Lausanne, Switzerland: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is delighted to announce that it has won the 2024 IOC Climate Action Award in the International Federation category, as revealed at a ceremony held in New York, USA, on the occasion of UN Climate Week. FIH has been awarded this highly prestigious distinction for its outstanding work in substantially reducing water consumption for the practice of hockey at elite level.
Indeed, FIH is working with the artificial turf industry to develop a new technology – Dry Turf – that reduces the amount of water needed for elite hockey pitches. This new technology has already led to a 40 per cent reduction of water used between London 2012 and Tokyo 2020, and an anticipated further 20 per cent reduction for Paris 2024. The ultimate aim is to replace the approximately 2,000 water-based artificial hockey pitches globally with dry turfs, saving approximately 7.6 billion litres of water per year.
FIH is also developing other innovative solutions including “self wetting balls” that release water at the point of contact between the ball, the surface and the stick, to enable the sport to be played at the highest level on dry turf. The project is part of the FIH’s wide-ranging sustainability strategy and a comprehensive carbon reduction and mitigation plan, which includes the first-ever carbon zero artificial turf, which was inaugurated at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, and the global offsetting “Give Back to Forest” tree planting initiative.
FIH President Tayyab Ikram said: “We are extremely honoured and grateful to receive this very high distinction from the International Olympic Committee. It is also a strong encouragement for us since it expresses the gratitude of the highest body in world sport and the Olympic movement for the efforts that we have undertaken to reduce the impact on the environment generated by the practice of our sport.
On behalf of FIH, and in my personal name, I would like to express our utmost gratitude to the IOC. I would also like to extend our sincerest thanks to all the providers and suppliers that are part of our FIH Quality Programme, and in particular our Global Supplier Polytan, for their commitment. Without them, it would not be possible to achieve the sustainability goals that we have set ourselves.
I urge the entire global hockey community to continue its efforts relentlessly, and also engage in our ‘Give back to Forest’ initiative that we will pursue with the launch of Phase 2. Sport has a major role to play in building a better future for society and this includes protecting the environment. We are determined to be an important stakeholder in this area.”
Supported by Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner Deloitte, the IOC Climate Action Awards encourage, recognise and reward innovative projects from National Olympic Committees (NOCs), International Federations (IFs) and athletes aimed at reducing the environmental impact of sport, while inspiring the wider Olympic Movement to take action.
In the athlete category, Canadian hockey player Oliver Scholfield had been selected for co-founding “Racing to Zero”, a sport-focused sustainability consultancy that helps organisations to understand and mitigate their environmental impact.
Note: A video message from FIH President Tayyab Ikram commenting on the Award is available here.
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