World Rowing Among 100 Global Changemakers Shortlisted for Sport Positive Awards 2025

World Rowing is among 100 organisations and individuals who have been shortlisted for Sport Positive Awards 2025, for leading the charge on creating a more sustainable, resilient, equitable, and climate-conscious future for sport.

Shortlisted in the category Biodiversity Project, for In Balance With Nature: Trakai 2025 World Rowing Under 19 Championships, World Rowing, in collaboration with bloomUp, is proud to have their work recognised among those leading the charge in taking action on biodiversity at these prestigious global awards.

This pilot project integrates biodiversity assessment and action directly into the planning and operations of a major international sporting event. Assessment results aim to support the Healthy Waters Alliance, an initiative by World Rowing and WWF to raise awareness about healthy rivers, lakes, and coastal ecosystems, and prepare concrete actions for future World Rowing events.

“As a retired rower, who spent a lot of time on the water and its natural environments, working on this important project felt like giving back to nature, says Maike Betts, World Rowing Development and Sustainability Coordinator. I am proud to work at World Rowing, where sustainability is at the core of our daily activity to protect and restore the ecosystems we so heavily depend on through our sport.”

Sport Positive Awards 2025 is a global industry awards that celebrates, uplifts, inspires and raises awareness of the people and organisations working in and around sport that are enabling game-changing activities that are ensuring sustainable business, climate action, biodiversity and environmental justice.

Sports clubs, teams, leagues, venues, federations, non-profits, and academics from around the world have been shortlisted across twelve categories, including Purpose-Led Partnership, Campaign of the Year, and Inspired Innovation.
“Congratulations to World Rowing for being shortlisted. It has never been more vital to platform and celebrate those in sport leading on sustainability and climate action,” shared Founder of Sport Positive, Claire Poole at the Sport Positive Awards 2025 shortlist announcement. “As we witness the climate crisis increasingly disrupt the sports we cherish, we must take bold steps to protect not only the future of sport, but also the communities and ecosystems that support and sustain it. World Rowing is doing just that.”
An independent faculty of global judges will decide who will lift the trophy for each category, and winners will be revealed during the Sport Positive Awards ceremony on 7 October 2025 in London. The Awards celebration is held in tandem with Sport Positive Summit 2025, taking place in 7-8 October 2025 in London.

About Sport Positive Awards 2025
Sport Positive Awards are part of the Sport Positive offering that includes Awards, Summits, podcasts, intelligence bulletins, leagues, reports, community and more, supporting the global sports community towards a more sustainable and resilient future: www.sportpositive.org
The Awards take place during Sport Positive Summit in collaboration with UNFCCC and International Olympic Committee, a globally-leading, award-winning Summit that convenes 600+ sport leaders in person and even more online every year, to advance sustainable and resilient sport business and catalyse collective action on climate, sustainability, biodiversity and environmental justice. Taking place on 7-8 October 2025 in London and online: www.sportpositivesummit.com
About World Rowing
World Rowing (previously named FISA – from the French, Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d’Aviron) is the governing body of the Olympic sport of Rowing. Empowered by its 159 member National Rowing Federations it sets the rules and regulations for the practice of the sport, in all its forms including Classic Rowing, Coastal Rowing, Indoor/Connected Rowing across grassroots, masters, and elite level, including Para Rowing. As part of its mandate, World Rowing oversees sanctioned events and provides advice and expertise for the organisation of Rowing regattas.