Sport meets sustainability in new BOC environmental initiative

The Barbados Olympic Committee (BOC) has officially launched its five-year national sustainability strategy under the theme Playing Green and Living Clean, signaling its commitment to fighting climate change and promoting environmental responsibility through sport.

At the official launch on Thursday, BOC President Sandra Osborne underscored the urgency of addressing global environmental challenges and the role sport can play in fostering climate resilience, especially for small island nations like Barbados.

“The purpose of this morning is to share with you our decision to play our part in what has become a burning global issue, that of sustainability and in particular, climate resilience. The global sporting community has recognised that sport has a role to play in the face of many of today’s environmental challenges and in securing a sustainable future for generations to come. This is because the relationship between sport and nature is symbiotic,” she said.

Osborne highlighted the impact of sport on the environment—travel, energy use, and consumption of materials, and acknowledged the responsibility to mitigate that impact.

She noted, “We recognise that we are highly susceptible to the impact of environmental changes brought about through climate change, depletion of natural resources, rising temperatures, and the effect of poor air and water quality – the impact of plastics in our oceans and mangroves and other pollution.”

The BOC’s sustainability strategy mirrors the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Osborne affirmed the Committee’s alignment with the International Olympic Committee’s broader goals to use sport as a platform to inspire action and raise awareness about sustainability.

She revealed that the BOC’s strategy is custom-built to suit the island’s needs, and has a practical focus on climate action and responsible resource management.

Central to this initiative is a new team of Sustainability Ambassadors comprising current and former athletes who will use their voices to champion environmental awareness. Among those named were Chelsea Tuach, Adrian Maynard, Matthew Wright, Kayla Renwick, along with retired Olympians Martin Ford and Terrence Haynes, both of whom now work in the energy sector.

During her remarks, Ambassador Chelsea Tuach spoke about the ocean’s personal and professional significance to her.

“I think as a surfer, it’s easy to understand my love and connection to the ocean. It’s not only my training ground and my competitive arena, but it’s my sanctuary and where I feel most at home. Through the many hours I’ve spent riding its waves, I’ve also gained a unique and firsthand perspective of the ocean’s changing conditions and its vulnerability to climate change,” she said.

Director of the Coastal Zone Management Unit, Dr Leo Brewster, emphasised the national implications of the strategy. He welcomed the BOC’s initiative, noting how climate change is affecting nearly every sport, from road races to open-water swimming.

“Ocean temperatures are also increasing, which can impact on swimmers doing open water swimming especially, because cold water [helps] you swim faster.

“As this project Sustainability Strategy – Playing Green and Living Clean is rolled out, it will be important for everyone to recognise that it doesn’t only speak to the athletics that are run through the BOA, but it also speaks to the individual in terms of your attendance and support at events whereby you must have responsibility for keeping the environment clean after the event is gone,” he said.

The new initiative also includes the launch of a new plastic bottle receptacle at the association’s headquarters in Wildey, in cooperation with B’s Recycling.

The BOC’s sustainability strategy centres on three key pillars: climate action, which will aim to reduce emissions around facilities and events and raise awareness; resource management with responsibly sourcing goods and minimising waste; and prioritising the wellbeing and rights of staff, volunteers, and affected communities. (SB)