Press Release - Council for Responsible Sport - 1/27/14

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

  Council for Responsible Sport Updates Certification Standards for 2014

       Concurrent Launch of New Web Site Simplifies Certification 
                            Application Process.

January 27, 2014 - Portland, OR: Executive Director Keith Peters announced 
today that the Council for Responsible Sport recently updated its 
certification standards in an effort to make them applicable to a broader 
range of sports events. Peters also unveiled the organization's new Web 
site, which features an Instagram gallery dedicated to pictures that show 
what #responsiblesport looks like.

"Version 4.1 of our certification standards have been two years in the 
making," said Peters. "As soon as we introduced version three of our 
certification standards in January 2012, we set out to improve upon them. 
We knew we had work to do to make sure our certification program is as 
relevant to a professional golf event like the AT&T Pebble Beach National 
Pro-Am as it is to Bike New York's TD Five Boro Bike Tour or the Cincinnati 
Zoo's Cheetah Run." 

Peters added: "We've enjoyed great acceptance over the past six years, with 
over 70 events earning certification from the Council. And we've learned 
something from working with each and every event. In regards to the 
development of our updated certification standards, we're particularly 
grateful to the organizers of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials, 
the 2012 ParalympicsGB Preparation Camp, the 2013 Waste Management Phoenix 
Open, the 2013 Division 1 NCAA Track & Field Championships and the 2013 Big 
O Roller Derby Tournament, all of whom provided valuable feedback 
throughout the pilot process of developing our new standards."

In addition to field-testing the new certification standards at pilot 
events, a draft of the standards was circulated to some 50 stakeholders 
last fall for feedback. Lessons learned from the pilot events and comments 
received from stakeholders were then reconciled and finally published as 
v4.1 on January 14, 2014.

In preparation for the introduction of the new certification standards, 
Council staff worked closely with Melissa Tatge Creative LLC on a complete 
overhaul of the Council's Web site (www.CouncilForResponsibleSport.org). 
Objectives of the redesign were: to more clearly present how the Council 
supports, certifies and celebrates responsibly produced sports events; to 
provide a simplified process for event organizers who want to get started 
on the certification process; and to enhance the Council's social media 
presence with an Instagram photo gallery that features pictures submitted 
by event organizers and participants, showing what they think 
#responsiblesport looks like 
(http://www.councilforresponsiblesport.org/what-does-responsible-sport-look
-like/).

Event organizers interested in certification are invited to start the 
process here: http://www.councilforresponsiblesport.org/get-started/

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