Can major international sporting events be sustainable? This question has long been observed from afar, in the Olympic movement. It has now become central.
On Wednesday, November 29, it occupied part of the morning of the second day of the Smartcities & Sport Summit, organized in Paris. The presentations and discussions attacked it head on. Above all, they provided an answer. Good news, it is positive.
To illustrate this, two examples. The first was brought by the city of The Hague, in the Netherlands, host of the 2023 edition of the sailing world championships. The second, of a more national dimension, came from France: the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
In both cases, the organizing committee had made the sustainability of the event, from day one, a major objective. And even better, a priority. In both cases, the results did not disappoint anyone.
First example: The Hague. Third city in the Netherlands by number of inhabitants, with nearly 580.000 souls, it proudly displays the ambition of achieving carbon neutrality in 2030. The sailing world championships, organized from August 10 to 23, 2023 in the district of Scheveningen, on the shores of the North Sea, were to prove exemplary. They had no other choice.
Peter Van Veen, The Hague’s sports director, explained this on the second day of the Smartcities & Sport Summit: “ The Scheveningen district alone represented a serious challenge, because it is difficult to access by car, very frequented by the local population, with significant and very diverse maritime activity in the bay. As for the event itself, it was also a challenge, with 1.200 athletes, 970 competition boats and 475 volunteers. »
A host city contract was signed, before the Sailing Worlds, by the city and the organizing committee. It set the rules to be respected and clearly defined the objectives to be achieved in terms of sustainability. The guideline: respect local and national rules regarding respect for the environment. “ We couldn't come up with small solutions, insists Peter Van Veen. We had to think big. »
How ? There is no shortage of examples. The organizers have installed drinking water fountains throughout the boat parking area, recycled all the bottles, and provided for selective sorting of waste. All vehicle parking spaces were used for competition boats, forcing participants and spectators to travel to the venue by bicycle or public transportation. A fleet of 350 rental bikes was made available to accredited people. The bay and canals were cleaned after the event. The organizing committee called on local service providers and suppliers to minimize transport to The Hague.
« We have proven that it is possible to reconcile the organization of a major international sporting event with sustainability requirements.", assures Peter Van Veen.
Another example, on a larger scale: the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. At the helm of the sustainability file, Arnaud Breton, the Impact, Heritage and Family director of rugby on the organizing committee.
The Frenchman explained this on Wednesday November 29 during the Smartcities & Sport Summit: “ We integrated the question of sustainability, detailing our ideas and our ambition, from the application phase. It was a first for a Rugby World Cup. The message we sent to World Rugby was very clear: to go beyond a sporting event, leaving a positive legacy for society and the environment."
As with the Sailing Worlds in The Hague, the French organizers brought with them the political authorities, partners, tournament host cities and World Rugby. Arnaud Breton insists: “ It is impossible for an organizing committee to take on such a challenge alone. All stakeholders must be involved. We have planned, for example, to financially offset the carbon impact of traveling from abroad. World Rugby participated in this effort, providing air travel for foreign media, officials and teams. »
Another France 2023 initiative: requiring a train trip for trips lasting up to 5:30 hours. During previous editions of the World Cup, teams took the plane for more than 3 hours of travel time. Arnaud Breton explains it: “ We were able to see teams take the train to go from Aix-en-Provence, in the south of France, to Lille in the north of the country. »
Same desire to reduce transport, and therefore the carbon footprint, for the food supply in the tournament host cities. The menus offered in the hospitality areas or for the public were not the same in Nantes, Bordeaux, Lyon or Toulouse. France 2023 made a massive appeal to local producers. A vast campaign to redistribute uneaten dishes and food also contributed to the effort to reduce waste. Result: 91 tonnes of food redistributed during the tournament.
