From Paris 2024 to LA28: how the Olympic Movement is protecting the future of sport
Climate change and environmental degradation are increasingly affecting the conditions under which sport takes place. From extreme heat and changing weather patterns to pressure on natural environments, the effects on sport can be seen on a daily basis. On World Environment Day, these challenges serve as a reminder of the close connection between healthy nature and the future of sport.
Key facts
- The IOC’s approach to hosting is centred on adapting the Olympic Games to the long-term needs, priorities and context of each host, including by making greater use of existing and temporary venues.
- Paris 2024 and Milano Cortina 2026 both made extensive use of existing and temporary venues, helping to minimise new construction and adapt the Games to their hosts.
- LA28 will be delivered with no new permanent venues built, making use of Los Angeles’ existing venues, while supporting the city’s long-term priorities.
- Athletes and sports organisations across the Olympic Movement are taking action through initiatives such as the IOC Climate Action Awards, Sports for Nature and Sport for Climate Frameworks
- The IOC has reduced its corporate carbon footprint by 30 per cent compared with its 2016-2019 baseline, as part of its target to reduce direct and indirect emissions by 50 per cent by 2030.
Across the Olympic Movement, sustainability is an important part of how sport is organised, delivered and experienced. From supporting action by athletes and sports organisations to reducing the environmental footprint of the Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is working to help protect the future of sport, while contributing to broader climate and environmental objectives.
More sustainable Games, adapted to their hosts
The IOC’s approach to Games’ hosting is centred on ensuring that the Olympic Games are adapted to the long-term needs, priorities and context of each host. All while reducing their environmental footprint and maximising lasting benefits for local communities.
A central part of this approach is making greater use of existing and temporary venues, helping to minimise new construction and ensuring that the Games respond to local realities.
At Paris 2024, sustainability was at the heart of the Games’ vision, planning and delivery. Ninety-five per cent of venues were existing or temporary. The only new competition venue, the Aquatics Centre, was developed to meet long-term local needs in Seine-Saint-Denis, while the Olympic Village has been transformed into a new permanent eco-neighbourhood, providing housing, services and green spaces for local communities in Saint Seine Denis.
These choices, together with planning and operational decisions across venues, energy, transport, food and resource use contributed to Paris 2024 more than halving its carbon emissions compared with the average of London 2012 and Rio 2016.
The same principle guided Milano Cortina 2026, where the Games adapted to northern Italy’s context. Eighty-five per cent of competition venues were existing or temporary, including well-established winter sports sites in Bormio, Val di Fiemme and Anterselva.
Looking ahead, LA28 is taking this approach further. With no new permanent venues being built for the Games, Los Angeles will use existing world-class sports and entertainment venues, while temporary infrastructure will be prioritised for reuse.
LA28 is also responding to local priorities through its Resilient by Nature programme, including the Resilience Champions Fund, which supports community projects focused on wildfire resilience and nature restoration, ocean protection, and cooling solutions.
Supporting action across the Olympic Movement
Beyond the Games, the IOC works with athletes, National Olympic Committees, International Federations and other sports organisations to support sustainability actions across the Olympic Movement.
This includes initiatives focused on both climate and nature. The Sports for Climate Action Framework supports sports organisations in reducing emissions and building climate resilience, while the Sports for Nature Framework helps them understand their relationship with nature and to take action to protect and restore it.
The IOC Climate Action Awards also recognise athletes, National Olympic Committees and International Federations that are reducing emissions and helping make sport more sustainable. The 2025 edition awarded initiatives focused on sustainable mobility, renewable energy, climate education, tree planting and reducing single-use plastics.
Walking the talk
The IOC is also working to reduce the environmental footprint of its own operations. Between 2021 and 2024, it reduced its corporate carbon footprint by 30 per cent compared with its 2016-2019 baseline, and is committed to reducing its direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2030, in line with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
Its efforts to systematically and continually improve the sustainability performance of its corporate events recently resulted in its recertification to ISO 20121 - the international standard for sustainability management systems applied to events.
This commitment is also reflected at Olympic House, the IOC’s headquarters in Lausanne, which achieved LEED Platinum certification for its construction and later received the same highest-level certification for its operations and maintenance.
From the way the Games are organised to the way the IOC operates, the Olympic Movement is taking steps to support a more sustainable future for sport.