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UNEP and the International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is an international non-governmental non-profit organization, founded in 1894. It is the foundation of the Olympic Movement. The main responsibility of the Committee is to supervise the organization of the summer and winter Olympic Games.

Jacques Rogge is the eighth IOC President, elected in July 2001.

The International Olympic Committee is UNEP's first, and perhaps the most influential partner on sport and the environment

UNEP and the IOC have been working together since 1994 when they signed an Agreement of Cooperation to incorporate environmental issues in Olympic Games. The IOC subsequently established a Sport and Environment Commission to advice its Executive Board on environmental issues as they relate to the Olympics. UNEP is represented in the Commission. In 1999, UNEP collaborated with the IOC in developing an Agenda 21 for Sport and the Environment which is currently being implemented by members of the Olympic Family and by several other sport organizations.

UNEP has supported the IOC in organizing biennial World Conference on Sport and Environment. The World Conference brings together hundreds of representatives from National Olympic Committees and IOC affiliated sports federations and associations to review their impact and contribution to the environment and previous Conferences have been held in Torino in 2003, Nairobi, Kenya in 2005 and Beijing, China in October 2007. The IOC, has supported UNEP to organize its biennial Global Forum for Sport and Environment. The Forum brings together sport and environment stakeholders to recognize best practices on sport and the environment and to encourage sport organizations to do more for the environment. Previous Forums were held in Tokyo, Japan , Lahore, Pakistan and Lausanne, Switzerland .

WFSGI In 2007, the President of the IOC, Mr. Jacques Rogge and the IOC received the UNEP “Champions of the Earth” award in recognition of President Rogge and the IOC’s efforts to reinforce the environment in the Games.[Video Podcast ]

Environment and the Olympic Games

Since 1994, organizing committees of the Olympic Games have progressively increased their focus on the environmental and sustainable development issues in the preparations and staging of Olympic Games. Though the Olympic Games deal in first place with sport and the athletes, all cities bidding to host the Games are required to have a comprehensive environmental programme which is followed through during the preparatory phase of the Games. Each Games is expected to leave a sustainable legacy and to use the opportunity of the Games awareness, policies and practices on the environment. ...more

Bejing 2008 WFSGI

UNEP and the Beijing Olympic Committee of the Olympic Games (BOCOG) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in November 2005 aimed a making the summer Olympics of 2008 environmentally-friendly (Press Release). Within the context of the MoU, UNEP is helping BOCOG to implement its environmental plans and projects for the preparations of the Games. UNEP is also helping to improve communications between environmental NGOs and BOCOG. UNEP is working with BOCOG to raise media awareness and understanding of the environmental achievements and challenges of the Beijing 2008 Games.

UNEP also undertook an independent environmental assessment of the Beijing 2008 Games. The report was published in October 2007.
BOCOG is implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS) that includes work on BOCOG's Green Office, event route planning, venue planning, selection of partners, selection of contracted hotels, communication, and environmental reporting. These guidelines are implemented to improve and increase the environmental and sustainable awareness and policies towards the Olympic Games more...

Vancouver 2010 WFSGI

UNEP and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games Organizing Committee (VANOC) are discussing the development of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU was signed in 2007.

VANOC has already launched its first sustainability report. The 2005-2006 Sustainability Report looks at VANOC's work six performance objectives: Accountability; Sport for Sustainable Living; Environmental Stewardship and Impact Reduction; Social Inclusion and Responsibility; Aboriginal Participation and Collaboration; Economic Benefits. More on the environmental work of VANOC .

London 2012 WFSGI

UNEP is also exploring the possibilities of developing a cooperative agreement with the London 2012 Olympic Games Organizing Committee (LOCOG). More on LOCOG's environmental programme

Sochi 2014 WFSGI

Sochi elected by the IOC as the host city for the XXII Olympic Winter Games in 2014. More on Sochi 2014