Rower Grant is BBC Green Sport Awards Athlete of Year

Olympic medallists Imogen Grant and Rhydian Cowley, and surfer Adrian 'Ace' Buchan were among the winners of this year's BBC Green Sport Awards.

Now in their third year, the awards celebrate the athletes, former athletes and organisations working hard to enact and inspire change.

The award ceremony is taking place on Monday, 7 October at the BBC Radio Theatre in Broadcasting House, London - and you can follow it live on the BBC Sport website and app.

Here are the 2024 winners:

Athlete of the Year

Winner: Imogen Grant

Why did she win?

Grant has become a prominent sustainability advocate, and uses her influence to raise awareness and speak about her beliefs.

The Olympic rowing champion converted from being a vegetarian to a vegan in 2023, saying it was a way of making a personal difference.

She then became an ambassador for the Rivers Trust and talks about her experiences with poor water health.

The 28-year-old was a spokesperson for British Rowing when it announced its environmental sustainability strategy, and has recently won an International Olympic Committee Climate Action Award.

She also talks publicly about her decision to be conscious about sustainable fashion by not buying new clothes.

What did she say?

"I can't believe I have won the Green Sport Award. It has made me speechless.

"I feel like I should be doing more as it is, trying to inspire others and also take more steps personally, so to be recognised by the Green Sport Awards is a massive privilege and a massive honour.

"I hope I can live up to that as well."

World Athlete of the Year

Winner: Rhydian Cowley

Why did he win?

Australian race walker Cowley has been described as a "powerful advocate for a sustainable future". A bronze medallist in the marathon race walk mixed relay at the Paris Olympics, the 33-year-old balanced his intense training with active climate advocacy.

As a spokesperson for the Rings of Fire report, he shares personal experiences with heat and competition to highlight the impact of climate change on athletes. In June 2024, he was one of 14 athletes to sign an open letter urging the International Olympic Committee to drop Toyota as a major sponsor.

Cowley has consistently promoted environmental sustainability and participates in high-profile initiatives to mobilise athletes globally, while also partnering with schools and community groups to promote environmental education.

What did he say?

"I'd like to say thank you to my nominator and the judges for deeming me worthy of this award - it is a really big honour.

"With climate change, we are not just going to solve it with one individual, it is really a team sport, so let's keep working together."

Evergreen Athlete of the Year

Winner: Adrian 'Ace' Buchan

Why did he win?

A professional surfer and passionate climate advocate, Buchan has played a significant role in environmental activism.

The 42-year-old was a founding board member of an Australian charity that is dedicated to combating climate change and empowering and educating surfers. He is also an ambassador for a non-profit organisation working on climate-crisis mitigation, coastal and marine conservation, and addressing plastic pollution, while advocating for a charity aimed at reducing plastic pollution.

In 2020, he won $25,000 for an ocean advocacy award and donated the prize money to the Climate Council. Buchan sits on the board at governing body Surfing Australia and in the past year has made significant strides through his leadership at Surfers for Climate.

What did he say?

"It is an absolute honour. I'm absolutely thrilled to receive the Evergreen Athlete award from the BBC. It means a great deal to be recognised away from the sporting field.

"It's huge to be recognised from across the world and I am super excited to keep driving positive change."

Elite Organisation of the Year

Winner: World Athletics

Why did it win?

Earlier this year, World Athletics launched its Athletics for a Better World (ABW) Standards, which set a number of environmental, social and governance obligations that host cities or venues need to adhere to if they want to run a World Athletics sanctioned event.

The ABW Standard consists of 55 action areas including procurement, waste management, energy, food and water management, travel and accommodation planning. Diversity, accessibility and inclusion of staff and volunteers is also addressed, as is ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of all participants and stakeholders.

What did they say?

World Athletics president Lord Coe said: "Let us use sport as an amplifying voice. I will probably go to my grave fundamentally believing that sport is the key vehicle for change.

"It doesn't always happen quickly. It doesn't happen overnight. But I've rarely seen sport go into any political, cultural, national environment that hasn't actually flicked the dial socially or politically."

Grassroots Organisation of the Year

Winner: Pledgeball

Why did it win?

Pledgeball is a research-driven charity that aims to help eliminate waste and encourage fans to think about their carbon footprint. Also a nominee in 2023, it has been consistently active in the football community but is increasingly partnering with other sports and organisations to support, promote and encourage the update of sustainable practice.

In the past 12 months, Pledgeball has introduced a sustainable travel charter to help clubs choose a more sustainable way to travel, its founder Katie Cross delivered a workshop on fan engagement with environmental sustainability, and it has worked with Uefa and the Biathlon International Union around big events.

Through Pledgeball in 2024, fans pledged to save 62,589,800 kg of CO2e per year, which equates to taking more than 13,600 cars off the road.

What did they say?

Pledgeball founder and chief executive Katie Cross said: "One of the issues is we all feel incredibly overwhelmed by this, we feel climate change is such a big issue that we cannot take part and so we turn off to it.

"What Pledgeball does is show a clear way in which you can have an impact, illustrate what that is and help you see you are a part of a huge community that also cares and wants to take action.

"There is a huge desire for bold action that will change things and protect those things we care about."