Climate Action Days: Regional Canoe Long-Distance Race – Can sport truly contribute to climate action?

The Lazio Regional Committee of the Italian Canoe Kayak Federation (FICK Lazio) launches the first action of the “Low-Impact Canoe Protocol” in collaboration with European Climate Pact Ambassador Memi Crimi.

The initiative will take place during the Regional Long-Distance Race on 29 March 2026 at Circolo Canottieri Aniene in Rome, involving approximately 350 participants, including athletes and families from across the Lazio region.

The event will open with a short address by Sabrina Rossi, President of FICK Lazio, and Memi Crimi, European Climate Pact Ambassador, officially presenting the Protocol and the regional sports community’s commitment to reducing emissions linked to mobility and event organisation.

Key actions include:

• Encouraging car sharing among sports clubs and shared boat transport logistics
• Organising the event as plastic-free, with water refill points to avoid single-use bottles
• A dedicated awareness moment for athletes and families
• Collection of data on shared travel and estimated CO₂ reduction

This initiative marks the beginning of a structured programme: from 29 March until the final regional competition of the year (Christmas Cup, 13 December 2026), all FICK Lazio competitions will follow the “Low-Impact Canoe Protocol”.

The next step is scalability: replicating the Protocol across all FICK regional committees in Italy and progressively extending the model to other national sports federations. Sport is not only competition. It can become education, responsibility and measurable climate action.