Paris Olympics: a celebration of sports and sustainability

The Olympic and Paralympic Games next summer are preparing to be the most sustainable ones ever organized in history

By Miguel Ángel García Vega

Ernest Hemingway wrote a letter back in 1950 that said: “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris when you were young, then Paris will accompany you wherever you go for the rest of your life, because Paris is a party that follows us.” Almost 75 years later, the city of the Seine is preparing to host the most sustainable Olympic Games in history. The Parisian authorities have described this goal as the “greatest challenge” in the history of this new climate reality.

Let's understand the context, let's unfold the map on the table. According to the World Economic Forum, the upcoming summer Olympic and Paralympic Games will feature 800 sporting events, 15,000 athletes, 45,000 volunteers, and serve 13 million meals. Everything intertwined with sustainability. The emissions will be 1.75 million tons of carbon dioxide. The previous editions of Tokyo 2020, Rio de Janeiro 2016, and London 2012 emitted an average of 3.5 million tons into the atmosphere. It helped that Tokyo coincided with the pandemic and there was no public attendance. Even so, it will be half.

The Parisian organizers, remembers Fernando Valladares, doctor in Biological Sciences and research professor at CSIC (Superior Council for Scientific Research), have generally established a distribution of emissions that is divided between transportation of spectators, officials, and athletes (34%); construction (33%); and an equal amount in what is called “operations”, meaning catering, accommodation, or logistics. “There are good intentions, the purpose is aligned with mitigating climate change, but on the other hand, we lack more specific details of what has been achieved with these measures,” says Valladares. We will have to wait for its completion to analyze the exact figures.

In principle, Paris has designed a smart strategy that incorporates everything that has been learned from climate change and biodiversity preservation in recent years. Unaffected by a certain denialist current, science, data, and proven experience dictate. One of the aspects that, historically, has drained the most resources is building the Olympic Village and all its surroundings. The city lacks that problem. 95% of the spaces where the athletes will compete are already built. According to the risk rating agency Standard & Poor’s, the organization only has to worry about three infrastructures. “The Olympic Village (1.5 billion euros), the Aquatics Center in Saint Denis (175 million) and a sports complex to host badminton and gymnastics (138 million). Once the events have concluded, the accommodation [2,800 apartments] in the Village will become public homes through which the Administration will generate 403 million euros,” they explain. 

The majority of the competitions will take place at the Stade de France, which was built for the 1998 World Cup, and the Aquatics Center will use solar energy, recycled materials, and materials derived from biomass. Meanwhile, the Village will be supplied with geothermal and solar energy for the athletes. It will also be very different when the star sets. The verb "rest" changes materials. The athletes will rest on mattresses made from recycled fishing nets and the bed frames are made of reinforced cardboard. “This event comes at the right time, because, in addition, there is no other option than sustainability; given its international reach, it could be a turning point,” ventures Ana María Sánchez-Ostiz, professor at the School of Architecture at the University of Navarra. It can be, in literary terms, “a new chapter”.

Regarding biodiversity, the roofs of the Olympic houses have openings and closures to protect and house insects and birds. It is worth taking a moment to stop and reflect on this paradigm shift. “The Parisian government has mandated that any building under eight stories constructed for the Games must be made entirely of wood,” narrates Stephen Freedman, director of sustainability research at Pictet AM. Even France plans to require that all public buildings be constructed at least 50% with that ancient material. It is “high technology” designed by nature. “The only renewable raw material that significantly reduces dependence on fossil resources,” describes the economist. It has a fiber structure: 60% cellulose and 30% organic polymer: lignin. In the construction world, it is equivalent to steel bars and concrete. The Guardian newspaper reports that, in turn, they will plant 200,000 new trees in the streets. Throughout one's life, one can store more than 22 tons of carbon dioxide. 

But by tracing with your finger, or by using a square and ruler, on that map, it's time to give a total of 13 million meals. The menu involves duplicating the selection of vegetable-based dishes. In addition, vegetarian diets (60% of the total) and other low-carbon options will certainly be among the most requested choices. And from the Seine, its cold water is increasingly used as a cooling system in offices. The mechanism, which eliminates CO2 emissions, is based on a series of pumps that distribute the liquid through pipes to buildings, explains Raphaëlle Nayral, secretary general of Fraîcheur de Paris, in charge of this project. 

However, it is worth noting a construction, which was opened for the Universal Exhibition of 1900, where steel and glass fit together with the elegance of a Balenciaga dress, the Grand Palais (the Great Palace), which is part of the sustainable narrative. It will host some events of the Games and will use that cold water method to regulate the temperature. 

Undoubtedly, one of those historical challenges will be walking through the streets, using the subway, train or buses. Absorbing ten million visitors, under a green philosophy, is something unique. Île-de-France Mobilités —the public company that manages the Parisian transport network— plans to temporarily raise subway and bus fares to encourage the use of alternative means of transport, such as bicycles. They hope to obtain 200 million euros from the sale of tickets that will reinforce, precisely, this form of travel. In any case, public transportation will reach all sports venues.

Perhaps for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, Paris will close the circle. Without openings. The French capital is always a promise. It is in its museums, its life, on the terraces or in its people walking along the boulevards. After that hope, the change. “Consumers increasingly value products that use ecological or sustainable raw materials,” according to consulting firm McKinsey. This summer, next to the Seine, Paris should be a sustainable celebration that accompanies those who participate, or see it, wherever they go, for the rest of their lives. 

Miguel Ángel García Vega
He has been writing for EL PAÍS for some 25 years, currently for Cultura, Negocios, El País Semanal, Retina, Suplementos Especiales, and Ideas. His texts have been republished by La Nación (Argentina), La Tercera (Chile) or Le Monde (France). He has received, among others, the AECOC, Accenture, Antonio Moreno Espejo (CNMV) and Ciudad de Badajoz awards.