The UPF-BSM delves into the binomial sport and sustainability in a conference with Kilian Jornet and Theresa Zabell

• The mountain runner Kilian Jornet and the sailor and Olympic medalist Theresa Zabell, will participate in the conference “Sport, sustainability and climate emergency”.

• During the conference there will be representatives of the Spanish highest institutions of sport such as the COE, the Barcelona Provincial Council and the Spanish Sports.

The UPF Barcelona School of Management will delve into the binomial sport and sustainability on April 28 at the online conference “Sport, sustainability and climate emergency”, organized by the Master in Sports Management of the UPF-BSM in collaboration with the consulting firms Summa Sports and L’Origen.

Four panels will address the commitment of the sports world to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), stipulated by the United Nations, and will analyze the sector’s compliance with the 2030 Agenda. “We seek the complicity of the sports sector, from its diversity and complexity: athletes, clubs, federations and sports institutions”, says Isidre Rigau, director of Summa Sports and professor of the Master in Sports Management at the UPF-BSM.

In order to carry it out, the conference will have the participation of elite athletes such as the mountain runner Kilian Jornet, or the sailor and Olympic medalist Theresa Zabell, as well as representatives of the Spanish highest institutions in the field of sport as Juli Pernas, president of the Commission of Sport and Environment of the COE; Helena Berlanga, head of the Planning and Management subsection of the Sports Facilities Office of the Barcelona Provincial Council; Carles Vallès, representative of the Barcelona Sports Institute of the Barcelona City Council; and Josep Lluís Bruna, member of the Spanish Sports Association, among others.

The UPF-BSM, with sustainable sport

The director of the Master in Sports Management at the UPF-BSM, Carles Murillo, recalls that “the sensitivity of the stakeholders operating in the sports sector regarding sustainability is not new”. In this sense, Murillo affirms that the “coincidence” between the strategic objectives of the UPF-BSM and the growing awareness of the need to preserve the environment and fight against climate change in society and also in sport “should facilitate the unification of our agendas”.

“The training of professionals in the business of sports world should incorporate content on the impact of sports activities on sustainability and the environment”, says Rigau. In his opinion, this is a consideration that the School “has already made” and with which it “has taken the initiative” in relation to other universities with the “incorporation and internalization of the concept of sustainability in the definition of its mission and values”.

The organization believes that the commitment of government agencies and entities, both state and regional, is not enough, but that, in Rigau’s words, “all levels of society, including the University, must be involved”. “Breaking the current dynamic and regaining respect for our ecosystem is possible”, says Murillo, who assures that “from the sports sector and from the University we can make it happen”. “From the discussion and analysis derived from the panels, elements for effective decision-making will be extracted”, concludes the director of the Master in Sports Management.

To this end, on April 28, sports personalities and academics will discuss national and international success stories that combine sport and sustainability. During the sessions, formulas will be proposed to materialize the commitment to the environment through responsible sports practice, either through the organization of sporting events, the construction of facilities for this purpose or the management of clubs and associations.      

Register here