Europe is in the midst of a , and while Olympic athletes in Paris for the 2024 Summer Games might be spared the worst of it, the weather will still be hot.
As global temperatures have risen, major sporting events like the Olympics and FIFA World Cup to high heat and extreme storms to keep athletes and fans safe and allow the games to go on.
Olympic organizers have moved events such as marathons and . FIFA, the governing body for world soccer, pushed the 2022 Men’s World Cup back from its usual time in June to late November so it could be .
The heat risks and the environmental impact of major sporting events have led some people to should be held at all. But as someone who studies sport management and sustainability in an area I coined “,” I believe that radical approach misses the benefits, including the Olympics’ ability to promote sustainable actions to the public worldwide.
How rising global heat affects the Olympics
Sports have good reason for caring about sustainability: Climate change can put athletes’ and fans’ health at risk and even put the future of some sports in doubt.
Winter sports from climate change as temperatures rise and precipitation changes, dramatically shortening winter sports seasons in many areas. In 2022, the Beijing Winter Games had to so it could have ski runs at all. The to select Winter Games host cities for 2030 and beyond because of the uncertainty of winter sports.
, global warming fuels extreme heat and storms that can affect the quality of the competition and the and .
Major , as well as the Olympics, have responded to the risks by delaying competitions to , and .
Organizers of the Tokyo Summer Games, held amid a fierce heat wave in 2021, had , more than 500 miles north of Tokyo, so athletes could run in cooler weather. They also delayed competitions during the Games to avoid and .
Olympic progress toward sustainability
Any large event like the Olympics can produce vast carbon emissions through its construction, transportation needs and energy use.
That impact, and the risks it creates for sports and their athletes, are why sustainability has been since 1996 and is a focus of its . In 2012, the London Olympics pioneered a new , ISO2012, which provides guidelines for any large event to make more sustainable choices, from construction to catering.
The 2024 , from July 26 to Aug. 11, and Paralympic Games, Aug. 28 to Sept. 8, are certified to the latest standard, and organizers are taking many steps to reduce their climate impact.
The to power the events’ operations with . They are using existing venues when possible, had new ones built with low-carbon concrete and recycled materials, and brought in thousands of .
All furniture and temporary buildings approved for the Games also must have a , rather than going into a landfill. All of the competition venues are on public transportation, allowing for fewer vehicles in the streets. Even the food is targeted for a 50% emissions cut compared with the average meal by increasing the use of plant-based foods. The Paralympics will use the same venues and housing in the weeks that follow.
That doesn’t mean the 2024 Olympics won’t have a , however, particularly . But the organizers are aiming for the those of the London and Rio Games in 2012 and 2016.
World’s fair of sustainability
The Paris Olympic Games is an example of what large sporting events can do to reduce their impact on the environment and promote sustainability solutions to a global audience. Spectators will experience sustainability firsthand, and organizers will promote the Games’ sustainability efforts.
Such campaigns can influence people’s and even increase their in their home communities.
Suggestions to or even , ending spectator sports as we know them, overlook the ability of sports to influence and change human behavior.
Sustainability is a of learning from the past .
The 2024 Olympics’ strategies, , and in carrying them out, will also help in planning for future events, including the 2028 Summer Games in .
In essence, the Olympic Games, the largest sporting event in the world, is a sport sustainability world’s fair. It highlights what is possible for a sporting event through collaborations with international corporations to reduce its environmental impact. And it influences others to follow suit, whether that is other sporting events, leagues and federations or spectators from around the world.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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