Home News IOC announces first-ever Climate Action Awards winners
NewsEntertainmentSport

IOC announces first-ever Climate Action Awards winners

Share
Share

Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced Friday the winners of the first-ever Climate Action Awards, honoring athletes, International Federations (IFs) and National Olympic Committees (NOCs) for their efforts to fight against climate change.

The IOC set up three award categories – sustainable travel, innovation and athlete advocacy, and received more than 70 applications from across the Olympic Movement.

British fencer Marcus Mepstead won the sustainable travel award in the athlete category, and World Sailing and the Spanish Olympic Committee won the award in the IF category and the NOC category respectively.

The innovation award was awarded to Peruvian sailor Paloma Schmidt in the athlete category, World Rugby in the IF category, and the Colombian Olympic Committee in the NOC category.

The Athlete Advocacy Award, aiming to reward the efforts of athletes who actively engage people and communities in the fight against climate change, goes to American runner Ben Blankenship.

The IOC Climate Action Awards were launched in November 2022.

About The Author

Share

Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

LATEST POST

Metro

Sewuese Dies After Allegedly Being Trafficked to Cotonou for Prostitution

Sewuese Dies After Allegedly Being Trafficked to Cotonou for Prostitution A young Nigerian woman identified as Sewuese has died after she was allegedly...

Entertainment

Shakira Reveals What Drew Her to Burna Boy for World Cup Song

Shakira Reveals What Drew Her to Burna Boy for World Cup Song Colombian superstar Shakira has explained why she turned to Nigerian Grammy-winning...

Security

Wanted Soldier Arrested While Allegedly Supplying Military Uniforms to Terrorists

Wanted Soldier Arrested While Allegedly Supplying Military Uniforms to Terrorists Troops of the Nigerian Army have arrested a soldier who had been declared...

News

Lagos police arrest woman over alleged N450m land fraud involving 30 buyers

Lagos police arrest woman over alleged N450m land fraud involving 30 buyers The Police Command in Lagos State has arrested a 41-year-old woman,...

InternationalSport

“Maybe He’s a Racist” — Trump Takes Aim at NBA Superstar LeBron James

“Maybe He’s a Racist” — Trump Takes Aim at NBA Superstar LeBron James US President Donald Trump has stirred controversy after suggesting that...

Africa

Africa’s Talking Drum: Mama Nkem Left Before Her Daughter Was Ready

By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu Africa’s Talking Drum: Mama Nkem Left Before Her Daughter Was Ready In Umuoma Village, people said that a mother’s...

Sport

Cash Reportedly Stolen From Super Falcons Players’ Hotel Rooms in Casablanca

Cash Reportedly Stolen From Super Falcons Players’ Hotel Rooms in Casablanca The Super Falcons’ preparations for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations...

AfricaMetro

Harvard-Trained Nigerian-American Engineer Raises $7m for Robot Designed to Assist Hair Braiders A Nigerian-American engineer and Harvard graduate, Yinka Ogunbiyi, has secured $7 million in seed funding to develop a robotic device designed to make hair braiding faster and less physically demanding for professional stylists. Ogunbiyi’s company, HaloBraid, is developing what it describes as the world’s first patented braid-assist robot. The device is designed to work with hairstylists by handling some of the repetitive movements involved in knotless braiding. The funding round was led by Seven Seven Six, a venture capital firm founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. AlleyCorp and Bling Capital were also among the investors. The technology has already attracted significant interest, with more than 7,000 salons reportedly waiting to use the system. HaloBraid is designed as a collaborative robot, meaning it works alongside a human stylist instead of attempting to replace one. The hairstylist remains responsible for sectioning the hair, creating the initial knot and completing the final styling. The robot then assists with the repetitive weaving process down the length of the braid before the stylist returns to finish and shape the ends. According to the company, the technology could cut the time spent on some knotless braid appointments by roughly half, allowing salons to serve more clients while reducing the physical pressure on stylists. For Ogunbiyi, the idea was born from personal experience. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she spent four days installing knotless braids on herself, an experience that made her consider how technology could assist with the most repetitive aspects of the process. She subsequently teamed up with co-founder David Afolabi to develop HaloBraid. The company’s technology is also aimed at addressing the physical demands of professional braiding. Stylists who spend years performing repetitive movements can experience problems affecting their wrists, hands, shoulders, back and joints. By assisting with the most repetitive stage of braiding, HaloBraid hopes to reduce the strain on beauty professionals and help them work more efficiently. Ogunbiyi said the technology would not take away from the personal experience of visiting a salon. Rather, she believes it can allow stylists to spend less time on repetitive movements while continuing to handle the creative and personal aspects of hairstyling. Before launching HaloBraid, Ogunbiyi worked on smart kitchen appliances and Internet of Things products. She holds a joint master’s degree in engineering and business administration from Harvard University. With a $7 million investment and thousands of salons already expressing interest, HaloBraid is seeking to introduce robotics into one of the world’s largest and most labour-intensive beauty markets.

Harvard-Trained Nigerian-American Engineer Raises $7m for Robot Designed to Assist Hair Braiders A Nigerian-American engineer and Harvard graduate, Yinka Ogunbiyi, has secured $7...

Entertainment

Days to Their Wedding, VeryDarkMan Sends Peller and Jarvis a Serious Warning

Days to Their Wedding, VeryDarkMan Sends Peller and Jarvis a Serious Warning Social media critic Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has...

Sport

IOC Declines to Investigate Infantino Over Alleged Political Neutrality Breach

IOC Declines to Investigate Infantino Over Alleged Political Neutrality Breach The International Olympic Committee has refused to pursue a complaint against FIFA President...

News

IMO APC YOUTH LEAGUE INAUGURATES BOOTH WATCHDOGS, WARD CANVASSERS TO STRENGTHEN GRASSROOTS STRUCTURE AHEAD OF 2027

The Imo State Chapter of the APC Youth League on Thursday, July 23, 2026, successfully hosted its Interactive Session and Banquet at the...

Related Articles

Shakira Reveals What Drew Her to Burna Boy for World Cup Song

Shakira Reveals What Drew Her to Burna Boy for World Cup Song...

Lagos police arrest woman over alleged N450m land fraud involving 30 buyers

Lagos police arrest woman over alleged N450m land fraud involving 30 buyers...

“Maybe He’s a Racist” — Trump Takes Aim at NBA Superstar LeBron James

“Maybe He’s a Racist” — Trump Takes Aim at NBA Superstar LeBron...

Cash Reportedly Stolen From Super Falcons Players’ Hotel Rooms in Casablanca

Cash Reportedly Stolen From Super Falcons Players’ Hotel Rooms in Casablanca The...