While the 8th World Conference on Sport and Environment is starting today in Vancouver, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has already pledged its commitment to provide sustainable legacies by strongly supporting the Sustainable Sport and Event Toolkit (SSET), a joint initiative by the International Academy of Sports Science and Technology (AISTS) and the Vancouver Organising Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC). In fact, the IOC is the Principal Supporting Partner of the new toolkit, the SSET.

“As one of its founding members, the IOC is proud to partner with the AISTS to support new projects that promote sport and sustainable development,” stated Gilbert Felli, IOC Executive Director for the Olympic Games. “The SSET initiative profiles best practices and innovations developed by VANOC and other Olympic Games Organising Committees, federations and sport organisations, as well as the AISTS, a leading academic research centre in sport.”

Specifically designed as a “How To” guide for sports organisers, as well as national and International Federations and National Olympic Committees, the SSET provides a practical way to create a sustainable commitment and strategy around environmental, social, and economic issues ranging from selection and construction of the venue to community and supply chain involvement, and from transportation and accommodation to marketing and communications. 

 Learn more about the IOC policy on promotion of sustainable development

To coincide with the 8th World Conference on Sport and the Environment, which is being held in Vancouver, Canada, Worldwide TOP Partner Coca-Cola has announced details of its environmental action plan.

The plan demonstrates how the company is using the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games as a forum to showcase its ”Olympic Games Sustainability Programme” and its ongoing environmental commitments.

The Programme was created through consultation with WWF-Canada and the David Suzuki Foundation, and includes targets of 100% collection of all PET containers in the Olympic Village and the venues during the Games, and 100% reduction in Olympic carbon emissions.

 

Live positively and run with the Torch

Coca-Cola is also rewarding Canadians who Live Positively and reduce their environmental footprint, by providing them with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to carry the Olympic torch in the build-up to the Games.  Any Canadian who increases the amount they recycle, conserves energy and water and/or sets examples of environmental sustainability, can nominate themselves to become an Olympic torchbearer by logging on to www.icoke.ca. 

Coca-Cola has announced that Gerald Butts, President and CEO, WWF-Canada has been nominated by Coca-Cola as its first environmental Olympic torchbearer. He said: “We are excited by Coke’s commitment to introducing an Olympic Games Sustainability Programme at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and by its efforts to support Canadians in living more sustainable lives."

“Congratulations to Coca-Cola,” says Linda Coady, Vice President, Sustainability, VANOC. “This is an example of a business using its Olympic sponsorship to incorporate and highlight environmental innovation in its own practices.” 

For more information on Coca-Cola’s environmental programme in Canada visit:

After a successful International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission visit to Vancouver last October, the Commission will make its eighth visit to Vancouver at the end of this month. The visit is particularly notable as it is the penultimate time the IOC Coordination Commission will be present in Vancouver before the city hosts the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

The Countdown Begins

With less than one year to go until the start of the  Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, the spotlight is well and truly on this city. The Coordination Commission will attend various meetings and receive updates and presentations from the Vancouver 2010 Organising Committee (VANOC) regarding its progress in a number of key areas, including sports events, venues, transport, and culture and education.

IOC member René Fasel is the Chairman of the Coordination Commission for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, and will lead the two-day visit, which will take place from 31 March to 1 April 2009.



VANCOUVER 2010

Vancouver and Whistler will host the XXI Olympic Winter Games from 12 to 28 February 2010 and the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games from 12 to 21 March 2010. The seven winter Olympic sports that will be on show in Vancouver are Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Curling, Ice Hockey, Luge, Skating and Skiing.

If you want to save your spot at the 8th World Conference on Sport and the Environment (WCSE) in Vancouver, register now at www.wcse2009.com. The event will be held on 29 and 31 March 2009 in the host city of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and is being organised jointly by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Vancouver 2010 Organising Committee (VANOC), in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Exciting programme – top level speakers

How to achieve environmental progress during economic uncertainty. Which are the best models to reduce the environmental footprint in sport? How to apply green planning, design and construction principles for Olympic venues. What is the role and power of athletes to raise awareness for environmentally friendly behaviour in and through sport? And how to engage communities at large and the youth in particular in these processes. These are but a few of the topics that will be discussed in plenary sessions, panels and workshops and during armchair dialogues under the main conference theme "Innovation and Inspiration". The list of speakers is impressive, featuring top-level representatives from the sporting family, UN bodies, Worldwide TOP Partners, civil society and the world of business and politics.



Vancouver – best practice for itself     With VANOC being the first Olympic Games Organising Committee to have integrated "sustainability" into its vision statement, Vancouver is the perfect location for such a conference. VANOC successfully incorporated its sustainability performance objectives into its business systems. A tour of the venues of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games will enable the conference participants to learn about building processes, challenges, sustainability attributes and site-selection considerations. Past and other future Organising Committees will also share their experience in working towards "Green Games". It was only in mid-February that UNEP assessed and praised the outstanding environmental initiatives of the organisers of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in its report "Beijing 2008 Olympic Games – Final Environmental Assessment".