Environmental governance in the sports sector. Insights from international sports federations

Environmental sustainability increasingly constitutes a pressing priority in sports organisations’ efforts toward promoting integrity. Despite progress in addressing environmental concerns, the sports sector is far from institutionalising environmental sustainability on a par with fair play and social inclusion. Internalising environmental sustainability indeed challenges sports organisations to alter governance structures, decision-making and planning processes to ensure a durable and substantive commitment to environmental improvement. In this frame, international sports federations play a crucial role by setting strategic directions and standards of conduct for organisations operating at national and local levels. Drawing on a multiple case study of international sports federations of biathlon, athletics and floorball, the chapter explores current trends in the integration of environmental sustainability in the governance of sports federations, also highlighting opportunities and tensions arising at the crossroads of promoting integrity and integrating environmental sustainability. Additionally, the chapter discusses prospective pathways in the institutionalisation of environmental governance in the sports sector, shedding light on the emergence of best practices and sector-specific approaches to environmental sustainability challenges. The chapter makes a valuable contribution to the growing academic discourse on sports sustainability, also offering practical implications for stepping up environmental governance in sports organisations.