Student Takeover Season: The Olympics and the SDGs

In this student takeover episode  of the Meliora Podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton  we delve into the Olympic Games' environmental, economic, and social impacts, exploring its alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

We begin with an overview of the Olympics' global significance and the governance by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This highlights the challenges faced by host cities in meeting sustainability objectives, with a focus on the 2016 Rio Games and its environmental shortcomings. Despite these challenges, examples of positive environmental impacts from past Games, such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, are also discussed. The economic perspective examines the short-term economic benefits and long-term challenges associated with hosting the Olympics, touching upon gentrification and social polarization. Social impacts, including housing-related problems and discrimination, are further explored, emphasizing the need for the Olympics to address social inequalities and promote inclusivity. Furthermore, the episode examines upcoming Games such as Paris 2024, which have committed to prioritizing sustainability and inclusivity, aiming to establish a new benchmark for Olympic events.

For further reading on this topic, we’d recommend the most recent 2021 IOC Sustainability Report as it outlines future sustainability objectives and their links to the SDGs. We’d also suggest the research paper ‘An Evaluation of the Sustainability of the Olympic Games’ which is listed below. It is a thought-provoking resource that weighs up the positives and negatives of the games from a sustainability perspective, great for those who want to explore the topic in depth.

Recommended Readings/ Resources:

An evaluation of the sustainability of the Olympic Games | Nature Sustainability

IOC sustainability report 2021 / International Olympic Committee - Olympic World Library (olympics.com)

Episode host: Isabella Hunnisett
Episode guests: Daniel Atherton-Palmer, Amaya Brown, Ethan Dean-Roberts, Scott Griffin, Anastasia Maragos

This episode is part of the Student Takeover Season on the Meliora Podcast, and is a group project from the University of Southampton 'Global Sustainability Challenges' module.

Transcript

Introduction: setting the stage

Hello, and welcome to Meliora Podcast from the Sustainability & Resilience Institute at the University of Southampton. This episode is part of the Global Sustainability  Challenges module, student takeover season.
My name is Isabella and I’m joined by my colleagues Amaya, Anastasia, Ethan, Scott and Daniel to

explore the Olympics and its alignment with sustainable development goals.

Join us as we delve into its environmental, economic and social impacts, and discuss how it can

evolve to better align with future values and priorities. Scott is now going to give us an overview of

the Olympics and its global significance.

Scott: The modern Olympic Games, instituted in 1896 by Baron Pierre, aimed to promote

international sports to foster goodwill and potentially contribute to world peace, aligning with SDG

16 for peace, justice, and strong institutions. This philosophy, termed 'Olympism,' serves as a global

model, promoting respect for universal ethical principles.

Every four years, the Olympic Summer Games unite athletes worldwide in a new host city, marking

the largest sporting event, with a diverse array of sports and participants from around the globe. For

instance, the 2016 Rio Olympics saw around 11,000 athletes and drew 1.17 million tourists to the

city.

In 2018, the UN recognized the Olympic Games' role in sustainable development by declaring sport

as a catalyst for achieving its Sustainable Development Goals, but to what extent has this been met?

IOC

Host: This gathering of people sounds intriguing, allowing for cultural exchange and collective

experiences. But what measures are being taken to combat the negative implications placed upon

these host countries?

Scott: The International Olympic Committee, known as the IOC, is tasked with the governance of the

Olympic Games and has long emphasized environmental sustainability for over two decades.

However, recent Games have struggled to meet sustainability objectives, with some causing

significant environmental damage. Limited influence over organizers and lack of commitment from

Host Countries, hinder the IOCs ability to reshape priorities for sustainability.

Environmental impacts

Host: When considering the Summer Games and its environmental impacts, multiple spring to mind.

Excessive travel by air, construction of new sporting venues and Olympic village accommodation, plus

merchandise and sport kit production, all of which contribute to high carbon emissions and are

resource intensive.

Now, Amaya is here to delve into the 2016 Rio Games, offering further insight into how these games

brought significant negative environmental implications.

Amaya: In 2009, Rio celebrated winning the bid to host South America's first-ever Olympic Games.

