World Athletics is strengthening its commitment to inclusion and sustainability through two initiatives that place sport at the centre of the response to forced displacement and the protection of the natural environment. In Copenhagen, the international federation formalised a new agreement with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, while also joining the Sports for Nature Framework.
The agreement with UNHCR builds on a partnership that began in 2020 and seeks to expand opportunities for refugee athletes, while the commitment to Sports for Nature incorporates biodiversity protection into the federation’s sustainability strategy. Together, both initiatives seek to translate sport’s global reach into concrete measures for the coming events.
Athletics as a space for refugee inclusion
The history of the Refugee Athletes Team began in a refugee camp in Kenya, before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. That experience led to the creation of the Refugee Olympic Team, which has since evolved into a permanent team made up of athletes living across eight countries and competing in almost all World Athletics Series events.
Four members of the team who competed at the Copenhagen 26 Road Running Championships were present at the signing of the agreement. The partnership will focus on access to elite athletics opportunities, participation in competitions such as the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games and the 2027 World Championships in Beijing, as well as initiatives supporting refugee and host communities. It will also address mental health and well-being, safeguarding, protection, inclusion, advocacy and sports diplomacy.
The work is supported by the Kenya Athletics Federation and the National Olympic Committee, which provide logistical assistance, training and competition opportunities. In addition, Eliud Kipchoge has mentored members of the Refugee Athletes Team since 2023.
Biodiversity and sustainability within athletics
World Athletics has also joined the Sports for Nature Framework, an international initiative launched in 2022 that seeks to strengthen the relationship between sport and biodiversity. The framework is based on four principles: protecting nature and avoiding damage to habitats and species, restoring and regenerating ecosystems, understanding and reducing nature-related risks in supply chains, and educating and inspiring positive action.
The federation will integrate biodiversity into its Athletics for a Better World programme and incorporate it into the Impact Standard for federations, which is scheduled to launch in 2027. It will also require World Championships host cities from 2027 onwards to conduct biodiversity assessments before and after events, using tools such as BENCHES.
The initiative forms part of a broader response to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. Alongside its work on climate action and air quality, World Athletics is incorporating nature protection into its long-term sustainability strategy, with athletes and events serving as platforms to raise awareness and promote action.
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