How sustainable is the Ironman really?

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With the IronMan of Cervia which ended less than a month ago, that of Jesolo next weekend and finally the IronMan of Sardinia at the end of October, the most awaited events by the triathletes of the Bel Paese will end. Of course, the sensations that you have passing under the arch of the finish line are certainly indescribable but, once the finish line has been cut, one wonders what is the environmental impact of this mega event that involves thousands of athletes and companions.

Referring only to the IronMan of Emilia-Romagna 2022, this saw the participation of more than 6000 athletes from over 80 different nations, registering about 30 thousand tourist presences over the weekend of 17 and 18 September. What impact has all this had on the territory and the surrounding nature?

The guidelines of sustainability are dictated on a global level
At an international level, the World Triathlon Organization itself continues to work hard to minimize the impact of sporting events on the planet and has launched several green-themed initiatives and guidelines in recent years. In the latest document released on sustainability, the World Triathlon has structured some guidelines to help its partners and Local Organizing Committees to adopt more environmentally friendly approaches in hosting events.

The organization's Sustainability Guidelines define a set of best practices and approaches for each stage of the competition, from providing public transport to waste management. This attention throughout the event allows the events to be more and more green year after year, improving the conservation of the environments.

At the Italian level, all major events such as IronMan must comply with the international standard ISO 20121, which allows us to minimize the negative impact on the environment, but still seems not to be enough. This has been visible, for example, in many major summer events on the Italian territory which, even respecting all the foreseen rules, have sparked strong controversy on the part of environmentalists.

Why then are these events still allowed?
While on the one hand the environmental impact of the events is still uncertain, the economic one is very favorable for the locations hosting the events. The income generated by the IronMan of Cervia last September was estimated at around 30 million euros for the entire Riviera Romagnola, an amount that leads the Municipality of Cervia and the Emilia-Romagna Region to renew their commitment with the American organization.

What Ironman is doing to reduce the environmental impact of events
Each event differs from the others by marrying the needs and customs of the different realities in which the events take place. The greenest Iron Man seem to be overseas where a specific plan of sustainable, social and financial objectives is defined.
For example, in the last IronMan in Boulder in Colorado, there were multiple sustainability objectives including the implementation of public transport specifically for the event and the choice of 100% recyclable, compostable and locally reusable materials.

Even the event in Cervia was not far behind with the use of compostable glasses in supplies, extreme attention to recycling and the establishment of special areas where to throw waste, under penalty of disqualification of the athlete. Another thing that the American organization worked on was to optimize energy consumption, especially in a period of crisis dominated by ever higher electricity prices.
The next goal of the World Triathlon Organization will be to achieve carbon neutrality for every sporting event. The road is still long but the steps taken so far are important.

"Whatever the starting point, the main goal is a significant reduction in the climate footprint of events, which is the most comprehensive approach to measuring the impact of greenhouse gas emissions." These are the words of Marisol Casado president of the World Triathlon Organization.

What will the future of events be?
The international organization is evaluating a system to evaluate the sustainability of the various events around the globe.
Within this recognized three-tier evaluation system, there are "mandatory", "recommended" and "to-do" actions that local committees will have to carry out. A three-person commission, determined by the World Triathlon Sustainability Executive Council, will evaluate the dossiers submitted by the locations and award gold, silver or bronze certification based on the parameters set out in the guidelines.

With these guidelines, the World Triathlon wants to make events sustainable in the simplest way possible, so that all interested parties can work together from the beginning for the same goal: the conservation of the ecosystem. By doing so, awareness will be greater, the effect stronger and potentially reduced costs for both organizations and athletes.