Madrid’s three top football clubs, Real Madrid, Athletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano, have pledged to become more environmentally friendly in support of Madrid’s bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
The three clubs have signed a Play in Green Charter to promote sustainable and environmentally friendly policies. Although the clubs won’t change their traditional strips, they will teach green values at the clubs’ academies and support sports events and venues, which minimize the impact on the environment.
In a press release Madrid’s Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon said, “these great clubs can send a green message to their hundreds of thousands of members and millions of fans in Madrid, across Spain, and throughout the world. The signing of the pledge is a promise to make sport a vehicle for sustainable development following the example of the United Nations and the International Olympic Committee, which promote links between sport and the environment.
“Madrid was the first city to commit itself in writing to developing events that would bring sport and the environment together in a union that now dominates our project for Madrid and our bid for the 2016 Olympic Games”, he said.
“The city of Madrid has promoted carbon neutral events such as Eurobasket 2007, is promoting municipal sports centres which are energy efficient, and has begun an education program for schools and training centres”.
