As part of Euroleague Basketball's commitment to sustainability, last weekend's Final Four incorporated a number of environmental and social activities and initiatives.
Sustainability at the Final Four in Cologne
One Team News
5 Mins read
Three social entities in the host city of Cologne – Special Olympics Germany, Basket for Koeln and RBC Koeln 99ers – were given free access to EuroLeague TV to enjoy the event and were donated bicycles from Euroleague Basketball premium partner BKT and Spalding basketballs to promote healthy habits and lifestyles.
All staff members and accredited groups were given free access to public transportation, thanks to the City of Cologne, and to BKT bicycles during the event to cut down on motorized transport, and a recycling waste management system was activated in and around Lanxess Arena to collect paper, plastic, glass, organic and other waste separately thanks to the collaboration from the venue management and the City of Cologne. Non-plastic recyclable cutlery and crockery was provided along with zero-kilometer food and the game towels used by players were eco-certified.
One Team, as Euroleague Basketball's social responsibility flagship, was given a prominent place during the Final Four, with players wearing #WeAreAllOneTeam badges on their warmup sleeves in support of the program's pandemic recovery initiatives.
One Team participants were invited to take part in video messages of support for players during the team presentations before games and were given free access to EuroLeague TV as well to enjoy the full entertainment of the action from their homes. The values of One Team were also introduced to the Final Four volunteers with an online welcome session before the event.
Looking further afield, and in support of the United Nations #GenerationRestoration movement, Euroleague Basketball launched a reforestation campaign in the Amazon rainforest with One Tree Planted, using all Final Four platforms to encourage fans to donate at https://euroleague.raisely.com/ to reach the goal of €6,000 donated for the reforestation program by World Environment Day on June 5.
