Can a global sporting event ever be sustainable?
As somebody who loves the outside, and loves sports, the Olympics always causes a bit of an internal dilemma. One half of me wants to be outside and enjoy the small amount of British Summer we are being delivered. I want to be on the tennis courts pretending I’m Serena Williams, on the golf course convincing myself I could have been an olympian golfer as I hit a 7 over par, or practising my double somersault / belly flop combo in the pool.
The other half wants to be locked inside, glued to the television for the entire two-week period, witnessing the incredible talent of the sportspeople on display.
But either way, even as a professional sportsperson myself, I can feel the influence of the Olympic Games. The conversations it has started, the passion it creates for sports I barely knew existed or had ever watched. The attachment I feel to the Great British athletes, but also the elation I feel for all competitors and medal winners, let alone world and olympic record breakers.
Even within the games themselves. Swimmers, one moment competing against each other, are then applauding and hugging their competitors just moments after they have raced. The Olympics truly creates a platform to bring people together and create conversation. It is nearly unmatched in this ability.
That is why it is such a powerful tool for sustainability, and Paris 2024 has not disappointed. Yes, we can sit here and say international sport is not sustainable, which in itself it is not. The amount of construction, emissions and waste created is obscene. But the Olympic Games is also the largest sporting event in the world, hugely influential, and importantly an opportunity to show what can be done when corporations, governments, institutions, and individuals work together,
So what has Paris 2024 done differently? To be honest, a lot but here are some of my favourites:
Venues
95% of Olympic venues are pre-existing stadiums that have been adapted for use. As a rugby player I know the Stade de France as a rugby stadium. This Olympics it has been used as such, hosting the Men’s and Women’s Rugby Sevens Competitions over a period of a week. However, overnight it was transformed into Athletics stadium, and will also be used for both Olympic and Paralympic Closing Ceremonies. Rather than having separate venues, France used some clever scheduling to reuse the same venue, very successfully. This may seem insignificant, but think of all the stadiums across the world that sit idle for most of the year, because there is no football / tennis / rugby matches happening there. Hopefully this will encourage many of these to be used as multi-sport or multi-event venues instead.
2. Transport
All of the venues are on public transport links. This is huge for reducing emissions created by car travel. What I absolutely love, is you can search by venue, and it will then tell you exactly how to get there by public transport, including walking distances from station to stadium, as well as bike parking facilities for cyclists and tourist attractions nearby.
3. Renewable Energy
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games is using 100% renewable energy sourced locally. Additional solar panels have been installed on various venues, and perhaps most interestingly, geothermal cooling systems have been used in replacement of air conditioning, within the Olympic Village. This essentially removes heat from the air and transfers it into the ground. An incredibly efficient way of both heating and cooling an environment.
These efforts, along with many others, will mean Paris 2024 will have a significantly reduced carbon footprint. Compared to Rio 2016, its’ carbon footprint will be 50%. This is the collective effort of many to learn from previous Olympic Games and constantly produce more sustainable competitions. There are few occasions where such global collaborations occur.
So whether you marvel at the sustained effort of the olympians to get to this point, or the effort of Paris 2024 to create a more sustainable Olympic Games, the key takeaway for me is that consistent commitment is key, and it takes collaboration and cooperation to achieve a common goal.
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