IOC as owner of the Olympic Games

Did you know that sustainability is addressed as a strategic topic with cities as early as the Invitation Phase/Dialogue Stage and throughout all phases of the Candidature Process?

Or that sustainability commitments in the Host City Contract have been reinforced so that bidding for and hosting an Olympic Games can act as a catalyst for sustainable development in the host city and region?

And that the IOC is working with organisations such as C40 Cities, UN Climate and Dow to help host cities achieve their climate objectives?

These are just some of the ways we are meeting our stated intent to take a proactive and leadership role on sustainability and ensure that it is included in all aspects of the planning and staging of the Olympic Games.

For the “IOC as owner of the Olympic Games”, the IOC Sustainability Strategy defined the following four objectives for 2020, and this site is where you can follow our progress:

• Ensure sustainability is addressed as a strategic topic with cities as early as the Dialogue Phase and throughout all phases of the Candidature Process
• Reinforce sustainability commitments in the Host City Contract so that bidding for and hosting an Olympic Games can act as a catalyst for sustainable development in the host city and region
• Strengthen support and monitoring of the OCOGs’ implementation of sustainability-related bid commitments, Host City Contract requirements and the IOC’s recommendations
• Facilitate exchanges between Olympic Games stakeholders (e.g. OCOGs, national partners, host city authorities, TOP Partners) and build strategic partnerships with relevant expert organisations to develop innovative sustainable solutions for planning and staging the Olympic Games

The progress that has been made since the publication of our Sustainability Strategy in early 2017, through to mid-2018, can be found in the IOC Sustainability Report that was published in October 2018. Regular updates will be provided here in the shape of videos, interviews, articles and official documents.

While the four objectives are focused on 2020, we also recognise the need for longer-term sustainability ambitions. For this reason we defined strategic intents for 2030. This is a relevant time frame because it takes into account the duration of Olympic Games bidding and planning processes, and it aligns with the schedule of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The strategic intents represent the IOC’s vision of what a sustainable future could look like for the IOC, the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement, as well as the IOC’s contribution to achieving the SDGs.

For the “IOC as owner of the Olympic Games”, our strategic intent for 2030 is to ensure the Olympic Games are at the forefront in the field of sustainability and the host cities can leverage the Games as a catalyst for their sustainable development.