Olympic Sustainability

The environmental debate has galvanized thinking across all branches of academic discourse and professional practice. This chapter looks at the ways in which the Olympic Movement has responded to growing concerns about the environmental impact of the Games historically and the agenda of environmentalism in the context of sustainability and in the face of global warming. It explores the evolution of IOC thinking as it has sought to carve out a role in shaping the relationship between sport and the environment in the Games themselves but also in the wider Olympic movement. In doing this it also shows how sustainability and legacy have become part of a single discourse of positive impact for the Olympics.