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Making sport operations and activities environmentally-friendly is possible, underlined the director of a French observatory for sport and sustainable development in an interview with EurActiv.
In 1994, the Centennial Olympic Congress in Paris in highlighted environment and sustainable development in sports practices for the first time. Since then, they have been included in the Olympic Charter as the third pillar of Olympism, alongside sport and culture.
In 1999, the CIO decided - in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) - to establish an Agenda 21
for the Olympic movement to contribute to the 27 principles of the Rio Earth Summit declaration
.
In Europe, this concept was first addressed by the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe (CoE), which in 2002 adopted a resolution
on a Code for sustainability in sport: a partnership between sport and the environment
. In 1986, CoE ministers had adopted a Resolution on Sport and the Environment
.
The European Commission's 2007 White Paper on Sports
noted that the practice of sport, sport facilities and sport events "all have a significant impact on the environment" and that it is important to promote environmentally sound sports management. The EU executive recommends sport organisations and event organisers to adopt "environmental objectives" to make their activities sustainable.
LinksDossier: EU sport policy
Sustainable development is the answer to sports-related global problems, said Nathalie Durand, director-general of the French Observatory of Sport and Sustainable Development (OSDD
).
The problems to be addressed include air pollution affecting athletes' health, greenhouse gas emissions generated by sports equipment and water used by swimming pools and golf courses amid current fears of water scarcity, she explained.
According to Durand, irresponsible economic practices and intensive production of sports equipment should also be considered.
She described sport as an actor in territorial development, with environmental, social and economic impacts. It also affects competition for land, consumption of goods and foods, and waste, transport and CO2, she said. Durand believes in furthering cooperation between all actors.
Making sport sustainable requires global consideration of the impact of sports infrastructure, equipment, events, clubs and related transport, Durand underlined, adding that OSDD had developed the idea of life-cycle assessment (LCA) for sporting activities as well as an accompanying means of evaluating progress.
Green Olympics
Recent initiatives to 'green' the Olympic Games have required host cities to build environmentally-friendly Olympic villages and organise green Games.
Meanwhile, Durand underlined that true integration of sustainable development into the Olympic Games would require a global view and consideration of athletes' health, the future of Olympic Villages, the creation of long-term employment, working conditions, financing ethics, individual and collective wellbeing, impact on local populations, pollution and biodiversity protection.
Recommendations to the EU
OSDD recently developed a number of recommendations on sport and sustainable development for the EU in view of the bloc's future sports policy, which is currently in the making. The observatory recommends that the EU adopts a three-fold method dubbed 'inform, analyse, act'.
The observatory proposes using physical education programmes in schools to raise awareness among young generations about sustainable development and developing an 'Agenda 21 for Sports' in all schools.
It also recommends informing all sport stakeholders by including it in the professional training of sportsmen, businesspeople and public officials in charge of sports, who should be given operational tools to integrate sustainability into their activities.
Durand underlined that sustainable sports is also an opportunity for innovation and new jobs. To assess its full potential, she suggests establishing a European research centre bringing together researchers, business leaders, NGOs, consumer associations, the sports movement and civil society around the issue.
Finally, the ODSS director urged the EU to launch, promote and finance a sustainable sports policy, which would encourage all stakeholders to be environmentally and economically responsible when buying sports equipment and push the public sector to encourage sustainable development as a whole.
To read the interview in full (French only), please click here.
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