Assessing the Environmental Impact of a University Sport Event: The Case of the 75th Italian National University Championships

Abstract

In recent years, there has been an increase in the attention towards sustainability by the organizing committees of mega-sport events due to the potential impacts they can have. Less attention was given to small-sport events: the carbon footprint of this type of event was seldom investigated unless it had a clear impact on the environment. The purpose of this study is to provide a qualitative-quantitative assessment of the sustainability of a university sporting event held at the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio in 2022. Athletes, technicians, coaches, and companions from various Italian universities were interviewed with the scope being to obtain information on all of the activities associated with the sporting event (travelling, accommodation, etc.). In addition, in-depth interviews were conducted with key members of the organizing committee with the goal of obtaining information relating to the actions undertaken by the Federation to safeguard the environment. The results on the sample indicate a carbon footprint of 40,551 kg of CO2e, of which 27,360 kg of CO2e are attributable to transport and 13,191 kg of CO2e are attributable to accommodations. Sporting event organizing committees should implement some strategies to encourage environmentally friendly behaviours to reduce the negative effects of their activities on the environment.