WBD SPORTS DRIVES CSR IMPACT IN THE 2025 WHOOP UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD SERIES

A record‑setting year both on and off the trails, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports used the global platform of the 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series to drive meaningful impact across the sport and its communities through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program and beyond. 

COMMITMENT TO CLIMATE ACTION

Mountain bike and nature go hand-in-hand, and the importance of protecting the natural environment is critical for the future of the sport. To signify this and its continued commitment to sustainability, WBD Sports signed the UCI Climate Action Charter at the start of the 2025 season.

Aligning with the Charter reinforces WBD Sports’ dedication to reducing its environmental footprint while championing the bicycle as a powerful symbol and instrument of climate action and ensures that initiatives such as science-based reduction targets and the biodiversity protection remain top priorities.

As the global promoter of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, WBD Sports plays a key role in encouraging and supporting its partners at each event to develop and implement initiatives aligned with this policy, ensuring that events and their stakeholders are working toward the same goals. This collaboration effort is essential for the successful implementation of most initiatives under the program.

This was seen first-hand on the ground in Araxá, Minas Gerais (Brazil), where professional riders and WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series representatives joined a local tree-planting initiative at the venue. It follows a similar program from 2024 where 1,000 trees were planted at the Brazilian location – the number determined through a technical assessment of the event’s emissions, from air travel to local event logistics.

These actions, along with its continued focus on sustainable event management, saw WBD Sports renew its ISO 20121 certificate – a prestigious validation of the structured framework that is applied to integrate sustainability into event management practices. In addition to promoting social inclusion and ensuring economic viability for all stakeholders, the framework involves setting long-term goals, implementing sustainable measures, evaluating performance, and continually improving internal and external processes and policies — all with the aim of reducing the environmental and social impact of the large-scale international events that WBD Sports promote. 

SHAPING THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE OF THE SPORT

WBD Sports’ CSR roadmap also places a strong focus on fostering inclusivity and equality within the sport, while inspiring the next generation of riders.

Building on the networking breakfast held in Les Gets in 2024, which brought together women from across the mountain bike community, the brand-new Women in Mountain Bike program marked its first milestone in 2025 with the appointment of a WBD Ambassador. 

The Ambassador’s role is to connect athletes, staff, industry members and media voices to share ideas, identify challenges and collaborate on solutions to ensure the sport is equally accessible for women. 

The initiative aims to help build an inclusive and equitable environment and increase female representation across all areas of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, which will hopefully have a trickle-down effect to the wider mountain bike community.

The 2025 season also provided once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for young people, hosting special kids press conferences in partnership with Local Organising Committees at Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland (Austria), Lenzerheide (Switzerland) and Pal Arinsal (Andorra) where children from local schools and bike clubs had the opportunity to interview their heroes.  

Riders involved in the unique experience included WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series stars Valentina Höll (Commencal Schwalbe By Les Orres), Andreas Kolb (Santa Cruz Syndicate), Mona Mitterwallner (Mondraker Factory Racing XC), Loïc Bruni (Specialized Gravity), Loris Vergier (Commencal Muc-Off By Riding Addiction), Loana Lecomte (BMC Factory Racing), Camille Balanche, Finn Treudler (Cube Factory Racing), Thomas Litscher and Fiona Schibler (Bike Team Solothurn). 

This enriching experience connected the present and the future of the sport, inspiring enthusiasm among the next generation and encouraging their active participation in sporting events.

Chris Ball, VP Cycling Events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “Our impact on the territories we visit around the world is aimed to continue long after the races are won. From individual actions in one location to wide-reaching strategies that guide how we operate globally, these initiatives are an integral part of our operations and hold significant importance for all stakeholders involved in delivering our events. This is not just words on paper; every decision we make takes into account how it aligns with our CSR roadmap”.

Looking ahead to the 2026 season, WBD Sports remains committed to delivering events that are as thrilling on the trails as they are responsible, innovative and pioneering off them. The initiatives and actions launched this season will continue to grow and evolve, ensuring that the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series not only raises the bar in sporting performance but also leads the way in social and environmental impact.