The 2022 World Rowing Coastal Championships (WRCC), this year hosted by the UK for the first time, has achieved ISO 20121.
The certification is given in recognition of the event’s commitment to reduce its economic and environmental impact and commitment to leave a positive lasting legacy.
Rachel Dulai, race director for World Rowing Coastal Championships, said: “We are proud to have received this accolade, which represents our meeting the highest international standard; not just from a sustainability perspective – but also in governance and procedures throughout.”
Event strategy
Working on behalf of British Rowing, events agency Identity, were responsible for planning the event with attention to sustainability and logistical detail.
Simon Dunnell, executive project director, Identity, said: “Sustainability is a core value for all the events we deliver. For the WRCC, we worked in collaboration with the team at British Rowing to make the event the first of its kind to achieve the coveted accreditation on sustainability.
“We did this by assessing every aspect of the event, from the materials and power used, to the logistics and even the people traffic. We are able to accurately measure the carbon output of every aspect of the event and are delighted to report that the championships reached the gold standard for event sustainability.”
Preparing the coastline of Saundersfoot for the championships presented challenges, including unpredictable weather and tides. Identity provided robust temporary infrastructure to facilitate the event.
The agency’s provisions included VIP areas, commentator boxes and lounges, as well as specific areas for boat weighing, storage and people traffic management systems. Failsafe communication channels between land and sea was also critical to the event.
