Media Release
Masters Swimming Australia National Championships is going GREEN!
The 2016 Masters Swimming Australia National Championships will be the most sustainable national swim meet yet.
Masters Swimming Victoria (MSV) will host the Masters Swimming Australia (MSA) National Championships from April 21 – 24 2016, at the Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre. The National Championships is the most prestigious swim meet on the MSA yearly calendar and attracts roughly 600 interstate and international participants.
The 2016 MSA National Championships will be the most sustainable National Championship in the forty-‐one years of competition. The committee has established its own mission that comprises the sustainable aspect of the meet with the values inherent to Masters Swimming Australia -‐ Swimming into a sustainable future; creating champions.
In order to plan a sustainable meet, the organising committee has partnered with the Sports Environment Alliance (SEA). The Sports Environment Alliance is a not-‐for-‐profit, membership based organisation focused on equipping the sport industry with the knowledge and networks to be themselves and inspire others to be environmental stewards. Members include the AFL, Tennis Australia, Cricket Australia and others.
Together, the 2016 MSA National Championships organising committee and SEA are:
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Developing a ‘paperless process for the registration and management of the volunteer workforce'. This is no easy feat given the meet is staffed entirely by volunteers!
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Asking all competitors and volunteers to pledge themselves to “be a champion of the environment by acting thoughtfully, using resources respectfully and making wise choices to promote a sustainable future.”
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Providing the competitor’s program and swim meet results electronically, thereby saving a large quantity of paper that traditionally would be consumed by producing volunteer manuals.
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Encouraging people to use the discount option when they drink coffee in their reusable‘Keep Cup’ coffee cup. Competitors and volunteers will also use refillable water bottles, with the buying of bottled water being discouraged.
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Catering for officials and volunteers using locally sourced unpackaged food, with any residual food being composted to ensure it does not end up in landfill.
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Promoting sustainable transport options such as car-‐pooling, cycling (using the Melbourne Bike-‐share network) and readily available public transport.
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Vetting merchandising and competitor’s registration packs to ensure that products and packaging are eco-‐friendly; with items such as accreditation lanyards being produced in a manner that will allow them to be collected and reused at future events.
Paul Watmough, the Convener of the 2016 MSA National Championships, acknowledged the importance of the meet embracing sustainable practices.
He stated that “while working in a more sustainable way may bring some of its own challenges, it makes real sense. It is great to be challenged to notice the different impacts of what we do and how we do it. We are coming to the realisation that there are many ways to be champions both in and out of the pool.”
Registrations will open for the 2016 Masters National Swimming Championships in December, with the date to be advised. Please visit the MSV website more information or follow MSV on Facebook to stay informed.
