BBC Green Sport Awards: Nominees announced for inaugural awards

Passion fuels sport, and with so much positive action being taken to keep the sports industry sustainable, we've put together a list of people and organisations who are combining these passions to drive change and promote a greener future.

Here are our BBC Green Sport Awards shortlists - the athletes, former athletes and sports organisations using the power of sport to do their bit for the planet.

The Athlete of the Year Award shortlist

This award is for professional sportspeople who have advocated for, raised awareness of, or instigated action on environmental and/or climate change issues in the past 12 months.

Pat Cummins

You may know Cummins as captain of Australia's Test cricket team, but did you know that earlier this year he launched a new organisation to fight climate change? Cricket for Climate - which has the backing of other top Australian cricketers - started by encouraging more than 4,000 local clubs to use solar power. Realising the effect global warming has on the game, Cummins is using his sporting profile to encourage awareness at every level of the sport. He says this is just the start. Watch this space.

Chris Dickerson

Dickerson is an American former professional baseball player who has acted on issues that occurred right in front of his eyes. In 2007, shocked by the amount of plastic waste accumulated every day by the players after practice, he decided to campaign against plastic waste. Dickerson created the organisation Players for Planet, through which he encourages and supports fellow high-profile athletes to raise awareness of environmental impacts.

Sarah Hanffou

Combining life as a full-time lawyer in Cameroon with her career as an Olympic table tennis player, Hanffou has been involved in environmentalism for a long time. Hanffou established her own non-governmental organisation - Ping Sans Frontieres - to support her social and environmental projects. Through that work, she is reaching out to communities in Africa and the global south, and spreading a positive message beyond borders and cultures.

Hannah Mills

Mills is Britain's most successful female Olympian sailor, and the first Welsh woman to win medals at three consecutive Games. Throughout her career she has used her profile to push organisations and raise awareness of climate issues. In recognition of her efforts she was made an OBE in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to sailing and the environment.

David Pocock

A former Australia captain, Pocock retired from professional rugby in 2020. He led 'The Cool Down' initiative that resulted in more than 300 athletes writing an open letter to the Australian government encouraging for bolder climate action, and recently made history by becoming the first independent senator for the Australian Capital Territory. That made him the first sportsperson to transition into politics on a purely environmental platform.

Young Athlete of the Year Award shortlist

This award is for professionals, or those on a pathway to elite sport, who have proactively demonstrated support for environmental and/or climate change issues. Nominees were all 25 or under at the start of the year.

Joe Cooke

As well as playing cricket for Glamorgan, Cooke is also their sustainability champion. When he's not at the club, he volunteers for a local environmental charity and was asked to speak on a panel during COP26 last year.

Anna Hursey

The youngest person to represent Wales at a senior level, table tennis player Hursey has taken advantage of her new-found profile to push for climate action. In recognition of that, she was appointed to be a United Nations champion for climate change in sport. This year she acted as ambassador for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, raising awareness for the Games' legacy forest.

Zoe Morse

Morse plays for the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Since being exposed to a water contamination crisis in a neighbouring town, she has displayed a desire to learn and advocate for a more sustainable planet. Outside her football training, she studied environmental science at college and is a Hometown H20 ambassador for Waterboys, campaigning for access to clean water across communities in the United States.

Ellis Spiezia

An advocate and ambassador for electric motorsport, Spiezia is leading a new generation that will redefine education, the economy and the future of motorsport. Through open and honest communication on his social platforms, particularly his YouTube channel and website, Spiezia consistently pushes for the transition to electric vehicles; an important factor in society's transition to a zero-carbon future.

Morten Thorsby

Thorsby consistently engages his fellow footballers - at both Union Berlin and the Norway national team - in conversations about environmental issues and climate action. Understanding the reach of football, he founded the We Play Green Foundation, specifically aimed at bringing together footballers and galvanising climate action in the industry.

Ambition and Impact Award shortlist

This award is for any elite, professional or high-performance sporting body involved in the organisation of, or participation in, competitive sport that has net zero and reduction emissions targets by a specified date.

Birmingham Organising Committee for the 2022 Commonwealth Games (BOCCG)

Because of the ambition of BOCCG, Birmingham 2022 was the first Commonwealth Games to have a carbon-neutral legacy. Displaying a transparency about what constitutes a realistic net-zero target for a global multi-sport event, BOCCG made a clear commitment to carbon management through collective efforts with partners, a practical approach to carbon reduction, and the application of lower-carbon technologies.

Extreme E

Extreme E uses its sporting platform to raise awareness about the impact of climate change in some of the world's most remote environments, alongside investing in nature-based offsetting solutions in every location in which it races. Within motorsport, it has promoted the adoption of electric vehicles to pave the way for a lower carbon future, furthering the development of greener technologies.

McLaren Racing

Committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2040, McLaren is advocating for increased sustainability within Formula 1. Through emission-cutting innovation, the organisation has been able to show significant steps in alternatives to carbon products in manufacture.

SailGP

Now in it's third season and created as a climate positive sport, SailGP reduced its total emissions from temporary power by 56% in Season 2 using technological innovations and making greener choices. Along with the competition on the water, teams must prove their commitment to making sailing sustainable through an Impact League - a separate leaderboard.

Southampton Football Club

Having risen from 18th to third in the Premier League sustainability table in just two years, Southampton Football Club have championed sustainability. They have displayed ambition and are fully committed to making a difference. By way of an example, the club have just completed a research project with the University of Southampton, focusing entirely on the travel emissions of their first and B teams.

Teamwork Award shortlist

This award is for sporting organisations (professional, community-level or grassroots) that have actively educated or engaged participants, fans, citizens or society at large on climate action.

British Canoeing

Through its Big Paddle Cleanup initiative, British Canoeing inspired its community of paddlers to go beyond the call of duty and to make a difference. More than 1,000 people took part in the initiative, with the intention of removing sacks of litter from their local waterways. An estimated 700 sacks were collected, and volunteers were inspired to continue cleaning up their local waterways after the initiative ended.

Birmingham County Football Association (Save Today, Play Tomorrow)

Sustainability sits at the heart of the Birmingham County FA's organisational strategy, and it has collectively embraced responsibility and taking the opportunity to make a difference. Through its Save Today, Play Tomorrow scheme, it has brought about much-needed, accelerated, long-term positive change to safeguard the grassroots game for future generations.

Cup 26

Created by Count Us In and The Planet League, CUP 26 leverages the competitive spirit of football, bringing together club and community to raise awareness and show fans how fun and easy it can be to take climate action. CUP26 provided a platform for the football community's actions and voices to be seen and heard at COP26.

Football For Future (FFF)

Within the past 12 months, Football for Future has kicked off the climate conversation in the game by working with some of its biggest brands. FFF has run workshops aimed at young people to inspire them to become more environmentally sustainable, and to engage with football in a sustainable way. The organisation has actively championed for new non-profit groups who are passionate about evolving the sport in light of climate change.

Jadir Taekwondo Association (AJTKD)

Based in Rio de Janeiro, Jadir Taekwondo Association has shown a commendable commitment to environmental education and the future of young people from deprived areas surrounded by conflict and armed violence. Holding the environment and sustainability at the core of their activities, AJTKD has been working towards a better planet through involving children in interactive classes about how to live more sustainably.

All winners will be announced on the BBC Sport website on Tuesday, 4 October. To find out more about the BBC Green Sport Awards, head to this page.