Sport is intimately connected to nature. A healthy environment is necessary for healthy sport. For many athletes, it is this intimacy with nature that motivates and inspires them.

Sports facilities, events, activities and the manufacture of sporting goods have an impact on the environment. Energy consumption, air pollution, emissions of greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting substances, waste disposal, wastes use and impacts on biological diversity are all issues for the sporting world to address.

UNEP has been actively involved in work on sport and the environment for well over a decade. UNEP works to: promote the integration of environmental considerations in sports; use the popularity of sports to promote environmental awareness and respect for the environment among the public, especially young people; and promote the development of environmentally friendly sports facilities and the manufacture of environmentally friendly sporting goods.