A socially responsible and sustainable EURO
Thursday, July 9, 2015
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UEFA and EURO 2016 SAS have presented a report on the latest social responsibility and sustainability plans for next summer's final tournament in France.
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Jacques Lambert, EURO 2016 SAS president, Emmanuelle Assmann, president of the French Paralympic and Sporting Committee, and Tony Estanguet, three-time Olympic champion and IOC member, all spoke of the importance of this aspect of the organisation of UEFA EURO 2016.
The UEFA EURO 2016 social responsibility and sustainability report (one year to go)
Jacques Lambert, EURO 2016 SAS president
"All organisers of any sort of event have that responsibility [economic, social and environmental], whether it's on a world scale or simply a local or district level. In a sense that's what sustainable development means, taking into account civic responsibility at all organisational levels. This is nothing new for us because France's bid contained a chapter entirely devoted to sustainable development. What we've done in practice over the last three years is make concrete progress in relation to objectives, actions and means, which is what we presented this morning.
"I'll give you two examples. Firstly, providing every spectator with an 'eco-calculator' so they can find out for themselves the impact in terms of CO2 emissions of them travelling to EURO 2016. This is an educational measure. The second example is our desire for the stadiums in 2016 to be smoke free. That is also an educational measure aimed at everyone, so that at the very least over a period of two or three hours, something is done that is good for everybody's health."
Emmanuelle Assmann, president of the French Paralympic Committee
"I'm very moved by the fact that among the priorities laid down by UEFA EURO 2016, there is this accessibility for all, both to the stadiums and to places around this EURO, such as fan zones and transport to stadiums. We are working on it on a daily basis, and I truly believe in the power of sport to help accelerate change. I think that a celebration is a good moment to integrate everyone."
Tony Estanguet, IOC member
"It's true that EURO 2016 is an opportunity for us to raise environmental and social questions. I think there is a great mobilising force when it comes to major sporting events, as well as a major educational purpose. Personally, I think sport can really play an important part in raising awareness. And today we also have the opportunity to educate through EURO 2016."
