FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Council for Responsible Sport Introduces Certification Standard 3.0
U.S. Men's and Women's Olympic Marathon Trials and 40th Annual Chevron
Houston Marathon are the first events to apply for CRS Certification using
the new, third update, of the sustainable sport standard.
January 12, 2012 - Portland, OR: The Council for Responsible Sport (CRS)
today released version 3.0 of its certification standards for sports
events. The new standards will be applied to this upcoming weekend's U.S.
Men's and Women's Olympic Marathon Trials, 40th Annual Chevron Houston
Marathon, Aramco Houston Half Marathon, El Paso Corporation 5k and ABB Team
Challenge; all are organized and produced by the Houston Marathon
Committee.
The Council first developed its certification standards in 2007 and
conducted a pilot certification program throughout 2008. Based on
stakeholder feedback from the pilot program, v2.0 of the certification
standards were introduced in January 2009.
Work on v3.0 began in June 2011, with an independent working group of 20
sustainability experts spending the summer looking for ways to update
existing standards and add new standards that would make CRS Certification
more comprehensive. The draft standards were then circulated for
stakeholder review this past fall. The working group convened one last time
in Mid-December to fine-tune the 76-page CRS Certification Manual that was
released today.
CRS Managing Director Catherine Humblet, who led the project from start to
finish, said: "Our intent in updating the standard was to keep the best
aspects of the old standard and add to it all of the best practices that
we've seen in the field over the last four years. This new version is not
harder than the old version, but it is more robust, up-to-date and
complete."
CRS Certification is modeled after the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED
Green Building Rating System, which certifies buildings and materials
according to resource conservation and energy efficiency criteria. The
Council provides an independently audited certification process for event
directors of running and bicycle races, triathlons and other participant
sporting events. Certification credits can be achieved in areas ranging
from waste management and climate impact to community involvement,
promoting a healthy lifestyle and more.
CRS Certified events range in size from the August 2011 ParalympicsGB
Training Camp at the University of Bath in the UK, with 150 athletes
participating, to the AJC Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia, with
55,077 timed finishers on July 4, 2011. To date, 35 different events have
achieved certification from the Council for Responsible Sport, serving over
565,000 athletes in the process. A complete listing of CRS Certified events
can be found at:
http://www.councilforresponsiblesport.org/certification/certified-events/.
A PDF file of the Certification Standards 3.0 can be downloaded at:
http://www.councilforresponsiblesport.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Certif
ication-Standards-3.0.pdf
About the Council for Responsible Sport:
Founded in 2007 to empower sporting event producers to incorporate
sustainably into their events, the Council for Responsible Sport is about
inspired innovation and unprecedented collaboration. The mission of CRS is
to partner with stakeholders in the sports industry as catalysts for
sustainable change. From half marathons to football games to lacrosse and
snowboarding, the Council believes athletes and spectators alike have the
opportunity to encourage sports to adopt sustainable practices.
In addition to administering a certification program for sports events, CRS
also offers peer-to-peer learning communities and access to online tools,
case studies and strategic partnerships to assist leaders and businesses
actively engaged in the sports industry.
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