Paris 2024 Pushes Environmental Agenda

(ATR) Paris 2024 bid co-chair Tony Estanguet says that the International Olympic Committee must take political issues such as the environment seriously when awarding the hosting rights of the Olympic Games.

Estanguet was speaking to reporters at Roland Garros this week during the French Open, on a balmy summer’s day in Paris just 100 days from when the IOC is to decide between the French capital and Los Angeles.

The environment has been a hot topic of discussion in this region since U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement last week that he intends to withdraw his country from the Paris Agreement, the global pact signed by 195 nations designed to combat climate change and global warming.

French President Emmanuel Macron responded to the news with an unprecedented speech in English to the whole world, expressing his sadness at Trump’s decision but reiterating his commitment to reduce global emissions.

That highlighted a stark contrast between the two countries bidding to host the Games in seven years’ time.

Estanguet, responding to a question from Around the Rings, was adamant that a bidding nation’s environmental responsibility must be taken into account by the IOC when deciding on a Games host – specifically referencing the Agenda 2020 bidding reforms as integral to that decision.

"Yes [it’s important to take into account]. And I think it’s the case with the Agenda 2020," Estanguet said. "The Agenda 2020 clearly highlighted this topic. Sustainability is the most important living legacy thanks to the Games, reducing the constructions, following important milestones in terms of preparation and the new step of bidding phase.

"Now we had, thanks to Agenda 2020, those three phases with a bid book to deliver to the IOC and in all of them we had to share with the IOC what kind of new infrastructure we had to build. They came to us challenging us, saying ‘do you really need to build a permanent venue for this?’. And we had to demonstrate that the aquatics center, for instance, will serve this territory.

"There is a political desire to have an aquatics center in Saint Denis because we know that half of the children aged 10 don’t know how to swim and that’s why we decided to really invest in this aquatics center.

"But for the rest because we didn’t have this tangible plan of legacy we decided to go for temporary venues. For beach volleyball, for archery, for this kind of venues we decided to get temporary venues to not build permanent venues. This is clearly a change from before to now after the agenda 2020."

Estanguet, who is also a serving member of the IOC Athletes’ Commission, would not be drawn specifically on Trump’s controversial decision.

However, he did admit that having such a pro-sustainability president such as Macron was a significant boost to Paris’ bid to host the Olympics for the first time in 100 years - which he added would be the most environmentally friendly Games ever.

"I’m happy to see the international promotion at the moment about this topic because it’s very close to my heart," Estanguet said. "Since the beginning when we designed the concept, sustainability was one of the pillars because I’ve been competing in a natural sport; I know how important it is to respect nature and to share the same planet.

"So I was proud of my country when the Paris agreement came two years ago. To see what happened recently was not good and to see the international reaction was very positive and to see that France is committed on this topic is very strong.

He continued: "To see Mayor [Anne] Hidalgo and President Macron are really committed to this topic, making Paris 2024 really sustainable is an asset for sure. It’s very strong because we know they will deliver those promises, that we will have Games more responsible than ever."

The Paris 2024 bid plan pledges to slash carbon emissions by more than half compared to London 2012 and Rio 2016, with an estimate of 1.56 million tons of carbon dioxide being produced by Games time.

The LA 2024 bid expects to reduce its carbon footprint regardless of who is in the White House.

"Through aggressive environmental regulations and policies, Los Angeles and the state of California are global leaders in the fight against climate change," LA 2024 says in comments about sustainability in the third part of the bid book.

Among the requirements are the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the increased use of renewable energy sources. LA also aims to reduce water imports by 50 percent by 2025, and is the first U.S. city to commit to a 90 percent waste diversion goal by 2025, according to the bid book.

The IOC could also reduce their carbon footprint if they were to award the host of the 2028 Games at the same time as 2024. The executive board will meet on Friday to discuss the proposal which has been examined over the past month by a working group set up by president Thomas Bach.

The expected decision is that they will lean toward a double award, but Estanguet said that until Friday they are still fully focused on the race for 2024.

September 13 is the date when the final decision is due to go to a vote at the IOC session in Lima, Peru.

Written and reported by Christian Radnedgein Paris.

Follow on Twitter: @ChristianRad

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