St John’s, Antigua, 6 November 2026: Cricket legend Sir Viv Richards has been named an ambassador for King Charles III’s Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI), bringing one of sport’s most recognisable voices into the global push for a more sustainable future.
The appointment was announced on 2 November, as King Charles and Queen Camilla visited Antigua and Barbuda for the 45th anniversary of the country’s independence and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2026. The SMI said the former West Indies captain was appointed in recognition of his commitment to championing a more sustainable future for sport.
“Throughout my life, I have seen the extraordinary power of sport to bring people together, inspire ambition and create opportunities,” Sir Viv said. “I am honored to become an Ambassador of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, and I look forward to working with leaders across sport and business to create opportunities for communities to thrive, together as one team.”
He was one of four West Indies cricketing knights — alongside Sir Richie Richardson, Sir Andy Roberts and Sir Curtly Ambrose — who met the King and Queen during the independence celebrations at the stadium named after him in Antigua.
What the Sustainable Markets Initiative does
The Sustainable Markets Initiative was founded by King Charles III in 2020, when he was Prince of Wales, to help accelerate the transition to a sustainable future. Its Ambassador Programme brings together distinguished global leaders from different fields as high-level representatives, storytellers and advocates of the SMI and its guiding mandates, the Terra Carta and the Astra Carta.
“It is a privilege to welcome Sir Viv Richards as a Sustainable Markets Initiative Ambassador,” said Jennifer Jordan-Saifi, the SMI’s chief executive. “Few figures command such respect across sport and communities worldwide, and his legacy extends far beyond cricket — embodying leadership, unity and demonstrating the power of sport to inspire positive change. Sir Viv’s voice and influence will help to accelerate the sustainable transition across the sporting ecosystem, in the Commonwealth and beyond.”
Sport reaches more than four billion fans worldwide, according to the SMI, giving it a rare ability to shift behaviour and mobilise people at scale. The SMI’s Sport Pathfinder brings together leaders from across the sport value chain — sponsors, venues, broadcasters and governing bodies — to tackle systems-level problems that no single company or industry can solve alone, and to make sustainability the default across global sport.
A cricketing legend
Sir Vivian Richards made his Test debut for the West Indies in 1974 and became one of the most feared batters in the history of the game. He scored 8,540 runs in 121 Tests, including 24 centuries, and captained the West Indies in 50 Tests, winning 27 of them.
In 1976 he scored 1,710 Test runs in a calendar year, a record that stood for 30 years. In 1986 he scored a 56-ball Test century against England in Antigua, then the fastest in Test history. He was awarded a knighthood by the Antiguan government in 1999, and the national stadium in Antigua carries his name.
Sport, CHOGM and the road to COP31
Sir Vivian is also a CHOGM 2026 envoy, and was named an honorary team manager — alongside former England captain David Gower — for the “One Commonwealth, One Team” exhibition cricket match in Antigua and Barbuda, staged around the leaders’ meeting. The SMI is involved in several events during CHOGM, including the Commonwealth Business Forum, where the King meets participants in the Commonwealth leaders and chief executives’ summit.
The appointment comes a week before the world’s governments gather for COP31, which opens in Antalya, Türkiye, on 9 November 2026, with the sustainable transition at the heart of the agenda. It also follows a wave of new green ambassador programmes around the world — including 61 young volunteers named Global Green Ambassadors for 2026 — as youth and public figures alike are being drawn into climate action.
Key facts
- Announced: 2 November 2026, during the King and Queen’s visit to Antigua and Barbuda
- Appointed by: The Sustainable Markets Initiative, founded by King Charles III in 2020
- Role: SMI Ambassador — high-level representative, storyteller and advocate for the Terra Carta and the Astra Carta
- Why sport: Sport reaches more than four billion fans worldwide, according to the SMI
- Context: CHOGM 2026 in Antigua and Barbuda; COP31 opens in Antalya on 9 November 2026
