IWBI, SandSI Announce Global Collaboration to Intensify Sports Industry's Response to COVID-19

NEW YORK, December 16, 2020 /3BL Media/ – The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) and Sport and Sustainability International (SandSI), announced today a joint strategic partnership to intensify the global sports industry’s health and safety response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Not since World War II has the sports industry faced such a threat to its financial viability and operations,” said Allen Hershkowitz, PhD, Environmental Science Advisor to the New York Yankees and Chairman and Founding Director of Sport and Sustainability International. “Now, as we did then, all sports organizations must join together to fight a common enemy. This time the enemy is a deadly virus that has killed almost 2 million people, and the weapon we have to defeat it is an intensified focus on health and safety protocols in sports venues worldwide. Independent science-based review of that work is essential and should be universally adopted at every sports venue.”

The WELL Health-Safety Rating is the world’s leading evidence-based, third-party verified rating for all facility types and is holistically focused on operational policies, maintenance protocols, emergency plans and stakeholder education. Numerous sports organizations and venues have already adopted the WELL Health-Safety Rating to optimize their efforts to help reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus and help protect players, employees, attendees and local communities including Yankee Stadium, AT&T Stadium, BB&T Center, Cleveland Clinic Courts and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Spectrum Center, Webster Bank Arena, AT&T Center, Scotiabank Arena and MLSE Launchpad, Prudential Center, Wells Fargo Center, Amalie Arena, Golden 1 Center, Bankers Life Fieldhouse and St. Vincent Center and others.

“I am thrilled that SandSI and IWBI are joining forces to encourage all sports organizations to implement best-in-class protocols and give guidance to their stakeholders in actively fighting COVID-19 through the WELL Health-Safety Rating,” said Julia Palle, President, Sports and Sustainability International. “This crisis taught us that planetary health, human health and economic health are all interlinked. The only way to get over it is through coordinated and collaborative action. We’re honored to have IWBI join our effort to lead the sports industry fight against COVID-19.”

Created by IWBI, the world's leading certification body for advancing health and well-being in buildings globally, the WELL Health-Safety Rating is a third-party document review of strategies specific to addressing COVID-19 that results in a visible seal on the entrance of the facility to demonstrate compliance to operational policies, maintenance protocols, emergency plans and stakeholder education as outlined in the rating. The WELL Health-Safety Rating is informed by evidence-based medical and building science to address the spread of COVID-19 and help empower organizations to get back to business with confidence, with broader applications to help ensure a long-term commitment to health and safety. 

“The partnership between our two organizations, and the health and safety resources IWBI will provide to SandSI membership, will allow for significant and sustainable progress towards creating a healthier – and safer – global sports industry,” said IWBI President and CEO Rachel Hodgdon. “IWBI is proud to join and work with SandSI’s impressive community of international sports leagues, federations and clubs.”

About the International WELL Building Institute
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is leading the global movement to transform our buildings, communities and organizations in ways that help people thrive. WELL v2 is the most recent version of its popular WELL Building Standard (WELL), and the WELL Community Standard pilot is a district scale rating system that sets a new global benchmark for healthy communities. The WELL Health-Safety Rating is an evidence-based, third-party verified rating focused on operational policies, maintenance protocols, emergency plans and stakeholder education to help organizations get back to business. IWBI mobilizes the wellness community through management of the WELL AP credential, the pursuit of applicable research, the development of educational resources, and advocacy for policies that promote health and wellness everywhere. More information on WELL can be found here.

International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, the WELL Building Standard, WELL v2, WELL Certified, WELL AP, WELL Portfolio, WELL Portfolio Score, The WELL Conference, We Are WELL, the WELL Community Standard, WELL Health-Safety Rating, WELL Health-Safety Rated, WELL Workforce, WELL and others, and their related logos are trademarks or certification marks of International WELL Building Institute pbc in the United States and other countries.

About Sport and Sustainability International
Sport and Sustainability International (SandSI) is an international not-for-profit organization focused on ensuring that sustainability is a key business principle throughout the global sports industry, benefitting planetary health and all communities in which sports are played. Drawing upon the expertise and influence of sustainability experts, sports industry partners and members in more than forty countries, SandSI leverages the cultural and market influence of sports to promote healthy, sustainable and just communities in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Media contact

IWBI
Judith Webb
media@wellcertified.com

SandSI