by Larry Eder
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.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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/Certification-Standards-3.0.pdf
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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.
