FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Suissegas Milano Marathon Becomes the First Winner of the AIMS Green Award
The world running organisation the Association of International Marathons
and Distance Races (AIMS) is delighted to declare the Suisse Gas Milano
Marathon as the winner of the inaugural AIMS Green Award.
The award, which highlights good environmental performance in marathon
events, was presented to the successful Italian race during the inaugural
AIMS Best Marathon Runner Awards Gala Dinner last night (Friday 8 November
2013) in Athens, Greece.
Also shortlisted for the award were Sweden's Goteborgs Varvet Half Marathon
and Germany's BMW Frankfurt Marathon.
Earlier this year the SuisseGas Milano Marathon was also awarded with
ReSport Silver certification (issued by the Council for Responsible Sport -
USA*), becoming the first Marathon in Europe to reach this goal.
The SuisseGas Milano Marathon used a number of different initiatives to
help achieve their environmental goals. These included race participants
being given a free day ticket for public transport, while the Milan
Municipality agreed to an "ecological day" banning all private motorised
transport on the day of the race.
Participants had to register their entry online and specifically opt in if
they wanted to receive finisher awards and t-shirts, reducing the number
required. To further reduce the amount of waste the event generated,
volunteers were trained to help with the collection of waste and recycling,
the race t-shirt suppliers reduced their packaging which helped save 80kg
of plastic and 60% of the heatsheets distributed at the finishing line were
collected to be reused for future events.
Non-profit organisations were featured at race day events, were given space
on the SuisseGas Milano Marathon website and had their information included
in newsletters. These organisations also received donations from the
SuisseGas Milano Marathon with fundraising sitting at approximately
€130,000.
As well as this, the SuisseGas Milano Marathon collaborated with the
municipality of Milan on the mapping of the city's first running route as a
useful tool for runners. The race also prepared training charts to help
participants work towards the target time they were hoping to achieve and
to encourage first-time athletes the race developed a special award for the
first eighteen-year-old who crossed the finish line.
Candidates for the AIMS Green Award were judged upon a number of areas
including the impact the race has had on promoting environmentally friendly
practices in marathon events, how volunteers contribute to the success of
the project and the ability for the race to educate younger generations
about the benefits of sport and environmental protection. This is in line
with AIMS' own environmental guidelines and the IOC Olympic Movement's
Agenda 21. **
The AIMS Green Award was set up in collaboration with George
Kazantzopoulos, Member of the IOC Sport and Environment Commission and
President of the Institute Team for the World Environmental Alliance 2004+,
a non-governmental not-for-profit organisation which was the scientific
partner of AIMS in the development of the AIMS Environmental Guidelines.
A screening and research process by a jury panel made up of AIMS and
independent judges lead to a shortlist of three candidates. From this
shortlist the AIMS Board of Directors then made the final award selection
decision.
Paco Borao, President of AIMS said: "I am delighted that the SuisseGas
Milano Marathon is the first winner of the AIMS Green Award highlighting
good environmental practice. They have developed an excellent strategy on
minimising the environmental impact their marathon event has. There was an
excellent selection of entries for the award providing some strong
competition, including the runners up, the GöteborgsVarvet Half Marathon
and the BMW Frankfurt Marathon. All the races who entered have done some
highly acclaimed work to show how environmentally conscious they are. I
hope they can act as role models for other races around the world as this
is such an important issue for us all."
Andrea Trabuio, SuisseGas Milano Marathon's Race Organiser added: "We are
really honoured to receive this award, especially as we are aware of the
high levels of environmentally friendly initiatives that AIMS races around
the world have implemented. We would like to thank AIMS and the sponsor of
the gala dinner OPAP for their support and recognition of our work. We
believe that the Best Marathon Runner Award, this new initiative of AIMS,
will not only recognise the sport achievements of the best marathon runners
every year, but will promote further our sport and will project to the
whole community worldwide the myriad benefits this sports brings along with
it. We are delighted to be in Athens, the home of AIMS Headquarters, in
order to receive the award during the AIMS BMR Gala, to attend the 7th AIMS
Marathon Symposium and enjoy the Athens International Marathon on the
Authentic course."
About the AIMS Best Marathon Runner Award Gala
The purpose of the BMR Award Gala is to:
I. Announce and honour the best male and female Marathon
runners of the year through the AIMS BEST MARATHON RUNNER (BMR) Award. The
BMR Award replaces the AIMS World Athlete of the Year Award.
II. Recognise and honour exceptional Marathon figureheads and
personalities for their contribution to the development of the Marathon
movement.
III. Publicise and promote the best practice and initiatives of
AIMS members (350+ race organizers) through the establishment of special
environmental and social awards.
IV. Enhance the role, programs and services of AIMS.
The event was staged at Athens College Theater, 15 Stefanou Delta Street
15452 Psychico, Athens, Greece on Friday 8 November 2013.
About AIMS
AIMS is a member based organisation and since being established in 1982 has
grown to a membership of more than 350 of the world's leading distance
races, from over 100 countries and territories. AIMS Members come from
every continent on the planet and include the Athens Classic Marathon,
formed on the legend of Pheidippides, the Greek soldier-runner who ran from
the town of Marathon to Athens in 490 BC to announce the Persians had been
defeated in the 'Battle of Marathon'. Other AIMS members include many of
the world's greatest distance races in history such as the Boston and the
Berlin Marathons. The three key objectives of AIMS are:
1. To foster and promote distance running throughout the world
2. To work with the International Association of Athletic Federations
(IAAF) on all matters relating to international road races.
3. To exchange information, knowledge and expertise among members of
the association
* About ReSport Certification from the Council for Responsible Sport (USA)
ReSport Certification recognises a significant achievement where there has
been the successful completion of a socially and environmentally
responsible sporting event. This can be achieved in a number of areas
including waste management, impact on the climate, community involvement
and health promotion.
Certification is based on the number of credits you receive for your work
in each area. The first level you can be awarded is 'Certified', before
working up to 'Silver', 'Gold' and finally 'Evergreen.'
** About the IOC Olympic Movement's Agenda 21
Agenda 21 was established in June 1992 at a meeting of the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) as a plan of action for
the introduction of sustainable development in the 21st century.
In 1999 the Olympic Movement (OM) adopted Agenda 21: Sport for Sustainable
Development. Based on the UNCED model, it lays down a clear pathway for
sustainable development throughout the sporting world. Stakeholders include
International and National Sports Federations, National Olympic Committees,
Organising Committees of the Olympic Games (OCOGs) and Youth Olympic Games
(YOCOGs), sponsors, government partners, the sporting goods industry,
athletes, youth and the media.
The starting point for The Olympic Movement's Agenda 21 is that national
approaches and policies on sports and environment should recognise that
athletes need a healthy environment in which to train and perform at their
optimum. In addition, the document embraces the three tenets of sustainable
development: Improving socioeconomic conditions, conservation and
management of natural resources and strengthening the role of major groups
such as women, young people and indigenous people.
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