The Brazilian Olympic Committee prioritized water quality under the Olympic Sustainability Divisionto support SDG 3 for clean water and sanitation. Insufficient sanitation infrastructure in Rio meant

that significant wastewater entered Guanabara Bay from rivers. Despite aiming to treat 80%, less

than 45% was treated by the Games' start in August 2016. Last-minute efforts, like installing eco-

barrier nets, were made, but some athletes, including Belgian sailor Evi Van Acker, suffered

gastrointestinal illnesses.

Rio's unmet commitments extended beyond water issues. To offset carbon emissions for SDG 13 on

climate action, Rio 2016 pledged to plant 24 million trees by 2016, with an additional 34 million trees

promised by the Games. However, by May 2015, officials revealed only 5.5 million saplings had been

planted, less than a quarter of the promised amount.

Host: So, it's evident that the Olympic games cause direct environmental impacts and have set a poor

example in the past for implementing climate action. Now we’ve addressed these challenges, are

there any positive environmental impacts associated with the Olympics?

Amaya: With the IOC’s heightened focus on environmental concerns, host cities are now promoting

"Green Games."

In 2000, Bejing launched the 'Green Olympics' concept to promote environmental sustainability for

the Bejing Olympic Games. Collaborating with the IOC and The United Nations Environment

Programme, Beijing initiated over 160 projects targeting air, water, energy, and environmental

education. Efforts to meet World Health Organization air quality standards, included closing and

relocating 140 polluting factories, establishing more stringent local pollution standards, and

expanding monitoring networks. This resulted in a 41% deduction in sulphur dioxide levels during the

games, aligning with SDG 15, relating to Life on Land through the improvement of air quality.

Similarly, Tokyo's 2020 Games demonstrated sustainability through meticulous planning, aiming for

carbon neutrality, and enhancing green spaces. Notably, 99% of non-consumable items were reused

or recycled, and hydrogen fuel cells powered residential buildings and athlete leisure areas in the

Olympic and Paralympic Village as part of a Tokyo Metropolitan Government initiative.

Host: This demonstrates how the Olympics can showcase sustainable solutions globally. They can

serve as a model for nations, especially in urban areas, to promote SDG 11, encouraging sustainable

cities and communities. However, the effectiveness and commitment of delivering these goals still

remains a key factor.

Economic

Host: We now have Daniel and Ethan with us to discuss the sustainability of the Olympics from a

more economic perspective.

So, from what I understand, when a country is awarded the Olympics, money is “expected” to flow

into that economy and circulate, and an /economic effect of this would be determined if that influx

has a measurable impact on the economy. Is that correct?

Daniel: Yes so, this influx of funds comes from broadcasters, sponsors, the Olympic family, athletes,

and dignitaries as well as tourists. The Games directly increased investment into and of Beijing and

impacted the GDP and resource consumption intensity like energy and water. This shows that the

games promote investment in the host country and bring short term economic growth which

potentially aids development. However, this may not be sustained and could fade shortly after unlessbeneficial uses of the money are found. Drawbacks from this could be gentrification and social

polarisation. Briefly, segregation appears in a community when income inequality and higher costs

cause economic displacement from high to low income. Examples include the London and Sydney

Olympics and the purest example being relocating of previous residents to build the athletes village

in London however the flats were transferred to the public after the games.

Ethan:

That point is interesting as an affordable price was promised for the Athletes village, which they kept

initially, but shortly afterwards other flats were put up for auction at higher prices.

The London Olympics led to the creation of over 110k job in six boroughs surrounding the Olympic

Park. The average spends by tourists who visited London for the games was £1300, double the spend

by other visitors. The Westfield Stratford City shopping centre was opened near the Stratford Station

in the underground, this rebranding relates to SDG 11; sustainable cities and communities and would

have led to further job creations which could relate to SDG 8 being Decent work and economic

growth.

Host (end): So, the Olympics may help a country or city short term, but hinder long term sustainable

economic growth.

Regarding SDGs, the Olympics could potentially fall under the Industry, Economic Growth and

Sustainable cities goals meaning its’ outcomes could be positive but the extent to which these goals

are carried forward, is the determining factor in whether they are sustainable for the country that

hosts them.

