Mistra Sport & Outdoors is a Swedish research and collaboration programme aiming to generate knowledge and solutions to increase sustainability in sport and outdoor recreation. One of the key characteristics of the programme is the cross-cutting co-creation process involving researchers, non-governmental organisations, public authorities and the sport and outdoor sports industry
Sport and outdoor recreation involve lots of people. One in three Swedes are Sport or Outdoors association members, and nearly all Swedes participate to some form of sport or outdoor recreation. Finding solutions to the environmental challenges facing sport and outdoor recreation could potentially have a significant impact.
No less than 30 researchers from seven Swedish universities and about 20 partner organizations from different fields are now working together for four years, generating knowledge and solutions to increase sustainability in sport and outdoor recreation.
Six themes in sport, outdoor recreation and environment
Mistra Sport & Outdoors consists of six research themes:
- Knowledge and transformation
- Sustainable transport solutions
- Sustainable use of land and water
- Material and sustainable equipment
- Sustainable events
- Behaviours, control instruments and development
Many participate to find knowledge and solutions
”The environmental issue is big and complex and a single stakeholder or sector could hardly address the challenges and make significant change on his own. This is why researchers from different disciplines and universities are working together with partners from sport, outdoor recreation, companies and authorities,” explains Peter Fredman, Programme Manager, Mistra Sport & Outdoors.
Watch the interview of Peter Fredman, director of Mistra Sports and Outdoors introducing the Mistra Sports Initiative
Fostering sustainability in the outdoor sports sector
The programme’s starting point is the environmental challenges we face, and its objectives are to create world-leading research, start a movement for sustainable development in sport and outdoor recreation and cooperate to establish a network-based development centre for sustainability within sport and outdoor recreation.
”Mistra Sport & Outdoors will support Sweden to reach the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030. We will also reach out to the broader sport and outdoor recreation communities,” says Peter Fredman. Mistra Sports and Outdoor joined ENOS in January 2021.
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Mistra Sport & Outdoors is led by Mid Sweden University with participating researchers from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), the University of Gothenburg, Malmö University, Dalarna University, Chalmers University of Technology and Stockholm University. The partners in the initiative are key organisations in sport and outdoor recreation, such as the Swedish Sports Confederation, the national Association for Outdoor Organizations, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, the national Society for Nature Conservation, the Scandinavian Outdoor Group, as well as experts on sustainable education field. The Mistra project is now a member of the ENOS network
The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research, Mistra, is financing the initiative with SEK 56 million (€5,5 million), plus a partner (including participating universities) contribution of SEK 14 million, making a total of SEK 70 million (€6;9 million) over a four years period. Whith a possibility to extend the programme by another 4 years.
Find out more about Mistra Sports and Outdoors on https://www.mistrasportandoutdoors.se/en/om-mistra-sport-and-outdoors/
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Mistra is an independent research foundation, supporting research of strategic importance for a good living environment in Sweden. https://www.mistra.org/en