London, Copenhagen, Amsterdam are most eco-friendly sports cities in Europe

A recent Reebok study has ranked the most eco-friendly cities for practising sports, with London, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam coming out on top in Europe, and France trailing behind in 19th  place. EURACTIV France reports.

With the pandemic, home and outdoor exercises have become part of the daily routine of sportspeople and have even proven to be more eco-friendly.

However, with a return to what many are calling a ‘new normal’ and the opening of sports facilities and gyms, ‘traditional’ consumer behaviour is also being questioned across all sectors.

“Many gyms have a range of electrical equipment, high-powered lighting and air conditioning, and some are now open 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Folusha Oluwajana, a sports coach and general practitioner, whom Reebok interviewed for its study.

“Eco-friendly exercise is free and can often be done close to home, with the added benefit of fresh air and vitamin D in the spring and summer,” she added.

To establish a ranking of the most eco-friendly cities for sportsmen and women, the study considered several parameters, including bicycle use, the number of running tracks, hours of sunshine, hiking trails, the crime rate, the pollution index, and the number of internet searches about eco-friendly exercise.

In Europe, London, Copenhagen and Amsterdam lead the way, followed by Lisbon, Stockholm, Tel Aviv, Vienna, Helsinki, Prague, and Budapest, who are all in the top 10.

“[London] offers a wide range of green training options with over 6,000 running routes and 243 walking trails. In addition, Londoners conduct 5,724 searches per month on the subject, particularly for second-hand sports and exercise equipment and second-hand fitness machines,” the study notes.

However, London is only third at the international level, with Tokyo and Sydney taking the two top spots as the world’s most sustainable cities for sports.

France only comes 19th, with the cities of Toulon, Bordeaux, and Nantes taking the top spots at the national level.

“Paris is in poor shape and closes [the French ranking] with the second-highest pollution rate and one of the lowest numbers of hours of sunshine. However, the capital has the highest number of running routes, with a total of 1,288,” the survey also states.

Athletes join forces to make sports greener in Europe

Sporting events should be given an environmental red card given the amount of energy they consume and waste they generate. To back the sports world in its ecological transition, athletes got together at a conference organised by the European Surfrider Foundation on Tuesday (25 May). EURACTIV France reports.

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]

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