The French petroleum group TotalEnergies is no longer a major partner of the Brussels 20km running event. Environmental and human rights organisations, who had campaigned against the partnership for years, have welcomed the decision.
TotalEnergies was one of the main sponsors of the Brussels 20km since 2004. For several years, organisations including Greenpeace, Totalement Down, Grands-Parents pour le Climat and Amnesty International fought to end this partnership with protests, petitions and lobbying. They argued that the oil and gas multinational was using this monument of Belgian sport, which brings tens of thousands of runners together in the Belgian capital, to boost its image.
"By associating itself with positive events, TotalEnergies wants us to forget about its oil and gas activities, which destroy biodiversity and contribute massively to the climate crisis," said Joeri Thijs, spokesperson for Greenpeace Belgium. "We are extremely happy that this greenwashing is coming to an end."
Carine Thibaut, director of Amnesty International Belgium's French-speaking section, noted that the organisations hope that other sporting events and cultural institutions will follow the example of the 20km.
"The prestigious Queen Elisabeth race, for example, continues to give a stage to TotalEnergies, which plans to increase fossil fuel production, worsening the climate crisis."
Finding new sponsors
The decision was announced by Carine Verstraeten, secretary general of SIBP, which organises the sporting event and had been criticised for its continued involvement in fossil fuels.
TotalEnergies confirmed in a press release that its support for the SIBP "has changed", before referring to the "massive" participation of the group's employees in the 20 km of Brussels, "a remarkable sporting event of European dimension". The company noted that it would continue to support the SIBP in another way.
Verstraeten did point out that this change will mean finding additional partners, as TotalEnergies, the world's fifth most profitable oil company, has donated €50,000 to the event every year since 2004. The Pluxee group, formerly known as Sodexo, will join the sponsors of the Brussels 20km from 2024.
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"We would like to remind you that we are mainly supported by the private sector, which enables us to offer low entry fees and to support charities," Verstraeten stated. "We want to quell the controversy, of course. But we also want this festival of sport to remain affordable, as it has been for 44 years".
The 44th edition will take place on Sunday 26 May 2024. Runners and avid walkers can register for the event from 13 March.
