The International Judo Federation (IJF) announced that its World Tour tournament in Budapest, Hungary, was the organization's first carbon-neutral event.
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The International Judo Federation (IJF) announced that its World Tour tournament in Budapest, Hungary, was the organization’s first carbon-neutral event. A total of 375 tonnes of CO2 greenhouse gas emissions were produced by the Grand Slam’s transportation, hotel energy consumption, sports venue energy consumption, and food-related emissions. This is based on a report issued by the IJF with the assistance of the Croatian consultant firm the Energy Research and Environmental Protection Institute. The IJF, on the other hand, chose to balance its overall emissions by purchasing the quantity of carbon offset credits equivalent to its carbon footprint.
The tournament, which took place earlier this year in the Hungarian capital from July 8 to 10, drew 405 participants from 61 countries. The Hungarian Judo Association collaborated with the IJF to implement a set of initiatives aimed at boosting the competition’s sustainability level. These included offering recyclable drinking cups to guests and obtaining billboards for the competition venue that did not carry the date so that they could be reused for future events.
Supporting the Gunder Hydro Power Project in Antalya allowed the IJF to offset its emissions. The carbon offsetting credits were verified in accordance with the widely accepted Verra standard. The initiative reduces greenhouse gas emissions significantly by delivering carbon-neutral electricity production to the Turkish grid. In addition, a “green link” has been established between the World Tour’s two locations, Antalya and Budapest.
The report from IJF stated, “With the Grand Slam Hungary 2022 carbon footprint established, after introducing several sustainability initiatives, organizers now have clear insight into the climate impact of all activities related to the event and can focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions even more in the future. It is clear that initiatives such as the performed assessment of the sport event carbon footprint are a valuable starting point for further climate actions in the future. These initiatives have a broad influence on all people and organizations involved in the event as it raises their awareness regarding the importance of minimizing negative environmental impact. As we all know, even a small contribution towards sustainability can be a significant force for good and can help to create a sustainable culture.
