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The recently completed Olympic Games Paris 2024 – and the Paralympic Games that kicked off on 28 August – celebrate the highest levels of human athletic achievement. They are also a substantial logistical undertaking, with the host country preparing for years to welcome more than 11,000 athletes and hundreds of thousands of spectators.

Although nature considerations have been present in this planning in the past, they became formalised in 2015 with the adoption of the new International Olympic Committee’s strategic roadmap, which focuses on minimising environmental impacts of the Games and maximising their social and economic benefits.

Much of that work has been led by , the IOC’s Corporate and Sustainable Development Director, who has placed teamwork at the heart of her efforts. The IOC has therefore built strong partnerships with expert organisations to move its sustainability agenda forward and deliver impact.

Amongst those is the , co-founded with ������ϲʿ�������ֳ�ֱ��, the United Nations Environment Programme, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy, and launched in 2022. The initiative – which aims to deliver transformative action for the environment by enabling sports to champion nature and contribute to its protection and restoration – has more than , including major sports federations and host committees like Paris 2024.

������ϲʿ�������ֳ�ֱ�� recently sat down with Sallois to talk about the increasing focus on sustainability in the Olympic Games, how Paris was different to past editions, and how working with ������ϲʿ�������ֳ�ֱ�� has brought nature conservation into the world of global athletics.

What is the link between sports and nature, and why are sports federations like the International Olympic Committee now focusing on sustainability and conserving nature?

Marie Sallois: If you look at the big picture, sports rely on a healthy nature, like many other activities. This is why we – the IOC, organising committees, federations, the national Olympic committees – have a responsibility. But unlike other organisations, we represent a unique opportunity as well. With our global visibility and inspirational power we have a possibility to engage people on a very wide scale on topics such as nature protection and restoration. We have a responsibility and we have an opportunity, and this is why we have to care.

The objective is really to reduce the footprint as much as possible, but also to maximise the positive impact the Olympic Games can have. We also want to maximise the acceleration effect that the Games can have on local sustainable development projects.

Were the Paris Games the first ones where there was a concerted effort to focus on sustainability, or did this happen in prior editions?

There have been a lot of editions that focused on nature. You go back to Lillehammer 1994, Sydney 2000, Vancouver 2010, Rio 2016 – there are many editions that had initiatives on sustainability. What is different about Paris 2024 is that it was the first edition to fully benefit from the IOC’s new strategic roadmap, , which we launched in 2015. It was a clear paradigm shift for us. It was also the year of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and the year when the United Nations recognised sports as a key enabler for sustainable development, identifying that we have a responsibility – like everyone else – but we can do more to be part of the solution.

Sustainability is a core pillar of this new strategy, and has been elevated to a strategic priority for the entire Olympic Movement. We have also recognised that we needed collective action to tackle climate change, nature preservation, and circular economy to address the three sustainability crises we face today. Paris 2024, being the first edition to fully benefit from this roadmap, from the early stages in 2015 we have been working with Paris on sustainability at large, including climate action and nature preservation.

When did ������ϲʿ�������ֳ�ֱ�� enter the picture, and how did that partnership play out in the context of the IOC’s push to emphasise sustainability and conserving nature?

We have had relations with ������ϲʿ�������ֳ�ֱ�� for a long time, even before 2015. We also had a long partnership with UNEP since the 1990s.

But with this paradigm shift we said, “OK, we need to do more and embed nature conservation concerns from the early stages.” In 2015 when we launched the strategic roadmap and we had the first workshop with the interested parties, including Paris and Los Angeles, we invited ������ϲʿ�������ֳ�ֱ�� to the table and we asked ������ϲʿ�������ֳ�ֱ�� to come with a map of protected areas and protected species and engage in a conversation with Paris and Los Angeles on this topic. That’s the first time we did that at such an early stage. When we started engaging in a conversation about hosting future Games, we had nature at the heart of that conversation.

So what has changed since 2015 is that sustainability has been embedded throughout the whole preparation of the Games. It has been positioned as an executive priority and is also embedded at every step of the planning and delivery of the Games.

What are things that were done at the Paris Games on sustainability and conserving nature?

