Sustainability

Challenge Sandefjord can contribute to achieving the sustainability goals via concrete and realistic measures. We break down the big goals into understandable and achievable actions. Our event will have its own sustainability officer in a staff role, whose main task will be to help the organization make the right choices in relation to our sustainability goals. The following sustainability goals will be our focus:

Sustainability goal number three, which is good health and well-being, is  what sport naturally is associated with. Triathlon contribute to health benefits by reaching out to many people. We make it possible for everyone, regardless of form, to take part in one of our activities. Elite sports inspires and motivates. Our biggest star, Kristian Blummenfeldt, stated

“What it’s all about, is getting people up and out”. He is so right!

Quality of life usually comes as a result of health, but also through the community that such an event provides. This is important to us as organizers in Sandefjord. The sport of triathlon is unique in that it is made up of three different sports that are important for coping with life. Strengthening swimming skills can reduce the number of drowning accidents. More cycling offers both society and the individual benefits, in addition to being a good fitness builder in the same way as running. Practicing triathlon also means more varied training, thus reducing risk of injury.

We will try to use educational institutions in the region for students who have education relevant to the tasks that are needed, to help with quality education, which is sustainability goal number four. Relevant tasks are information, hotels, transport, security or as public hosts. We will give students the opportunity to gain practical experience with a large event. Experience from other events of this type has shown that it provides increased motivation for the students in their studies when they have pegs to hang theory on.

We have worked with sustainability goal number five, gender equality, in the sport of triathlon over many years. World Triathlon and Europe Triathlon have put equality on the agenda for a long time and ensured that women and men compete in the same distances, and prize money is the same for women and men. Both World Triathlon and the Norwegian Triathlon Association have female presidents. Challenge Sandefjord gives the same prize money to women and men and they compete in the same distances.

An important inclusion and diversity perspective is to reduce inequalities. We include para athletes in the regular competition set-up. It is important to focus on goal number 10. Para athletes unfortunately do not have many spectators at their competitions. Those who participate in Sandefjord will get that. In the organizational group, we include everyone who can contribute, with the tasks they can contribute to in relation to the degree of functional fitness. We call it coping with life.

As the organizer of a major sporting event, we have a responsibility in relation to what we consume and how it is produced. Under sustainability goal number 12, we will:

• Set requirements for collaboration partners when purchasing. Where is the product produced and how is it produced. We seek to select suppliers who can document this.
• Set requirements for the race hotel regarding the use of plastic and disposable materials.
• Use local producers as much as possible.
• Buy equipment that can be reused and borrowed from other teams and associations.

We do also try to buy used materials, e.g. carpets, buoys etc. And we prioritize to rent equipment where we can, instead of buying everything ourselves.

For a sport that does outdoor sports, sustainability goal number 13 is a no brainer to focus on. Challenge Sandefjord will contribute to reducing climate change, through reducing the need for travelling. Here is how:

• Sandefjord has been chosen as a destination, among other things, for the ease of getting there using public transport, the competition arena is compact, and most of the events take place at Badeparken in the centre. These athletes bring a lot of equipment, such as bicycles, wheelchairs etc. The organizer encourages everyone who comes to Sandefjord through newsletters and social media to use public transport to Sandefjord.
• All volunteers who live within a certain radius of the city, cycle to the center when they want to participate. We organize bicycle parking.
• Race hotel will be one of the two largest city center hotels. Both are close to the arena in Badeparken. Then there is no need for extra transport to and from, for those athletes who choose to live there. Everyone who is associated with the event and will be staying overnight in the city will stay at the race hotel.

We don’t have an arena waiting for us. We use the outdoor areas that are suitable for our sport. We practice our sports in water and on land.When we have finished our event, you will not be able to tell that we have been there.

Sustainability goals number 14 & 15 are important goals for us to be able to practice our sport outdoors in the future. We have zero tolerance for littering in triathlon, and for many years, throwing equipment/rubbish outside designated places has been subject to disqualification. Waste bins with source sorting will be deployed in the arena, and in selected audience areas around the course.

To hang advertising on fences around the course in the city, we use strong elastics (as shown in the picture), which will be reused year after year. Most organizers use disposable plastic strips for this. By using the elastic solution, we avoid ending up in the water or disappearing around the city. Strips should not be in the stomachs of either hogs, dogs or fish. It’s an expensive option, but a good one.