Dundee is to host martial arts fighters from all over the world later this month in what organisers are touting as the UK's first carbon-neutral competition of its kind.
The 7th Kanzen Cup International Open will bring together elite athletes from countries including the UK, Ireland, Romania, Egypt, Pakistan and France for a day of competitive fights.
The contest takes place on Saturday November 13 at Dundee's Regional Performance Centre in Caird Park.
It has been organised by local group Kanzen Karate, which has worked with the other martial arts federations attending to calculate the event's carbon footprint.
Kanzen will then work with a specialist agency to offset the carbon generated by investing in projects that benefit the environment, such as reforestation.
It will also share its learning with sporting body WUKF. The international federation is examining how it can make other events equally eco-friendly.
Roy O’Kane, chief officer of Kanzen Karate, said: “Sport is a community and a community is part of society. As an organisation we are looking at how we play our part in protecting the environment and having carbon neutral events is part of that.
"The younger generation are very engaged in the climate change issue and we will be using the event to highlight our collective responsibility to tackle climate change.
"In the same way that safety, first aid and event compliance are so important, being carbon neutral is now up there with the list of minimum standards for us."
Kanzen hosts karate classes for all ages, ranging from kids and teens' sessions through to detailed briefings on self-defence for adults.
This month's event is not its first foray into hosting international martial arts tournaments.
Kanzen hosted one of the biggest martial arts gatherings in the world, the 7th World Union of Karate Federations, at the Dundee Ice Arena in 2018. It was the first time the event had been held in the UK.
The net-zero announcement comes as Glasgow hosts world leaders for the United Nations' COP26 convention at the Scottish Event Campus.
Heads of state have converged on the city for nearly two weeks of discussions on how to combat climate change.
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