Image Credit: Jeff Holmes
Delivery on track
Glasgow’s hosting of the 19th World Athletics Indoor Championships also served as a qualification event for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and attracted 587 competitors from 128 countries.
Social impact and environmental sustainability were delivery and legacy priorities for the event, which created several pioneering initiatives to support them.
For social impact, these included mental health training for volunteers and staff, the redistribution of all excess food to a city food bank, and workforce and community engagement programmes that provided opportunities for groups that may not otherwise have been involved.
For sustainability, they ranged from carbon-reducing public transport partnerships and plant-based catering options to awareness-raising events, discussions and activations before and during the event.
Read more: World Indoor Championships Glasgow 24 earns platinum level recognition for sustainable delivery (External Link)
800+
Volunteers received mental health training
67%
of volunteers surveyed said they now have a better understanding of how to look after their own mental wellbeing
300+
Free tickets provided to local schools and community groups
190
Kids from six local schools who participated in a Kids Athletics Day
8,304 tCO2e
Total carbon footprint
100%
Electric car fleet for the event
12
Carbon literacy training modules offered to staff and volunteers
60%
of spectators surveyed used public transport or active travel to get to the event
600+
items of equipment donated to local schools and athletics clubs to reduce event waste.
1,000
meals for young people provided due to the re-allocation of unused food from the event.
These initiatives helped Glasgow 24 become the first Championships to be awarded Platinum level recognition against the Athletics for a Better World (ABW) Standard, the World Athletics evaluation system that measures an event’s achievements in sustainable delivery.
The ABW Standard’s 55 action areas assess all levels of event delivery for alignment with the six pillars of the World Athletics Sustainability Strategy. These areas include procurement, waste management, energy, food and water management, travel and accommodation planning. Diversity, accessibility and inclusion of staff and volunteers are also addressed, as is ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of all participants.