Seven national governing bodies of water-based sports have announced they’re coming together to form the Clean Water Sports Alliance . . . calling for clean open water across the UK.
They are now joining forces to call for change to protect those they represent and the natural world in which they participate.
- Angling Trust
- British Rowing
- British Triathlon
- GB Outrigger
- Paddle UK
- Royal Yachting Association
- Swim England
Representing almost 450,000 members, elite athletes, participants and many more water users, who together rely on the use of UK waters for sport and recreation.
They are advocating for the restoration of our blue spaces for the enjoyment of all, and want these environments to be free of pollution and havens for wildlife. They are working together to drive positive change, improve water quality and the health of our blue spaces for all.
Pollution from various sources contaminates UK inland and coastal waters, damaging ecosystems and causing illness within people who take part in sport and physical activity in, on or around these waters.
Water that is unfit to host water-based sport has also caused events, training sessions and activities to be cancelled or postponed because it has not met the standards for safe participation.
The Alliance has set out three priorities that will inform its actions:
- Further and faster action on pollution. Improving the health of UK waters by 2030
- Enable people to make real-time informed choices about where and when to participate in water-based sports and activities
- Recognition of all recreational water users across decision making and policy
Aligned to its own priorities, the Alliance is making three asks of regulators and decision makers:
- Regulators to be adequately funded to monitor, investigate and hold polluters to account, harnessing nature-based solutions
- Enable accurate access to real-time water quality information all year round including the compulsory monitoring of all sewage outlets; recognition of open source science relating to water quality and the creation of a centralised information hub for all water sports users
- Advocate a change from ‘bathing waters’ to ‘recreation waters’ within government policy to recognise the wide range of activities that depend on clean water
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