Sports In U.K. Unite To Take Action On Water Pollution

Seven U.K. sports governing bodies have come together to put their weight behind the pressing issue of water pollution, unveiling the Clean Water Alliance on Tuesday.

Water pollution is a massive issue for human health globally and in the U.K. Surfers Against Sewage reported 399,864 discharges of raw sewage into U.K. waterways in 2022. For those looking to use waters for sport, leisure and recreation, this pollution poses real health risks.

As well as those using waters for recreation, athletes are being adversely affected. Last month’s 169th annual men’s Boat Race in the U.K. was overshadowed by the Oxford crew becoming ill from e-coli, amid high levels of sewage in the river Thames. Further afield, the Paris 2024 Olympics president has said that triathlon could be delayed, or the swimming leg cancelled, if adverse weather conditions impact water quality in the River Seine.

Sport is coming together now to take action. The Clean Water Alliance is made up of The Angling Trust, British Rowing, British Triathlon, GB Outrigger, Paddle UK, Royal Yachting Association and Swim England, representing 450,000 members, athletes and participants.

What Is The Alliance Looking To Achieve?

Holding polluters accountable for their actions and improving the health of U.K. waters by 2030. The CWA plan is to pool resources across the organisations involved to spread access and capabilities further as the clean water discussion grows in the U.K.

They want to work with stakeholders to centralize data aligned to water quality, so people can make real-time informed choices about where and when to participate in water-based sports and activities.

Finally to change language from “bathing waters” to “recreation waters” within government policy to recognise the wide range of activities that depend on clean water. This is in response to the fact that only three rivers in the U.K. have been given designated bathing water status and therefore receive regular Environment Agency testing. All three received “poor” status in 2023.

Immediate milestones of the alliance are focussed on the creation of one unified water quality event guide, and sharing water quality data between multiple clubs and events that share the same blue spaces, to save duplication of time and resources.

The Power Of Sport As A Unified Voice

Fynn Sterritt of the British Sailing Team commented on the launch, “As athletes we see and feel the negative effects of poor water quality everyday on our workplace and playground. I think what’s special about the alliance is that it’s an example of the power of sport. It’s about seven NGBs coming together asking for change on behalf of the millions of people who love spending time on water.”

Outdoor sports often share the same fields of play with others, so there is a mutual benefit to protect these places. Instead of working independently on environmental issues, the CWA underlines the potential for a collective sports voice to be greater—bigger, stronger and more effective in terms of time and resource—than the sum of its parts.

Sports organizations are frequently deeply rooted in local communities, but depending on the sport can reach different demographics. This alliance provides the ability to connect in a deeper and more unified way with people from different backgrounds, lived experiences and generations on important local environmental topics that are impacting them.

Eve Joseph, head of social impact at British Triathlon said of the launch, “people care and we want to create a platform empowering them to act.” The power of sports organisations coming together as a collective to move the needle on major environmental issues is ramping up.