The Spanish Olympic Committee awards the Seal of Sustainable Sports Event to the VCV – Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana

The event, organized by cyclist Ángel Casero, becomes the first cycling race to obtain this distinction in Spain.

The sustainability consultant, GO2 Global Omnium, and the certifier Bureau Veritas participate with the VCV in the process of becoming a more environmentally friendly event every year.

Valencia, December 5, 2024. The Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) has distinguished the VCV – Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana Gran Premi Banc Sabadell with the Sustainable Sports Event Seal. A distinction that certifies that the Valencian cycling event is aligned with the SDGs and the policies of social sustainability and respect for the environment promoted by the COE following the publication of Agenda 2020 of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The VCV returned to the UCI international calendar in 2016 by the hand of the Valencian exciclist Ángel Casero and, since its first edition, has been a pioneer in sustainability, incorporating the use of hybrid vehicles for the organization’s staff or being the first cycling event to measure its carbon footprint in 2023.

The awarding of this Sustainable Sports Event Seal by the COE to the VCV means that, from today, the organization of the Valencian cycling race will work hand in hand with the sustainability consultant GO2, of Global Omnium to achieve the desired challenge that will culminate with the certification of Bureau Veritas. In this way, all parties will develop a strategy to make the next VCV 2025, to be held from February 5 to 9, an even more sustainable event from a social and environmental point of view.

Vueta a la Comunitat Valenciana 2024 – 75ht Edition – Betera – Valencia 93 km – 04/02/2024 – Scenery – photo Luis Angel Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency©2024

Among the sustainability and environmental care actions carried out by the VCV since 2016, the reuse of the advertising canvases of each edition stands out. These become new products thanks to “A La Lona de Valencia”, an association dedicated to the social and labor integration of people with mental health problems, which transforms them into bags, backpacks, wallets and other everyday objects. In addition, since 2022, the VCV has eliminated the use of plastic for drinking water consumption. Thanks to this initiative, hand in hand with Tuawa, the VCV has saved the planet more than 75,000 plastic bottles and avoided almost 20 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere in the last 3 years.

“Cycling is the sport of sustainability. Our ‘playing field’ is the natural environment and as such, we have a responsibility to take care of it and raise awareness in society of its importance. In 2016, we recovered the VCV already with the mentality of making the most sustainable event possible, and this concession by the COE is confirmation that we have been working on the right path ever since. It is also a boost to continue taking measures and make the VCV a more sustainable event every year,” confesses cyclist Ángel Casero, General Director of the VCV since its return to the UCI international calendar in 2016. The Valencian race, born in 1929 and which in 2024 celebrated its 75th edition, had not been held since 2008 due to economic problems.

The president of the Spanish Olympic Committee, Alejandro Blanco, has underlined the importance of this recognition. “From the Spanish Olympic Committee, we want to highlight the commitment of the VCV – Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana in this edition with social and environmental sustainability, reflected in obtaining the seal of sustainable sporting event of the COE. This initiative of the VCV takes on greater importance after the recent DANA that has affected this region. Through this seal, and in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, the VCV promotes environmental initiatives that contribute to the care of our planet, in addition to promoting solidarity as a very necessary social value,” said Alejandro Blanco.

Along the same lines, Juan Luis Pozo, Sustainability Director of Global Omnium, emphasizes the value and emphasis on the transparency and rigor involved in the certifications that the VCV undertakes with this set of measures, since the movement is demonstrated by pedaling, and in this the VCV demonstrates its leadership.

For years, the COE has carried out numerous actions to adapt Spanish sport to the standards of social and environmental sustainability. Following the publication of the Agenda 2020 of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the COE has defined a sustainability strategy aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the United Nations Agenda 2030, assuming its responsibility to the environment, society and good business practices.

About the COE’s sustainability strategy

The COE offers training programs in sustainability, the Sustainable Sports Event and Entity Seals, the Carbon Footprint Calculator, and CO2 compensation models through the Spanish Olympic Forest. It also develops numerous social awareness, gender equality and inclusion campaigns.

For more information, you can consult this link.