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As the second Green Sport Awards comes to a close for this year, so too will we, but as Matt says this is very much the beginning.

It has been an evening of celebration for those who are using the grassroots and global power of sport to show that things can change and move forward in a positive way if we all play our part.

You can find out more about all the nominees here, the winners here and watch the awards programme with Qasa Alom here

Thank you very much for joining us!

They’re filing out of the Radio Theatre.

The Green Sport Awards may be over, but judging by the over-arching mood in the room, it’s just the beginning in terms of change, and the influence sport can have on such an important issue.

Journalist and presenter Qasa Alom spoke to all of this year's winners for a special programme on the awards as he found out more about their work to try to protect the planet.

You can watch it now on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iPlayer

Matt Warwick
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Sport at the Green Sport Awards

Munnings on sport's role in the climate emergency: “It's massive: when they launched Extreme E the were talking about the top television programmes watched globally and they were all sport matched in the past. I think the audience that sport is able to tap into is huge, people all walks of life… everyone has some interest at some level – it’s unique.

“Scientists can work for six months on a study and publish the paper and it can be seen by 500 peers who are looking for that info; what we can do with Extreme E is feed messages and research to share so everybody can do their own part.

Image source, EPA

Matt Warwick
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Sport at the Green Sport Awards

No sport is more in focus than car racing when it comes to the climate emergency.

I found Catie Munnings, who drives in Extreme E: the all-electric off-road series, which races in territories affected by climate to raise awareness of the issues faced and implement legacy projects.

“I think seeing how connected the issues across the world were really shocked me – going to Senegal, seeing the impact of rising sea levels and how that was effecting economy and fishing and people’s social lives.

"Then we went up to Greenland and saw the glacier melting and the rapid rate of that going into the ocean. To me it felt like separate ends of the planet, but to see how directly linked there are, and to hear from our top scientists in environmental studies on what was happening really shocked me.

"It's harrowing to see that, and then think about your own impact."

Image source, Getty Images

As things come to a close let's get some more reaction from those attending the ceremony tonight...

Qasa Alom wraps up the ceremony and the award winners are back on stage as they have their photograph's taken with their (as a few said tonight) heavy trophies.

So that is all your Green Sport Award winners for this year and it is safe to say there is some fantastic and inspiring work being done by all of them.

You can read about all of them and their achievements here

Matt Warwick
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Sport at the Green Sport Awards

There's people from all over sport here tonight: including former Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist and three-time Tour de France stage winner Chris Boardman.

Boardman is instrumental these days in pushing for the integration of cycling and walking in our towns and cities as a clean solution for mobility.

And he's not the only Olympian: Lord Sebastian Coe is here in his role now as president of World Athletics. He said "this is important", as he was ushered into the awards.

Image source, EPA

Understandably Pat Cummins couldn't be at the awards tonight as he is out in India with Australia to prepare for the ODI Cricket World Cup.

But he sent his thank you message over video whilst President of World Athletics Lord Seb Coe is on stage to accept the award on his behalf.

Not a bad stand in...

Image source, Getty Images

The final award winner of the 2023 Green Sport Awards is cricketer Pat Cummins for Athlete of the Year.

Australia's men's Test and one-day international captain, Cummins has taken an active leadership role on climate change. A nominee in last year's inaugural awards, the 30-year-old's work includes public advocacy, but also mobilising networks and resources for significant outcomes through his Cricket for Climate Foundation. Through the foundation, Cummins has helped a number of projects in the past 12 months that have had a positive impact from organisational level down to clubs.

The final award of the night comes from the Athlete of the Year category.

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

The nominees in this category are:

• Pat Cummins
• Sofie Junge Pedersen
• Jacquie Pierri
• David Wheeler
• Sebastian Vettel

Chris Dickerson heads off stage to a great round of applause after talking about the work he continues to do to try and create a more sustainable future.

And just like that we move onto our final award of the night...

Image source, Getty Images

This years award winner for the Evergreen Athlete is Chris Dickerson who receives his trophy on stage.

Former Major League Baseball player Dickerson is recognised for taking the initiative to try to make positive change before many had even realised the power sport could have. In 2008, Dickerson and fellow baseball player Jack Cassel formed the Players for the Planet foundation, which has brought together professional athletes to help build awareness of the environmental crisis. Dickerson, 41, has been involved in numerous environmental projects, regularly speaks at sustainability conferences, and posts content on his social channels to promote the work he and the foundation are doing.

Next up this evening is a special award in the Evergreen Athlete 2023.

This award is for a professional sportsperson who has proactively demonstrated ongoing support for environmental and/or climate change issues for a number of years.

It recognises their efforts in using the power of sport for positive change for the planet, often before many were aware of the relationship between the two.

Now we take a small break in the awards as we hear from ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Sport's Editor Dan Roan about how climate change and it's impact on sport is increasingly on the agenda now as more people are becoming aware of the relationship between the two.