The 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway set new standards for mega-sports events. It ensured that future sports events would be required to include environmental measures as part of their basic mandates. The Lillehammer Olympic Organizing Committee received the UNEP Global 500 Award in 1994 for setting environmental standards which were absent from previous Olympic games.

Environmental Guidelines for the Summer Olympics were developed to guide Olympic hosts to ensure that facilities are constructed in a more environmentally friendly manner. The Guidelines were successfully used in the Sydney Olympic Games. As a result, the organizers of the Sydney Games were honoured with the Global 500 Award in 2001 for organizing the greenest games ever.