Hockey Olympic Hugo Inglis (New Zealand) won the IOC Climate Action Award 2025 in the Athlete category, as announced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on the occasion of its Session yesterday. With FIH winning the IOC Climate Action Award last year, this is a fantastic “double” for hockey!

The IOC Climate Action awards celebrate innovative projects across the Olympic Movement that are taking tangible steps towards tackling climate change and driving sustainability in sport.

Hugo Inglis is a co-founder of “High Impact Athletes” (HIA), a movement that directs athlete funding towards evidence-based, systemic climate solutions. HIA supports organisations that advance the technologies and policies needed to decarbonise the sectors most responsible for sport’s emissions – aviation, energy and infrastructure. To date, HIA has mobilised over 240 athletes to channel more than USD 2 million to carefully selected charities, driving meaningful, positive change in global health, animal welfare and climate action.

Upon receiving the award, Hugo said: “The award is a huge mark of credibility. Philanthropy is a relationships business. Athletes trust people. Partners trust systems. Recognition like this helps show we’re building something credible across the sports ecosystem. If we apply the same discipline, ambition and teamwork from sport to climate action, the results can be massive.
We’re trying to innovate and push the boundaries to make giving cool again. We want to empower athletes to share the message that altruism is a good thing, and do it in a way that fits this generation, using all the tools we have to amplify impact.”

FIH President Tayyab Ikram, commenting on this massive achievement, said: “In my personal name, and on behalf of the global hockey community, I’d like to wholeheartedly congratulate Hugo Inglis and everyone collaborating with him on his fantastic project.
This achievement, following last year’s IOC Climate Award for FIH, speaks volumes about how committed we, as a sport, are to making the world a better place through hockey.
I can only encourage our great hockey athletes around the world to be inspired by Hugo’s example – as well as Oliver Scholfield’s and others’ – and to follow his path in embracing social causes that will have a positive impact on their communities and beyond.”

Another hockey Olympian, Oliver Scholfield was among the finalists of this year's and last year’s editions. He co-founded “Racing to Zero”, a non-profit sustainability consultancy that supports sports organisations and events in understanding and reducing their environmental impact. The consultancy measures greenhouse gas emissions, provides tracking tools, and delivers tailored solutions such as sustainability strategies and emission reduction plans. It has worked with organisations and events such as Canada Artistic Swimming, Cycling Canada, Freestyle Canada and the Canada Games.

#MadeForHockey