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UN News: As the Olympic Games continue to grow, both in terms of sport and participation, do you ever consider or discuss environmental impacts?
Tania Braga: The game has not grown. The number of athletes who can participate is limited, and even for new events, the total number of athletes is kept constant so that the scale of the tournament does not become too large. The IOC is focused on limiting the footprint of the Games. No new venue required for hosting. The focus is on using existing locations and building new locations only when very clear long-term needs are in place. The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are slated for “total reuse.” This means he uses 100% of existing or temporary venues. In this respect, Paris 2024 is currently at 95%.
The IOC has always had an interest in assessing and minimizing the impact of the Games on the environment and communities. We have developed a set of recommendations and requirements to help each organizer, host city or region adapt to the challenges. There is a maxim that guides everything we do. The host city or region does not have to change to accept the Games, but the Games must adapt to the host city or region. There are several requirements, such as sustainability management certification and 50% emission reductions, in line with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Adapting to local needs while maximizing positive impact on local communities and reducing negative impacts on the local environment – that is the spirit.
UN News: How will the IOC measure that a host city has achieved the IOC’s sustainability goals? If not, what practical actions can the IOC take?
Tania Braga: Hosts should have policies, strategies and plans to monitor, measure and report in a transparent manner using existing international standards. If it doesn’t exist, work with other organizations to create it. This work is nearly complete for his Paris 2024 Games, which will be a pilot for using this methodology and consensus. No two game editions are the same. Tokyo and Paris are two different societies, and the geographic, political, social and economic backgrounds of their respective hosts must be considered. This is done using an approach that includes engaging organizers, host cities and regions, and local stakeholders to understand what is important for them to measure. All of them now have sustainability reports as required by the IOC host contract.
UN News: Was the Olympic Agenda 2020 the source of the greening of the Olympic philosophy and when did the sustainability and heritage reporting requirements start?
Tania Braga: Agenda 2020 has become a true game changer in the way the IOC selects hosts and manages the game. Sustainability existed voluntarily at the time of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics. With Agenda 2020, sustainability has become a central part of the Games. We need a strong answer as the climate crisis accelerates. The IOC is also addressing other global issues, such as the link between obesity and lack of physical activity, which is known from World Health Organization (WHO) data. More than 5 million deaths could be avoided each year if people were more active. To address such concerns, hosts should establish a permanent policy. At the Paris Games, 75% of suppliers were small and medium enterprises, playing a key role in addressing economic inequalities. It’s really impressive to reach this level when the benchmark is around 10%.
UN News: Are there any sustainability goals that are particularly challenging for host cities? Why?
Tania Braga: I think each edition of the game has a different set of challenges. For some people it will be more focused. Some areas are very important, for example health and well-being, climate, biodiversity, mobility, how hosts can contribute to accelerating local policies on sustainable cities and introducing new technologies. , always present for us.
The Tokyo Games accelerated Japan’s energy policy and showed how to take a step towards a low-carbon economy by supplying the Olympic Village with hydrogen from clean, blue sources. Paris has focused on the problem of physical inactivity and is using the Games to urge the French government to adopt a new national policy to add an extra 30 minutes of physical activity to elementary school students each day.
UN News: What steps are being taken to change the landscape or address the challenges facing some cities?
Tania Braga: Our approach is to initiate dialogue, provide support and provide expert advice. The methodology has been used to calculate the carbon footprint of events since 2012. The IOC’s influence will inspire people in sport to take action. The IOC has partnered with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on its Sports for Climate Action initiative, mobilizing a network of 31 international federations that need to commit to 50% emission reductions. These are examples of the means by which the power and visibility of the Olympic Games alone can be harnessed to capture the attention of audiences around the world. I have an audience. The number of viewers for the Tokyo Games is 3.5 billion.
UN News: Sustainability is one of the three pillars of the Olympic Agenda 2020. How will this affect future Olympics? And what inspires you?
Tania Braga: Due to the long life cycle of competitions, the full impact will be felt going forward. Paris was elected seven years before him and Los Angeles was elected eleven years before him. Paris is the first edition to show the full impact of Agenda 2020 and you can see the results. We still have a lot of work to do and we continue to collaborate with editions. It’s an evolving agenda. What inspires me is the potential to drive positive change and influence this change in different organizations within our network.
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