World Champions in Osaka join the Billion Tree Campaign

Deputy Director of the IETC Surya Chandak participated in the Tree-Planting Ceremony  commemorating the 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics Osaka 2007.

From 25 August to 2 September 2007, The 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics was held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan and a lot of exciting competitions were staged every day. As part of this event, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) held the Tree-Planting Ceremony commemorating the 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics Osaka 2007 in concert with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). In the ceremony, following the addresses by President of the IAAF Lamine Diack, President of the Local Organizing Committee Yohei Kono and IAAF Green Project Osaka 2007 Athletes' Ambassador Koji Murofushi, Deputy Director of the IETC Surya Chandak read the message on behalf of Executive Director of the UNEP Achim Steiner, emphasizing especially the importance of holding environmentally-friendly athletic meetings. After that, the above-mentioned figures and Mayor of Osaka Junichi Seki planted a memorial tree together.

This Championships in Athletics held in Osaka is not only the venue for determining No.1 athlete in the world, but also launching "IAAF Green Project" of looking toward the global environment. This project, introduced for the first time in Osaka 2007 is an IAAF initiative that reflects a commitment to find ways to contribute to the global environment through the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, and a hope for the continued existence of a healthier earth. This project includes the environmentally-friendly operation of the Championships and fund-raising for and contributing to greening activities, and will be continued on in the future Championships. Funds raised through such activities will be donated to tree planting efforts in Indonesia.

Women’s - Hammer Throw gold medallist, Betty Heidler.

Meanwhile, UNEP which the Global Environment Centre Foundation (GEC) is providing support has been working together with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on efforts toward Sport and Environment. UNEP has launched this year "Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign" under the patronage of 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prof. Wangari Maathai and HSH. AlbertⅡ, Sovereign Prince of Monaco. This campaign encourages people, communities, business and industries, civil society organizations and governments to plant trees and enter their tree planting pledges on the UNEP's web site with the objective of planting at least one billion trees worldwide during 2007.

IAAF and UNEP signed an agreement in February 2006 to form a strategic alliance in order to provide cooperation and support for the environmental activities in major IAAF competitions, and it is hoped that earth-friendly World Championships in Athletics will be continuously held and this activity will be spread out all over the world.

●For more details on "IAAF Green Project", visit the web site below
[ English ] - [ Japanese ]

●For the UNEP Executive Director's message, Mr. Achim Steiner, click below
[ English ] - [ Japanese ]

●For more details on UNEP's "Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign" in Japanese , visit the web site below
[ Japanese ]