Timeline<\/a><\/p>\n Weltklasse Zurich has been writing athletics history for almost 100 years. This year, the meeting hosts the final of the Wanda Diamond League again. Year after year, athletics fans, families and other event visitors flock to Letzigrund Stadium in late summer. In recent years, the number of Swiss athletes competing at Weltklasse Z\u00fcrich has been increasing steadily, as has the number of local talents. And top performances Mujinga Kambundji, Simon Ehammer and others are currently putting the small country on the international map of athletics. The trend is a result of long-term efforts by Weltklasse Z\u00fcrich and its partners, all of which have also already been investing in social sustainability. <\/p>\n
To position themselves for the years to come, Weltklasse Z\u00fcrich has set a number of ambitious goals: net-zero emission, additional commitment for families and society in general, specific initiatives to promote women and coaches. \u201cAt Weltklasse Zurich, we strive to be pioneers. Our ambition is to be ‘Weltklasse’ both on and off the track. Because of that, we have initiated some very important projects. And we will, of course, live up to our motto. We will ‘never stop getting better’, and will always set our goals high \u2013 with respect to the environment, to social aspects, and to economic sustainability,\u201d Co-Meeting Director Christoph Joho explained. <\/p>\n
Target for the Weltklasse Z\u00fcrich universe: net-zero emissions by 2028<\/h3>\n
Weltklasse Zurich started its process to become sustainable with a comprehensive analysis in 2008. Only one year later, first measurements were put in place, and the meeting became a carbon-neutral event (since 2009). Promoting the use of public transport, focusing on regional products and additional measures, including the cancelling of helicopter flights for athletes and abandoning LED lights for the closing ceremony, were aspects of the new approach. <\/p>\n
Emissions that cannot be avoided are compensated through certified climate projects. But Weltklasse Z\u00fcrich intends to go the extra mile. \u201cWe want zero emissions for the entire meeting universe by 2028,\u201d Christoph Joho declared. \u201cWe will have to prove our innovation prowess in various areas to do this. However, we feel that taking this future-oriented, game-changing step is paramount.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cWeltklasse Z\u00fcrich is coming to an arena near you.\u201d \u2013 More projects on all levels <\/h3>\n
The mission of Weltklasse Z\u00fcrich is to promote athletics on all levels. The meeting organisation\u2019s work thus includes innovative events taking place outside Letzigrund Stadium. The UBS Kids Cup youth initiative and its winter edition UBS Kids Cup Team, for instance, have drawn nearly 1.5 million children and teenagers between the age of seven and 15 years. As a result, the number of young athletes in athletics has grown considerably since the first edition of the event series in 2011.<\/p>\n
In addition to the special venue for some Wanda Diamond League final events on Sechsel\u00e4utenplatz (with free admission to all competitions), there will be several pop-up events during the week leading up to the meeting, including the \u201cWeltklasse Z\u00fcrich Extra Mile\u201d, a new school project.<\/p>\n
Equal pay and gender parity<\/h3>\n
Equal pay \u2013 equal payment of male and female athletes \u2013 has been a Diamond League policy ever since the first season in 2010, and it was practised at Weltklasse Z\u00fcrich even in the years before that. <\/p>\n
Gender parity, too, is a priority for Weltklasse Z\u00fcrich. Equal numbers of female and male UBS Kids Cup participants, volunteers, as well as members of the team and organising committee is our organisation\u2019s maxim. By 2027, the same equilibrium will be reached in our management team. To prepare women for future managerial functions, Weltklasse Z\u00fcrich will launch a mentoring programme. <\/p>\n
A high six-figure amount for Switzerland\u2019s athletics community <\/h3>\n
On a local level, Zurich\u2019s athletics club Leichtathletik Club-Z\u00fcrich (LCZ) is the most important and most long-term beneficiary of Weltklasse Z\u00fcrich. The meeting provides financial and human resources and much know-how to the club, but also to federations, other clubs and organisations, as well as institutions of higher education. <\/p>\n
Internationally, Weltklasse Z\u00fcrich works with the Wanda Diamond League and shares professional knowledge, is active as a member of the series\u2019 governing board, and offers support to developing meetings. In addition, Weltklasse Z\u00fcrich launched a Diamond League initiative to support athletics in Ukraine financially this spring. Our work is significant on a national and on an international level, and is reflected in the efforts of the sport\u2019s main institutions, including Swiss Athletics, World Athletics, and the Wanda Diamond League.<\/p>\n
The high six-figure amount the meeting generates every year is reinvested \u2013 in the future of athletics, and in athletes, coaches, and the sport\u2019s structures in particular. Building an athletics indoor arena on the Letzigrund premises to entrench the sport in Zurich even further is an additional long-term goal.<\/p>\n
An athletics innovation cell \u2013 with added value for society<\/h3>\n
Weltklasse Z\u00fcrich joined forces with the Athletikzentrum f\u00fcr Spitzensport OYM in Cham to create an athletics innovation cell. To Swiss Athletics, the meeting is both a project and a sparring partner. All organisations involved share a focus on promoting the sport and its stars. Launched in 2011, the UBS Kids Cup series has become an unparalleled youth sports initiative. And there are other successful projects, including \u201cLeichtathletik 2030\u201d or the coach summits held during the meeting week in Zurich. In future, there will be further forums to share knowledge regarding sustainability and for cooperations for the benefit of the sport of athletics. <\/p>\n
Advisory Board and transparency<\/h3>\n
The evaluation and development of sustainability goals will take centre stage with regard to organisational aspects of Weltklasse Z\u00fcrich in future. It will be a focus of the meeting\u2019s organising committee, and in addition, we will create an Advisory Board to analyse and evaluate all processes continuously. Annual reports will show how Weltklasse Z\u00fcrich progresses with regard to its sustainability goals. <\/p>\n
The Weltklasse Z\u00fcrich approach entails a full commitment to sustainability and the corresponding ambitious goals: “Never Stop Getting Better.” <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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