Presented by Claro, the Rio Open, the largest tennis event in South America and the only ATP tournament to be held in Brazil, is now a carbon-neutral event, this also receiving UN (United Nations Organization) recognition. At the initiative of ENGIE, the largest private sector power company in Brazil, operating in generation, trading and transmission of electric energy, transportation of gas and energy solutions, the emissions of more than 400 tons of CO2 generated by the Rio Open during its seventh edition (February 15 to 23 this year) were offset with carbon credits. The initiative, which forms an integral part of the tournament’s sustainability platform (Rio Open Green) received UN certification for the entire work performed on a voluntary basis and for its significant impact on the environment.
“This unique partnership between ENGIE and the Rio Open contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). ENGIE’s purpose is to act to accelerate the transition to a carbon-neutral world through reduced energy consumption and more sustainable solutions, reconciling performance with a positive impact on people and the planet. The partnership with the Rio Open adopts this line and is particularly relevant in the light of the importance of the event and the visibility it gives to the SDGs, commitments which we seek to assume and disseminate in our company and in the communities where we carry on our business”, Maurício Bähr, CEO of ENGIE Brasil points out.

Neutralization was achieved through the use of carbon credits assigned by Usina Hidrelétrica Jirau – Special Purpose Company with ENGIE (40%), Eletrobras Eletrosul (20%), Eletrobras Chesf (20%) and Mizha Participações S.A. (20%) as its shareholders.

To arrive at the amount which has to be neutralized, a balance of the C02 emissions was drawn up at the end of the 2020 edition of the Rio Open based on the GHG protocol. The calculation sweeps up all sources of emissions generated by the tournament as a whole from assembly to disassembly of the event in addition to those originating from travel to and from the tournament by the athletes and technical staff as well as the additional electric power consumed by the Jockey Club Brasileiro during the edition.

“The Rio Open has a commitment to Rio de Janeiro and with the people that live here, to supporting social projects, the jobs we create as well as the R$ 130 million tournament- related business that was generated for the city this year. And now we are extending our commitment to the environmental issue through the neutralization of carbon emissions generated by the event, an initiative which has been recognized by the UN. The Rio Open has now been transformed into a carbon neutral event and in line with the demands of a society which requires an increasingly greater socio-environmental commitment from companies and organizations”, says Márcia Casz, general director for the tournament.

In the 2020 edition, the Rio Open Green platform is based on three pillars for managing waste: reduction, recycling, and reuse – in the case of the latter the process enjoyed a partnership with ENGIE and the RINA audit company.
The Rio Open is the first ATP World Tour 500 tournament ever to be held in Brazil and is one of a select group of 13 tournaments known as the ATP 500, in turn one of the 22 most important in the ATP calendar and the only one to be held in Brazil. This qualifies it as one of the major sporting events of the year in Rio de Janeiro and one of the only ATP 500 tournaments to be played on clay in the world.

Since 2014, the Rio Open, the largest tournament in South America, has attracted an average of 50,000 spectators every year to the Jockey Club Brasileiro to watch the likes of Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Pablo Cuevas, Dominic Thiem, Diego Schwartzman, Laslo Djere and Cristian Garin become champions.

ABOUT RIO OPEN 2020

The Rio Open 2020 has Claro as presenting sponsor and the sponsorship of Santander. And also Peugeot, HDI Seguros, Mubadala, Emirates, FedEx and Rolex and the companies Shell, ENGIE, Petra, Motorola, Qualicorp, EMS, Booking.com, Ortobom, Microsoft, Melitta, Prosegur, Zetaflex, Shopping Leblon, CopaGaz, Orthopride, Greenpeople, Sextante and Sherwin Williams. Fila is responsible for the sports material and Head is the supplier of the official tennis ball for the event. Sportv has the broadcasting rights to the Rio Open and transmits in HD all the games on central court to Brazil and more than 170 countries via ATP Media.
The event is incentivized by the Special Secretariat for Sport an arm, of the Ministry of Citizenship, through the Federal Sport Incentive Law and also the State ICMS Law enacted by the Government of Rio de Janeiro through the State Sport, Leisure and Youth Secretariat.

The Rio Open is a promotion of IMM and realized by the ICT (Instituto Carioca de Tenis ).

ABOUT IMM
IMM is a Brazilian company that operates in the area of sport, entertainment, sale of admission tickets, cashless payments and communication. A company with a focus on single and recurring entertainment platforms, creating memorable experiences for consumers and for brands.
In the sporting arena, the company puts on major events, part of the country’s calendar of events such as the Rio Open (the largest tennis tournament in South America), the UFC, besides the Go Cup, the largest children’s soccer tournament in Latin America and the PBR, the largest bull riding league in the world. With wide experience in the area of sport, IMM has already organized a-round-the-world regatta, the Volvo Ocean Race and a golfing events platform with the PGA seal of approval. For three seasons, IMM was responsible for holding the “NBA Global Games” in Brazil.

In the Entertainment area, IMM has a joint venture with Cirque Du Soleil, being responsible for the tours of the group in Brazil. Since 2015, it has had a Family Entertainment area with a focus on large Broadway musicals such as My Fair Lady, Singing in the Rain, The Little Mermaid and Sunset Boulevard. IMM also promotes the gastronomic event, Taste São Paulo, and the iconic São Paulo Fashion Week.
IMM has its own ticketing platform – TUDUS. Working round the clock, it is responsible for the sale of online and off-line admission tickets to its own events as well as those of third parties. The area is involved in important projects such as admission tickets to NBA, Paul McCartney concerts, Circuito Banco do Brasil, Rio Open and more than 30 theaters between Rio and São Paulo. Also in the IT area, IMM has associated with the Canadian company Intellitix to provide cashless payment services in the Brazilian market.

Recently, it set up IMM Creative Marketing, a new communication and marketing business unit for developing creative strategies for IMM products and leading brands.