News from the International Olympic Committee

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 22, 2024 / Seventeen new sports organisations recently joined the Sports for Nature Framework, committing to protecting and enhancing nature. Their membership was celebrated at an event during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, bringing the total number of signatories to the Framework to 76.

Sport relies on nature and has a responsibility to protect it. We are seeing growing commitment and passion across the sporting world, which shows how far the Olympic Movement has come on its journey towards sustainability. With the Sports for Nature Framework, we want to ensure that sport organisations have the right tools and support to take action.

Marie-Marie Sallois
International Olympic Committee Director for Sustainability

New signatories included the Hellenic Olympic Committee, the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees, the Mauritius Olympic Committee, the Solomon Islands National Olympic Committee and the Botswana National Olympic Committee, as well as European Aquatics, the International Golf Federation and the French Rowing Federation. They committed to reducing their climate and environmental footprint through measures such as more sustainable transport, energy solutions and procurement practices.

At the signing event, attended by over 100 people, several Olympians highlighted the role sport can play in inspiring change.

Sport can play an important role in global environmental protection efforts. Events like the Olympic Games provide us with a platform to advocate for the protection of nature.

Abhinav Bindra
Olympic champion in Beijing 2008, Vice Chairman of the IOC Athletes Commission and founder of the Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust

“In rugby, we are all different, but we all contribute to the game in different ways,” said Alena Olsen, an Olympic medalist with the United States at the 2024 Paris Games in rugby sevens.

Together we are more than the sum of our parts. This also applies to climate protection. Athletes want to be involved and make a meaningful contribution.

Alena Olsen
Olympic medalist with the USA in rugby sevens at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris

“We are all here together at the Olympic Games because we believe in shared values ​​and the ability of people to be better,” said Adam van Koeverden, Olympic gold medalist and Parliamentary Secretary to Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Canada’s Minister of Sport and Physical Activity. “I believe in the ability of sport to change minds and touch hearts. We must be able to harness that.”

Protecting biodiversity was a key concern for Paris 2024 organisers, who committed to an “anticipate, avoid and reduce” approach to the event’s environmental impacts. Around 95 per cent of Paris 2024’s venues were existing or temporary, so new construction was kept to a minimum. For temporary installations, a rigorous approach was developed to assess potential ecological impacts from the pre-planning to the post-construction phase.

For example, the rare plant “Conopode dénudé” was protected on the equestrian grounds of the Château de Versailles, and temporary installations were carefully constructed on the grounds of the Golf National to avoid damage to meadows and wetlands.

“Paris 2024 has proven that it is feasible and practical to host spectacular and sustainable Games,” said Sallois. “It was the inspiring power of sport that set it apart from other sectors. I think we all realise that we represent a unique opportunity. No other sector, no other industry can have this inspiring power and that is why we can be more part of the solution than anyone else.”

Dona Bertarelli, Patron of Nature of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Executive Chair of the Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy, shared a video message: “From the biggest stadiums to our local sports parks, sport unites us in passion and spirit, but with unity comes responsibility. Every swing, punch, throw, kick, swim, climb, sprint, ride, surf or sail impacts nature. Our role in protecting this landscape is not just a duty, but a fundamental necessity for our survival and wellbeing.”

Launched in 2022, Sports for Nature is a joint initiative of the IUCN, the IOC, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy. It aims to integrate biodiversity considerations into the planning and delivery of sporting events, including the Olympic Games, and encourages sports organisations to protect natural habitats, conserve species and promote sustainable land use.

The full list of Sports for Nature signatories is available here.

sustainability

The IOC is taking a proactive approach to ensure that sustainability is embedded in all aspects of the organisation of the Olympic Games. Leaving a lasting and positive legacy for the host city and host country is a priority and achievable goal for all Olympic Games organisers.

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© Melanie Wenger

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SOURCE: International Olympic Committee