On-the-Scene -- Bach Goes Green in Sochi

(ATR) The IOC president and the head of Sochi 2014 were among the top speakers on the opening day of the 10th World Conference on Sport and the Environment.

This year’s theme is "Changing Today for a Better Tomorrow." Around 300 delegates, including environmentalists, academics, government figures, and sports experts are in attendance at the three-day conference at the Radisson Blu Hotel on the Olympic Park in Sochi.

IOC president Thomas Bach joined Russian Olympic officials for the opening ceremony last night before delivering the keynote speech Thursday.

Olympic tsar Dmitry Kozak, president of the Russian Olympic Committee Alexander Zhukov, Sochi chief Dmitry Chernyshenko, and IOC member Vitaly Smirnov were present. Jean-Claude Killy, head of the IOC’s watchdog group for Sochi, Olympic Games executive director Gilbert Felli, IOC director of international cooperation and development Tomas Sithole, and Athletes’ Commission chair Claudia Bokel attended.

Bach said the conference would provide a platform for comprehensive dialogue with worldwide partners, to discuss new themes, and "turn them into reality."

"A few months before Sochi we have a chance to show what the IOC and Olympic Movement have already achieved," he said, urging stakeholders in the Olympic Movement to work together to meet the sustainability development goals set by the United Nations in the coming years.

The German said the environment had been a pressing concern for the IOC since Agenda 21 was developed and adopted in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme in 1999.

Bach emphasized, "It is not just about protecting the environment but social and economic concerns, human well-being, and the efficient use of natural resources also play a role."

He called on delegates to help the IOC advance its achievements, to devise a strategy that also includes feasibility and legacy, which would be a step forward for future generations.

The IOC president praised London 2012 organizers, citing their Games preparations as "perhaps the best example" of succeeding in "combining sustainability in its broadest sense, going far behind sport" with the focus on climate change, waste management, biodiversity and health.

"London’s ambitious program therefore not only changed our view of how such sports events or major building projects can be planned and delivered in the future, it also succeeded in making us consider sustainability as an all-encompassing concept," he added.

The Barcelona 1992 Olympics were also cited as "the first clear illustration of how the Games could change the face of the city to the benefit of its inhabitants," while the Winter Games in Lillehammer two years later "set the benchmark in terms of environmental responsibility."

He said Vancouver 2010 set new standards for building, energy saving, and redefining post-Games use, with the Olympic Villages being "shining examples of being environmentally friendly."

Turning his attention to the Sochi Olympics, he paid tribute to Russia’s management of the big build of venues and transport infrastructure. UNEP’s partnership with Sochi 2014 was an important factor.

Environmental activists may beg to differ with Bach’s view – the Olympic construction project has come under fire over the past six years from a number of pressure groups who say not enough has been done to protect the ecology of Krasnaya Polyana mountains and natural habitats.

"We know the Russian authorities have listened and paid attention to our advice," Bach said.

"We are all aware of some criticism directed to the sustainability program. The IOC has addressed these concerns."

Bach spoke about some of the measures Russia had taken to green the Games.

The most significant environmental legacy was that green building standards for sports venues had been developed in Russia that had never been utilized before.

The multibillion dollar investment to modernize the transport system in the Black Sea resort "in an environmentally friendly way with the UN development program" was another key legacy.

In a comment directed at OCOGs, he said, "The Organising Committees, too, are engaged in their own ‘Olympic competition’ to outdo their predecessors. Such demands and ambition may be reasonable in some cases. But we must all respond to them by incorporating them into a comprehensive sporting and sustainability concept."

Bach ended his speech by saying it was imperative that the IOC engaged more closely with environmental groups, NGOs, and intergovernmental organizations to raise the bar in the bidding phase and delivery of future Olympic events.

"We must be even more open to new ideas. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for the sustainability of the Olympic Games.

"Let us get more access to these experts, let us listen, let us have a dialogue and make bigger steps forward," he added.

Chernyshenko Talks Up Green Games

The Sochi 2014 president told delegates that planning and preparations for the Games had led to a change in attitudes in Russia towards the environment.

Sustainable development was not a priority in previous decades, but its importance in the delivery of the Games had turned it into a priority for the government.

"We were facing competitive advantage building everything from scratch," Chernyshenko said of the fast-track Olympic construction program. At its peak, 100,000 workers were working 24/7 on what was the world’s biggest construction site, he said.

Inevitably, the impact of the construction on the environment was huge, he noted, but the IOC had guided Sochi 2014 by contributing best practice ideas.

"Some suppliers were laughing when we said you have to meet environmental requirements and then when they realized they might not be a winner in the tender, they changed to provide closer cooperation and respected sustainable requirements," he added.

One of the biggest decisions was to build a one-lane railroad instead of two, reducing the environmental impact by half.

Sochi 2014 organizers had committed to both protecting and enhancing the environment. By way of example, he talked about the development of the ornithological park in the coastal cluster.

The ecological development of 42,000 hectares was seven times bigger than the area used for Olympic infrastructure.

He said Sochi’s carbon partner Dow Chemical helped Olympic organizers offset the 360,000-ton carbon footprint generated by Games preparations.

Another green achievement was in stimulating the development of the ‘green’ construction industry in Russia. 10 Olympic venues are certified with the international standard BREEAM.

Sport and Environment Award Winners

Five continental winners were announced in the field of environment and sustainable sport:

Africa: Kenya Rowing and Canoe Association (Tudor Water Sports Marina), Kenya

Americas: Clean Air Champions (CAC), Canada

Asia: Sport and Environment Commission, National Olympic Committee of Iran (Tochal Mountain Park), Iran

Europe: Sport and Environment Commission, National Olympic Committee of Serbia (Ada Ciganlija Lake), Serbia

Oceania: Sustainable Coastlines and Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee Inc (Go Green: Love Your Coast), Papua New Guinea

Written and reported by Mark Bisson in Sochi

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