After 4.7 billion people watched the largest sporting event in history, the Beijing Olympics, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) analyzes the impact of sport on climate change. How can sport organizations reduce their greenhouse gas emissions? And what role can they play as the world is called upon to ‘UNite to combat climate change’?

The 2008 Global Forum for Sport and Environment (G-ForSE), with the theme Climate Change: Changing our Carbon Footprint, will address these questions in Alicante, Spain from 4 to 6 October 2008.

UNEP Executive Director, Mr. Achim Steiner, the Spanish Secretary of State for Climate Change, Mrs. Teresa Ribera, as well as more than 100 high level officials and experts from international sports organizations and federations, organizers of major sporting events and civil society groups will come together for the 5th edition of the G-ForSE to discuss solutions and promote a low-footprint approach to sports, as well as ways in which sports can be used to raise awareness on climate change.

The Forum will coincide with the launch of the 10th edition of the Volvo Ocean Race, which will travel 37,000 miles across five oceans, four continents and 11 ports around the world. All participants will be invited to attend the event in the afternoon of 4 October 2008.

Media representatives will be offered an opportunity to conduct interviews with participants.