Case Study NSGV · award-winning twice
A web portal that shows sports event organisers the way to greater sustainability
Concept, design and development for the DOSB, the German Sport University Cologne and Öko-Institut.
- Sport Positive Award 2026 Inspired Innovation
- Humboldt Prize for Sustainability
On screen: nachhaltige-sportveranstaltungen.de · TYPO3
Project overview
Over a two-year participatory research process, the project "Sustainable Sports [Mega] Events" (Nachhaltige Sport[groß]veranstaltungen) gathered knowledge on how to run sports events sustainably. We turned it into a web portal that organisers of any size can use free of charge.
- Client
- German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB)
- Project partners
- German Sport University Cologne, Öko-Institut
- Sector
- Sport and sustainability
- Project type
- Web portal and platform development
- System
- TYPO3
- Team
- Development, UX design, project management
- Live since
- January 2025
Award-winning twice
The awards recognise both the project and the portal developed by econcess. Our congratulations to our project partners.
Sport Positive Award, "Inspired Innovation" category
An international award for projects that advance sustainability in sport. The award ceremony took place on 6 October 2026 at the Sport Positive Summit. 2026 winners list
Humboldt Prize for Sustainability, 1st place
Presented on 12 November 2025 in the Transfer category to the German Sport University Cologne's project and its web portal. Report on the portal
From research project to web portal
The two-year project begins: workshops on ecological, social and economic aspects, a project advisory board and a public symposium.
Closing symposium at the DOSB headquarters in Frankfurt am Main.
Official launch of the web portal nachhaltige-sportveranstaltungen.de.
1st place at the Humboldt Prize for Sustainability, Transfer category.
Sport Positive Award 2026, "Inspired Innovation" category. The portal is now also available in English: sustainsportevents.com.
The brief
- One central platform for sustainable sports events, from club tournaments to world championships
- Large volumes of data and complex content, organised so they are easy to understand
- Different user groups with different levels of knowledge, each guided appropriately
- High standards of accessibility and ease of access
The solution: tools instead of a brochure
The portal makes sustainability something you can plan. Registered organisers save their work in the login area and pick up where they left off.
Planning tool
Step-by-step guidance from the event details through to the summary. Tick off steps, add notes, save and continue later. The final summary can serve newcomers as a simple sustainability report.
Self-assessment with data visualisation
Organisers check which measures and goals across the 17 fields of action they are already planning or have achieved. The radar chart shows at a glance where there is still room for improvement. The check also works without registration.
Impact calculator
In three steps, organisers calculate the expected economic impact of their event on the region, a strong argument when talking to funding bodies, sponsors and public authorities.
Catalogue of measures and goals with filters
More than 600 measures can be filtered by field of action, goal and functional area. Entry-level measures are flagged, and measures for major events can be hidden.
The portal in numbers
- 600+
Measures
filterable by field of action, goal and functional area
- 268
Goals and indicators
for planning and evaluation
- 17
Fields of action
in 5 transformation areas, plus 6 management areas
Sources: nachhaltige-sportveranstaltungen.de and Sport Positive Awards 2026 winners list, retrieved on 30 October 2026.
Technology and accessibility
Technology
- TYPO3 as the content management system for the project team
- Login area with personal saved progress for the planning tool and self-assessment
- Database-driven catalogues with filters instead of static lists
- English version on its own domain
Accessibility
- Accessibility was part of the requirements from the very start
- Clear structure for newcomers and experts alike, with a glossary and download area
- Free to use, with many tools available without registration
Partners and funding
The overall concept was developed by the German Sport University Cologne, the German Olympic Sports Confederation and Öko-Institut. Development of the web portal was funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection and by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community on the basis of a decision by the German Bundestag.
Planning a portal with lots of content and tools?
We would be happy to show you how we approached the NSGV portal.
Bastian Kretzschmar
Dipl.-Math. oec., Managing Director
Phone: 089 700742-660
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