The project *“Explore More with Teqball: Boosting Sustainable Sports Tourism through the Adriatic Teqball League”* has resulted in a new practical publication designed to help organisers deliver more sustainable, inclusive and financially resilient international sports events.

 

Led by the *Centre for Affirmation of Sport and Youth (CAMS)* in partnership with the *International Teqball Federation (FITEQ), the **Polish Teqball Association (PZTEQ), the **Teqball Federation of Montenegro* and *Association Altair, the project used the **Adriatic Teqball League (ATL)* as a practical environment for developing and testing a new approach to sustainable sports event organisation.

 

At the centre of the project was a simple idea: international sporting events, particularly in emerging sports such as Teqball, can generate value far beyond competition itself. When connected with local communities, tourism, responsible resource management and long-term planning, they can contribute to the development of both the sport and the destinations that host it.

 

From international expertise to practical implementation

 

The project was developed through a multi-stage process combining knowledge transfer, practical implementation and evaluation.

 

The first stage took place in *Bar, Montenegro, in July 2025*, through a workshop on organising international sports events. FITEQ contributed expert knowledge in areas including logistical management, event promotion, participant engagement and the wider economic and social benefits of hosting international competitions.

 

This was followed by a second workshop in *Sarajevo on 17 August 2025, focusing specifically on sustainable sports events, environmental responsibility and financial sustainability. Experts from **FITEQ and PZTEQ* contributed experience and practical perspectives that helped establish the foundations of the sustainability model subsequently developed through the project.

 

Based on the workshops, partner expertise and the Green Recommendations of the International Visegrad Fund, the project developed the *7 Principles of Sustainable Sports Events*.

 

The next step was to move from theory to implementation.

 

During the *2026 Adriatic Teqball League events in Žabljak and Sarajevo*, sustainability measures were introduced and tested in real international competition conditions. These included water dispensers and reusable glass bottles, waste separation, reusable and cardboard materials, a dedicated Sustainable Corner, youth activities and the Sarajevo Bike Tour.

 

This practical approach made it possible to identify not only which measures work, but also which require additional planning, financial resources, local infrastructure or cooperation with the host city.

 

Participant feedback, partner review, stakeholder input and an external evaluation were then used to further develop and refine the final publication.

 

Guidelines for Sustainable Sports Event Organisation

 

The principal outcome of this process is the *“Guidelines for Sustainable Sports Event Organisation”*, published by CAMS in partnership with FITEQ, PZTEQ, the Teqball Federation of Montenegro and Association Altair.

 

The publication is designed as a *practical model for organisers of small and medium-sized international sports events*.

 

Rather than treating sustainability as an additional environmental component of an event, the Guidelines approach it as a management principle that influences decisions from the initial concept and budget to competition delivery, communication, measurement and post-event legacy.

 

The model brings together *three interconnected dimensions of sustainability: environmental responsibility, financial and economic sustainability, and social and community impact*.

 

Environmental decision-making is structured around the *5R hierarchy — Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rot* — with particular emphasis on making sustainable decisions during procurement and planning rather than only once an event begins.

 

Financial sustainability is addressed through diversified revenue models, clearly structured sponsorship rights, cooperation with host cities and realistic budgeting of sustainability measures.

 

The social dimension covers inclusion and accessibility, engagement with schools, clubs, young people and volunteers, cooperation with local suppliers and the role of sports tourism in connecting an international event with its host destination.

 

From principles to an operational tool

 

A central feature of the Guidelines is their focus on implementation.

 

Recommendations are classified into three levels: *Core, Recommended and Context-dependent*. This allows organisers to distinguish between measures that should form part of every credible event and those whose implementation depends on local infrastructure, available resources or the specific characteristics of the host destination.

 

The publication also addresses governance and risk management, safeguarding, data protection, competition management, participant welfare, sustainable mobility, communication and marketing, sponsorship, credible sustainability claims and long-term legacy.

 

A set of *12 core indicators* provides organisers with a practical framework for measuring results consistently from one event edition to another.

 

The Guidelines conclude with an operational checklist covering the three main phases of event organisation — *before, during and after the event* — allowing responsibilities to be assigned and implementation to be documented.

 

Importantly, the publication is not intended as a certification scheme or a replacement for established international standards. It is a working guide developed specifically for the realities of small and medium-sized international events and designed so that organisers in different sports and different host cities can adapt the model to their own circumstances.

 

Teqball as a platform for wider impact

 

Through *Explore More with Teqball*, the Adriatic Teqball League became more than a series of competitions. It provided a testing ground for ideas that connect international sport with sustainable event management, community participation and destination development.

 

The cooperation between CAMS, FITEQ and the other project partners also demonstrates the potential of knowledge exchange between international federations, national sports organisations and local organisers.

 

While Teqball provided the environment in which the model was developed and tested, the final Guidelines were deliberately designed to be transferable beyond the sport.

 

In this way, the project leaves a practical legacy: experience gained through Teqball events in the region has been transformed into a resource that can support organisers, federations, clubs, municipalities and tourism organisations seeking to deliver international sporting events with stronger environmental, financial and social foundations.

 

*The project is co-financed by the governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from the International Visegrad Fund.*