As the body that upholds the values and ideals of the Olympic Movement, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) takes sustainability seriously. From the beginning of a prospective host city’s bid to long after the medals have been won, the IOC works with local organizing committees to ensure developments required for the Games are transformed into a legacy that benefits the winning city and its residents for decades to come.
“We ask what the long-term vision of a city is and how the Games can contribute to enriching and catalyzing it,” explains Christophe Dubi, the executive director of the IOC. “It’s about organizing the Olympics with the purpose of serving the needs of the community. It’s a fundamental philosophical evolution. Sustainability is an entire way of thinking.”
“The Olympic Agenda 2020 has sustainability and legacy at its heart.”
Christophe Dubi, Executive Director, IOC
According to Michelle Lemaitre, the IOC’s head of sustainability and Olympic legacy, throughout the 2000s the focus shifted from environmental concerns to the bigger idea of sustainability.
The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics was the first Games to “put sustainability at the heart of its mission,” she notes. “But London raised the bar and made it relatable to people. There was a really strong story to tell.”
The former head of sustainability of LOCOG (London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games), David Stubbs, agrees: “We said we would build for long-term value, to regenerate East London, construct venues that were needed and not have white elephants, and restore the ecology. That happened and continues to happen. We developed a management system that has become an international standard, ISO 20121. We worked on carbon foot printing. We put in place the sustainable sourcing code. It was all part of our business model.”
“We learned a lot from London,” admits Sidney Levy, CEO of the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee.“Rio’s transportation network is radically different. The subway has expanded, the bus rapid transit system, trains, the whole infrastructure. We could do the Games without all that, but are using them to move governments, authorities and the private sector. That is what Rio will be remembered for.”
Tokyo will be next to benefit from the lessons of London and Rio to make their Games sustainable from start to finish: “We are embracing the entire concept,” insists Toshiro Muto, CEO of the Tokyo Organizing Committee. “Tokyo 2020 aims to obtain ISO 20121 certification for event sustainability management. The Fundamental Principles for the Sustainable Sourcing Code give full consideration to economic rationality, fairness and equity. They will allow us to deliver a minimal impact Games, as we strive to raise awareness.”
“Our work here is to transform hearts and minds,” believes Tania Braga, Rio 2016’s head of sustainability and legacy. “Transport improvements will let people spend less time in traffic and more with families, giving access to parts of the city they did not before. On the social side, programs we launched in public schools in Rio are going to the whole country, allowing kids to experience different sports and impacting on their health and habits.”
“If we look at Rio and what the IOC should be proud of, I’d say we have contributed to changing citizens’ lives,” Dubi concludes. “When you stage the Olympic Games, you generate a range of social benefits. Effects trickle down when kids start to do sport in areas like health, social inclusion, gender balance, urban development, culture, and education. That’s our goal.”
