27 August 2024 – The International Olympic Committee (IOC), through its newly launched Olympism365 Innovation Hub, has recognised five community projects which are contributing to advancing the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in innovative ways. Thanks to a new annual initiative called the Ignite365 Awards, each organisation will receive an initial grant of USD 10,000 to boost their projects. In addition, they will benefit from training designed to meet their specific needs, as well as engagement and networking opportunities.

The Ignite365 Awards are the first initiative of the Olympism365 Innovation Hub, a collaboration between the IOC, Beyond Sport and Women Win, which will invest USD 1.2 million in different innovative community projects in the next nine months.

“The Ignite365 Awards celebrate innovators whose creative solutions use sport in new and impactful ways to address key challenges faced in their communities such as accessibility, inequality and discrimination, and plastic recycling. In doing so, the Ignite365 Awards aim to not only support their work but to inspire further innovation and collaboration.”

Ollie Dudfield – IOC Olympism365 Associate Director

More than 200 applications from 86 countries were considered for the awards, with the final winners chosen by a review committee comprising experts in sport for development, social enterprise, technology, and youth leadership. In addition to the grant, each winner will also join the Olympism365 Innovation Hub’s growing network of collaborators, contributing to its impact while benefiting from opportunities for knowledge-sharing.

Meet the Ignite365 Award winners for 2024

Each of the winners are pioneering new technologies or approaches to benefit communities, and are providing powerful demonstrations of the innovative ways that sport can be used as a vehicle for sustainable development.

Fenikks is an Argentina-based project that has established plastic waste collection points in 56 disadvantaged neighbourhoods across seven regions of the country, transforming that waste into shin guards for football players. For every pair of shin guards it sells, another is donated to football clubs in those areas. So far, the project has donated 3,000 pairs of shin guards, and has plans to start creating football boots from plastic waste.

“Being recognised by the Olympism365 Innovation Hub means an opportunity to broaden our impact and movement, which believes that sport can transform reality. It’s a huge step in our career and we’re really excited to start connecting with each other,” said Tomás Machuca, Fenikks CEO and founder.

The Grass Skirt Project is dedicated to using sport to drive social change in Papua New Guinea, with a particular focus on advancing gender equality. Through its Gymbox programme, shipping containers are repurposed as mobile and sustainable fitness facilities and community areas, delivering improved health outcomes and reduced gender-based violence. The project is part of its gender justice and violence prevention initiative called the 10 Million Strong Leadership Programme, which aims to transform attitudes towards gender equality, especially amongst young people.

Tahina Booth, Grass Skirt Project Managing Director and founder, commented: “Being selected for the Olympism365 Innovation Hub investment empowers Grass Skirt Project to enhance our Gymbox and 10 Million Strong programme, fostering safer communities and gender equality through sports.”

Never Stop Playing Sports was originally launched in 2020 to support student athletes in Japan affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has since been working to support female student athletes through its 1252 Project, which provides education and advice on menstrual health and sporting performance, alongside conducting community outreach and awareness-raising programmes.

“We feel honoured to be selected for the Olympism365 Innovation Hub”, said Hanae Ito, Never Stop Playing Sports Chairwoman and Olympic swimmer. “By utilising this opportunity and grant, we aim to disseminate the knowledge of physiology and sports all over the world through collaborative efforts with global partners.”

touch2see is a French company committed to helping visually impaired people follow live sporting events. It has developed a touch-sensitive tablet that enhances the experience of attending live sport by providing automated audio descriptions and details of the on-pitch action through magnetic cursors and vibrations. It can currently be used for football, rugby and basketball, with plans to expand the offering to many more sports.

“For us this means placing touch2see onto a global framework for policy development that will help us supercharge accessibility for visually impaired sports fans, not just in France, but all around the world,” explained Arthur Chazelle, touch2see CEO and founder.

WeSwim works to increase swimming opportunities for people with disabilities in Great Britain, offering a chance to stay active and to connect with others. Guided by a community-focused and volunteer-led approach, it provides personalised support to help participants learn to swim, take part in physiotherapy sessions or simply enjoy spending time in a pool.

“I am truly honoured to have WeSwim’s innovative work recognised,” stated Natasha Fleming, WeSwim Director and founder. “The support will enable us to expand our programme to help more disabled adults enjoy the freedom of movement in the water and the motivation to stay active.”

About the Olympism365 Innovation Hub

With the UN reporting that only 17 per cent of the SDG targets are currently on track to be met by 2030, the Olympism365 Innovation Hub has been established to support a diverse community of innovators in developing new approaches to using sport as a tool for social, economic and environmental development, and ultimately contribute to achieving the SDG targets and furthering the IOC’s Olympism365 strategy.

The Olympism365 Innovation Hub aims to support 50 sport for development grantees (athletes, coaches, innovators, and sports and social organisations) around the world, through a multimillion-dollar investment that will benefit thousands of people and communities by 2026.

Learn more about the Olympism365 Innovation Hub and its collaborators.