating IFs, and will be presented at the AISTS corporate social responsibility and sustainability open module in Lausanne next week.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
February 2014: Dow are involved in much at Sochi 2014 - right down to the cushions that Vladimir Putin sits on
December 2013: AISTS Graduation Ceremony highlighted by guest speakers Gripper and Du Toit
November 2013: Nick Butler - Technology has, overall, changed sport for the better
November 2013: "We are working with IOC to create best sports administrators" claims AISTS director
November 2013: We owe Olympic survival to embracing technology, admits taekwondo chief