The BS8901 certificate was presented to John Tweed (pictured), chief executive of the WPNSA, by David Stubbs, head of sustainability at London 2012.

Shaun McCarthy, chair of the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, said: "I have always regarded the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy as being an exemplar of joined-up social, environmental and economic sustainability.

"I am delighted to see they are among the first venues to achieve BS8901 certification - my congratulations to the team for their great achievement."

The WPNSA had to identify and understand the effects that the venue's activities have on the environment, society and economy both within the academy organisation and the wider economy.

Measures then had to be implemented to ensure that best practice is always followed and that the world-class sports facility continues to follow a sustainable event management system.

The Green Blue, a joint environmental initiative of the Royal Yachting Association and British Marine Federation, has been instrumental in working with the WPNSA over the last six months to achieve the standard.

Dan Reading, sustainability officer at The Green Blue, added: "There was a lot of work involved engaging the various stakeholders and the team at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy rose to the challenge."

The academy now has a long line of awards within its management credentials.

Tweed said: "The environment is a top priority for the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy and we promote an enduring balanced approach within all our event-orientated activities.

"It is satisfying that our commitment to sustainable best practice has been recognised at an official British Standard level and we will now continue our work with The Green Blue to further develop our sustainable event management techniques."