Social

Host: In addition to the environmental and economic impacts, the social impacts on the host country

are significant. There are many Sustainable Development goals which were not delivered in the

context of the Olympic Games. /8min/We're now joined by Anastasia to provide past instances of

social injustices which were associated with the Olympic Games.

Anastasia: One of the greatest social problems regarding the Olympic games are housing related. For

the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta around 15,000 residents of public housing projects were forcibly

evicted to make room for Olympic accommodations. Additionally, $350 million of public funds

intended to support socially disadvantaged people, were redirected between 1990 and 1995 for

Olympic preparations. Furthermore, homeless shelters were converted into backpacker

accommodation during the Olympic Games to accommodate tourists.

Such housing-related problems were not unique to Atlanta. For the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio,

locals were evicted for Olympic-related construction projects. The lower social strata particularly

suffer under these circumstances. Public funds were redirected to finance the Olympic games instead

of improving urban infrastructure, with national budget cuts made in security, health, and education

departments. Especially in countries like Brazil, such a diversion of funds can have particularly strong

effects on the already large number of vulnerable social groups. And particularly in already

destabilized countries, where achieving the SDGs is especially important, the impacts are even more

prominent.Host: And now over to Scott. Are there any other social inequalities or missed Sustainable

development goals that the Olympics is not taking into consideration?

Scott: Yes, there other social inequalities that the past Olympics have not tried to overcome. For

example, in the 2020 Japanese Olympics, it neglected a big social issue and put people at risk of

COVID-19 by changing its focus from Gender equality to overcoming COVID-19. However, a study

showed that the Olympics only increased the spread of the disease. In another study in 2022, it

found the Olympics had created or enhanced intergroup biases or potential racial discrimination.

Koreans during the Olympics showed a ‘tendency to discriminate against Southeast Asian job

applicants’ and ‘were less willing to donate money to help migrant workers. Furthermore, there is

another kind of discrimination going on, against Intellectually disabled people. A study about the

special Olympics found that ‘Athletes involved with Special Olympics reported less inclusion in local

communities than their non-disabled partners.’ It was also found that only a quarter of the public

could tell the difference between the Paralympics and the special Olympics. This suggest there is not

enough work being put into advertising and promoting awareness for the special Olympics and its

athletes.

Looking forwards and conclusion

Host: In the past, the Olympics has operated in a way that's required trade-offs between the different

aspects of sustainability. It hasn’t always benefited all groups of people within host countries, but

rather hindered them, and many games have taken place at the /11.-39 expense of negative

environmental and economic impacts.

The contribution of the games towards achieving the SDGs is possible, but highly reliant on the

action implemented by the International Olympic Committee and the willingness of the host country

to promote sustainable practices.

Looking ahead, the Olympic Games continue to evolve as a platform for global unity, sustainability,

and athletic excellence.

As the Games progress its essential that host countries address these issues and learn from past

mistakes, for countries to uphold the Olympic ideals and inspire positive change worldwide.

Amaya:

Considering the upcoming Paris 2024 games there is an opportunity to prioritize sustainability and

inclusivity, setting a new standard for future Olympic events.

The Organizing Committee has pledged to ensure the Paris Games are as responsible as possible,

aligning with the 2015 Paris Agreement. They have committed to reduce carbon emissions by 50

percent compared to previous Olympic Games.

By implementing these innovative practices, engaging local communities, and fostering collaboration

with global stakeholders, Paris 2024 has the potential to showcase the transformative power of the

Olympic Games and leave a legacy for generations to come.

The question is, will Paris deliver on these sustainability goals and be the catalyst for future change?

Host: Thank you for listening to this Global Sustainability Challenges student takeover episode of the

Meliora Podcast. Thank you to Amaya, Anastasia, Ethan, Scott and Daniel for joining us today.We hope you will join us again to listen to further fascinating discussions on a range of sustainability

topics, delivered by our undergraduate colleagues at the University of Southampton.

Again, thank you for listening and Goodbye.