There was a lot of work in terms of anticipation. Even before Paris 2024 decided which venues they would use for the Games, they looked at what could be the potential concerns or opportunities. They looked at every site and anticipated its potential impact and what they could do to avoid it. Anticipation was the first step.

The second step was avoid. Paris 2024, as the first edition of Olympic Agenda 2020, aimed at reducing the footprint to a minimum, and maximising the possible positive impact on the environmental, social, and economic spheres. It means that 95% of the venues were either existing or temporary. It’s basically avoiding any impact on nature by not having the impact in the first place.

And whenever they had to intervene, they reduced their impact as much as possible. There was a lot of consideration about how we’re going to operate in the proximity of nature and how we can really reduce any potential negative impact. It’s really about the systematic approach of anticipation, avoiding, and reducing that has been very interesting.

The fourth dimension was to mobilise. For the first time ever during the Games there was a huge campaign called “” to raise awareness on sustainability at large, including biodiversity. It was shown across the streets of Paris, accessible to spectators, athletes, Olympic staff and volunteers, but also anyone who was simply walking by.

What’s next? Have you thought about any big challenges for the next Olympic Games, both winter and summer?

There are always big challenges ahead, and also big opportunities. Each edition is different, placed in a different context. We have general frameworks, like Sports for Nature, which are available to all upcoming hosts, but it will be implemented differently depending on the specific local context.

What is common, though, is that they all benefit from the same strategic roadmap, Olympic Agenda 2020, so whether you talk about Milano-Cortina or Los Angeles, the next editions of winter and summer Games, they all must focus on minimising their footprint. At Milano-Cortina 2026, around 90% of the venues already exist. It’s the first time that two cities are hosting the Games. Why? Because we want to maximise the use of existing venues. For Los Angeles 2028, it’s a radical reuse approach, because no new venue will be built. One-hundred percent of venues will be existing or temporary.

Then you have different challenges whether you speak winter or summer. It’s true that the impact of climate change is even more visible in winter. We know that in 50 years there will be fewer locations able to host the Olympic Winter Games. And we also know that winter sports and the Olympic Winter Games are increasingly relying on artificial snow. So there is a huge focus on how we can deliver the Games  the most sustainable way, caring about water consumption and the natural environment.

When it comes to sustainability and nature conservation, does the IOC require certain things from host countries and cities?  

In the host contract we have requirements such as the ‘no-go’ commitment in relation to protected areas. This is something that is relatively simple to understand whatever the context.

Then we have a lot of sustainability requirements that encompass nature, but also climate, waste, and circular economy. We require sustainability to be at the very heart of the Olympic project, to be positioned as a strategic priority, to be embedded in everything the organisers do from day one. We require organisers to have a sustainability strategy, to have a sustainable management system, to have official reporting. We have this embedded in the entire project, and then we have the framework to support it.

For example, the Sport for Climate Action Framework or the Sports for Nature Framework are available to all Organising Committees, offering them a methodology that can be implemented differently depending on their context. This is the beauty of providing something that is generic enough so that organisers can take a tailor-made approach to suit their own context. We also offer technical guidelines to them as well knowledge transfer opportunities, not just at Games-time but throughout the year.

Why has the IOC worked with ������ϲʿ�������ֳ�ֱ��? What are the benefits to the Olympic Movement of that partnership?

We govern the Olympic Movement, but we are not an expert organisation. We see our role as a convening power, with an inspirational potential to be first exercised within the Olympic Movement, but also between the Olympic Movement and expert organisations, such as ������ϲʿ�������ֳ�ֱ��.

What’s the value to IOC of Sports for Nature and other similar initiatives?

We strongly believe that teamwork is key to addressing sustainability challenges. We are all stronger together.

Sports for Nature originated from an idea that we would be much stronger if we would collectively tackle these challenges instead of working individually This is why I encouraged the process to create this common platform where we work together with the best skills from everyone around the Convention on Biological Diversity. I wanted us to make commitments and to follow these commitments through.

As we are addressing complex issues across a lot of different geographies, we have to work together. We’re the bridge. We’re not experts ourselves, but we know how to bring the right people and expertise around the same table.