Athletissima has been honoured by World Athletics for its commitment to sustainability

Athletissima celebrated an unforgettable fiftieth edition on August 20, 2025 at the Pontaise stadium, with a remarkable lineup of world stars. After closing the chapter on this jubilee, the Lausanne meeting successfully turned toward the future to begin its next half century. At the start of 2026, Athletissima was awarded the Gold certification within the Athletics for a Better World, ABW, certification system established by World Athletics.

This distinction represents the second highest level of the standard, which evaluates the environmental and social sustainability of athletics competitions within the prestigious Diamond League, as well as events carrying the World Athletics label. In practical terms, the ABW framework includes fifty five areas of action that cover every aspect of event organisation.

Driven by the conviction that sport can be a force for positive change, and determined to demonstrate that athletic excellence can go hand in hand with social responsibility and the protection of our planet, Athletissima is a meeting whose commitment reaches far beyond the track at the Pontaise, as this recognition from World Athletics clearly confirms.

Promoting a more sustainable athletics culture is one of the core missions of the Lausanne event, whose primary focus remains encouraging young people to engage with sport. In 2025, nearly one thousand students discovered athletics during six dedicated days organised in the months leading up to the meeting, thanks to a new initiative developed in partnership with the Canton.

Young people also played an active role in the Track Festival, the free event held alongside Athletissima that celebrates diversity and inclusion. This gathering brought together more than three thousand participants during the week of the meeting last August, and also hosted the final of the Club Cup, a competition that highlights the athletes who represent the future of the sport.

By joining “Together on Track”, a joint initiative created by Athletissima, Weltklasse Zurich, and Swiss Athletics, the Lausanne meeting aims to celebrate diversity by making athletics more accessible to everyone, as illustrated by the wheelchair 1500 metres race that opens the evening of competition at the Olympic Stadium of La Pontaise.

This sense of social responsibility also extends to the staff and the six hundred volunteers of Athletissima, without whom the event would simply not be possible. These sustainable values, which are central to the Lausanne meeting and recognised by World Athletics, are also shared and promoted through its longstanding partnerships.

To read the 2025 Athletissima sustainability report, follow the link to the report.
Pour lire le rapport de durabilité 2025 d’Athletissima: lien vers le rapport