Roland-Garros celebrates World Environment Day

To mark World Environment Day, the Roland-Garros tournament will be putting on a selection of environmentally-themed activities on Monday 5 June. Around the grounds, spectators can take part in a treasure hunt to test their knowledge about environmental issues and the actions undertaken by the tournament. With the quizzes on offer, players, the Roland-Garros tournament organisers and the media will also be involved.

Participants in The Green Game will have the chance to enter into a draw to win two spots for the final of their choice in the 2024 Roland-Garros tournament. What’s more, spectators who have left their bikes or scooters in one of the two free supervised bike parks (available throughout the tournament) will be entitled to a fast pass to enter the stadium on June 5.

Environmentally responsible actions are carried out throughout the tournament. Among these actions, the Roland-Garros tournament is combating food waste with the charity Le Chaînon Manquant. This scheme, which has been up and running since 2014, collected the equivalent of 5,133 meals last year, which were distributed to people living in difficult circumstances.

Green Teams, sponsored by ENGIE, patrol the grounds to raise spectator awareness of eco-responsible actions and sustainability in general, offering fun explanations of the major projects that have been undertaken by the Paris Grand Slam. These Green Teams are on hand to provide information at the Fresque Écologique du Tennis (Tennis Ecological Fresco), an environmental awareness stand. This educational game developed by the FFT, which was introduced during the 2022 tournament, raises spectator awareness of the major environmental issues linked to tennis, while also provoding tangible solutions and encouraging participants to do their bit. This year, at the end of the first week, more than 10,000 people had been informed about ecology (compared to 12,000 during the 2022 tournament).

For the fourth year running, the FFT, through Roland-Garros, the Région Sud and France’s Office national des forêts are collaborating as part of the reforestation finance scheme, “Fonds RESPIR”. Tournament partners BNP Paribas and Hespéride, as well as players and ball kids are also playing their part in this project. Tournament spectators can also show their support by opting to make a €0.50 donation at cash registers in the grounds.

Lastly, Roland-Garros, in partnership with the Ministry of Sport and the WWF, has also been a signatory since 2017 of the Charter of 15 eco-reponsible commitments for major sporting events. This charter is based on ambitious, quantified objectives. Furthermore, the FFT joined the Sports for Climate Action movement, initiated by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and supported by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), when it was created in December 2018, calling on sports organizations and especially organizers of major international sporting events to actively contribute to the fight against climate change. Lastly, in 2019, the FFT signed the Paris Climate Action charter at the “gold” level and works alongside the City of Paris to reduce its emissions in order to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement.