IOC recognizes climate leaders across the Olympic Movement

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has revealed the recipients of its Climate Action Awards 2025 at the IOC Session in Milan, just before the start of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. The IOC Climate Action Awards 2025 recognize impactful initiatives that address climate change within the Olympic Movement in three distinct categories: athletes, National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and International Federations (IFs). The winners are Olympic hockey player Hugo Inglis (New Zealand), Olympic rugby sevens player Kevin Wekesa (Kenya), the Dutch Olympic Committee (NOC*NSF), and the International Biathlon Union (IBU), with the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) and World Sailing receiving “Highly Commended” recognition.

Hugo Inglis: funding high-impact climate solutions

Hugo Inglis is the co-founder of High Impact Athletes (HIA), a global platform for athletes who want to contribute beyond reducing their own footprint. HIA allocates athlete funding to evidence-based organizations, delivering high-impact solutions in sectors responsible for a significant share of sport’s emissions, such as aviation, energy and infrastructure. Today, HIA brings together over 240 athletes from 50 disciplines and 35 countries.

Kevin Wekesa: using sport to drive climate action in Kenya

Kevin Wekesa is the founder of Play Green, a program that uses sport as a platform to promote climate action, responding to the rising temperatures and desertification that are already affecting people’s lives across Kenya. The initiative has transitioned Kenya’s national rugby teams from single-use plastic bottles to reusable aluminium alternatives, saving nearly 1,000 plastic bottles per week. Play Green works with 40 schools to plant trees and holds workshops on water conservation, waste management and climate justice. To date, the program has supported the planting of 2,300 trees and engaged thousands of children in climate education.

Dutch Olympic Committee: leading on sustainable mobility

The Dutch Olympic Committee has developed an integrated approach to sustainable mobility for athletes and staff travel. With domestic travel accounting for nearly 70 percent of its emissions, the Committee has launched a comprehensive strategy that combines electric vehicles, e-bikes and a digital mobility platform into a single, integrated system. As a result, 65 percent of Team NL’s fleet now consists of electric vehicles, contributing to a 40 percent reduction in emissions. Full electrification is planned by 2027. The NOC*NSF has also tackled emissions from procurement and equipment. For the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, a shift to more sustainable clothing options for participants’ kit cut related emissions by 70 percent as compared to Tokyo 2020.

International Biathlon Union: first winter IF with comprehensive climate plan

The International Biathlon Union has been honored for a comprehensive climate strategy that covers competitions, operations and community engagement. It is the first Winter International Federation to include its World Cups and World Championships in a climate transition plan, leading to a 6 percent reduction in direct and indirect emissions across all three scopes of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol in 2024. The Federation targets a 50 percent reduction in emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2040. It also assists its national members in developing sustainability strategies, calculating carbon footprints and implementing climate initiatives tailored to their specific circumstances.

Spanish Olympic Committee: measurable decarbonisation and governance

The Spanish Olympic Committee has received a “Highly Commended” recognition for its measurable approach to decarbonization and governance. Since 2018, the organization has reduced its emissions by nearly 28 percent across all three scopes under the Greenhouse Gas Protocol through a plan that prioritizes sustainable mobility, 100 percent renewable electricity, solar panels, LED lighting and resource efficiency. To extend its impact beyond internal operations, the Spanish Olympic Committee has created the Sustainable Sports Seal, an externally audited certification system that embeds environmental, social and economic criteria into the management of sporting events and organizations. The organization aims to halve emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2040.

World Sailing: cutting emissions from support vessels

World Sailing has earned a “Highly Commended” recognition for its data-driven efforts to cut emissions from support vessels, one of the most carbon-intensive elements in sailing. At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, an emissions-tracking system for 285 boats identified ways to reduce fuel use and emissions by over 20 percent through practical measures such as fleet optimization, standardizing engine power, and eco-piloting training.