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On a night that delivered golden moments at Stockholm’s iconic Olympic Stadium—with Armand Duplantis soaring to a new pole vault world record and Andreas Almgren rewriting the European record books over 5000 metres—the BAUHAUS-galan Diamond League meeting on Sunday 15 June also stood tall for its green efforts.
Behind the electric atmosphere and record-breaking performances, organisers and partners quietly delivered a series of impactful sustainability initiatives, transforming the event into a benchmark for environmentally and socially conscious athletics.
Powering Records with Renewable Energy
In a major leap forward for cleaner energy use at sporting events, the traditional diesel generators—long a staple for event back-up—were replaced by a cutting-edge storage battery system. Provided by BAUHAUS-galan partners Wangeskog, the new battery system is charged using green energy and can distribute power reliably during the event.
“The broadcasters don’t want to rely on just the electricity from the stadium and from power companies,” explained Magnus Jakobsson of Wangeskog. “They want generators too, then they are safe. The previous generators were diesel and burned fossil fuels, which releases CO2 into the environment. But now we have this battery which is really big, and you can put in power. We load it for a long, long time, and then you can distribute a lot of power if needed. It just works.”
This switch alone represents a significant step toward reducing the event’s carbon footprint. In fact, by eliminating the use of diesel generators, the BAUHAUS-galan saved 1237 litres of diesel, equivalent to a reduction of approximately 126.5 kilograms of CO₂ emissions.
Fighting Plastic Waste, One Bottle at a Time
Also spearheaded by Wangeskog was the installation of five water stations throughout Stockholm Stadium, encouraging athletes, staff, and spectators to refill their reusable water bottles with clean, Swedish tap water. This simple yet effective measure is expected to have saved an estimated 2500 to 3000 single-use plastic water bottles during the meet—demonstrating how small changes can have a large environmental impact.
Greener Travel During Nordic Athletics Week
The BAUHAUS-galan was part of Nordic Athletics Week, which also included the Bislett Games in Oslo on 12 June and the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland on 17 June. A special travel programme encouraged athletes and officials to move between the cities by train and ferry, rather than by air.
220 athletes and team members travelled by train from Oslo to Stockholm, and dozens more continued their journey by ferry to Finland, significantly cutting CO₂ emissions. This coordinated effort underscored a commitment to sustainable mobility within elite sport.
Social Sustainability: Celebrating Role Models
Beyond environmental efforts, the BAUHAUS-galan also highlighted social sustainability. Event partner NIBE presented the inaugural “Kristallpinnen” award to Olympic gold medallist and longtime advocate for youth health, Carolina Klüft, recognising her impactful work through Generation Pep. The initiative encourages children and young people to lead active and healthy lives.
“For NIBE, sustainability is a central part of our business concept,” the company stated. “Just as our products contribute to environmental sustainability, we as a company and citizen want to contribute to social sustainability. We do this by supporting initiatives, teams, and individuals in sports that are building a better tomorrow, and here Carolina Klüft is a true role model.”
As Duplantis soared to a new world record and Almgren thrilled the home crowd with a stunning run, the BAUHAUS-galan also set new standards away from the track—proving that world-class sport and sustainability can go hand in hand.