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Sustainable development

The IOC has embraced the role of sport as an important enabler for the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

  • The IOC and the United Nations (UN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the start of Olympic Agenda 2020. In 2015, sport was officially recognised by the UN as an “important enabler” for the UN SDGs.

  • Since 2020, the IOC has reinforced existing collaboration and/or developed new strategic partnerships with the UN system, including agencies and programmes operating in fields of sustainable development. This includes cooperation frameworks with:

  • the WHO (on promoting community health and well-being through sport and physical activity, health security at the Olympic Games, and policy and advocacy);

  • UN Women (advancing gender equality and inclusion in and through sport);

  • UNODC (fighting corruption and manipulation in sport and promoting youth crime prevention through sport);

  • UN Habitat (promoting sustainable development in cities through sport, physical activity and active recreation, and positioning sport as a tool for sustainable urban development).

  • The IOC has engaged on a range of issues with the UN General Assembly and its member states, UNICEF, OHCHR, UNFCCC, UNEP, UNHCR, ILO and UNESCO.

  • In 2024, sport was explicitly acknowledged multiple times in the UN Pact for the Future and the Declaration on Future Generations, which is part of the Pact for the Future.

  • The first Sport for Sustainable Development Summit, the largest-ever meeting on this subject, which took place on the eve of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, brought together 500 participants including more than 60 heads of state and government and heads of international organisations.

  • Launched at the mid-point of the implementation of Olympic Agenda, Olympism365 is the IOC’s strategy to strengthen the role of sport as an important enabler of the SDGs. In addition to direct cooperation with UN agencies, the strategy provided an entry point for the IOC to engage diverse collaborators and co-investors from outside the Olympic Movement.

  • Between 2021 and 2024, the IOC reduced its direct and indirect emissions by more than 30 per cent, in areas such as mobility, energy and responsible sourcing.

  • In 2019, the IOC inaugurated Olympic House, which is considered one of the most sustainable buildings in the world, receiving the highest LEED certification (Platinum) for its construction.

  • Five years after its inauguration, Olympic House obtained the highest LEED certification (Platinum) for its operations and maintenance.

  • The IOC launched the Olympic Forest project, part of the Great Green Wall Initiative to restore degraded landscapes across Africa’s Sahel region. The project aims to create social, economic and environmental benefits for communities across Mali and Senegal, ahead of Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026. Around 440,000 trees have been planted so far.

  • Paris 2024 achieved an unprecedented 54.6 per cent reduction in its carbon footprint compared to the average of London 2012 and Rio 2016, becoming the first Olympic Games aligned with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

  • The Paris Games used 100 per cent renewable energy and reduced waste by 60 per cent compared to London 2012.

  • At Paris 2024, Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) reduced the overall power consumption of the International Broadcasting Centre (IBC) by 50 per cent compared to Tokyo 2020; with the rental period of the OBS warehouse reduced by four months. Between Rio 2016 and Paris 2024, OBS achieved a total venue power reduction of 46 per cent. The net space requirement for the Paris 2024 IBC was also 23 per cent smaller than for Rio 2016.

  • The IOC co-launched the UN Sports for Climate Action framework. To date, 38 IFs and 71 NOCs have joined. In 2022, the IOC co-launched the Sport for Nature Framework. Twenty-five IFs and 15 NOCs have now joined.

  • The Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage (OFCH) has rolled out the Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP) in more than 60 countries. This includes India, where it has engaged over 12 million children and enabled more than 50,000 girls to participate in sport for the first time, as well as China, where it was rolled out via WeChat and generated 66 million interactions in a single month.

What they have said

“Nothing is more contrary to conflict than the Olympic experience. The Olympic Games are a symbol of universality and diversity. A symbol of cooperation and loyal competition, instead of division and conflict. (…) The Olympic Games are showing a remarkable example in their commitment to sustainability and to the Sustainable Development Goals.” – Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General.

Olympic Agenda reforms highlights

Olympic Agenda Highlights

IOC Members meeting at the 144th Session in Greece celebrated the achievements of Olympic Agenda. In a series of presentations, the highlights of the Olympic Agenda reforms and their impacts on the IOC and the wider Olympic Movement were outlined. They included a 30-minute film showcasing the achievements of the reforms with powerful testimonials from individuals, personalities and organisations, all of whom have been positively impacted.