Mit dem Motto “Einheit in Vielfalt” wurde vorgestern in Buenos Aires der deutsche Thomas Bach zum neunten International Olympic Comitee (IOC)-Präsidenten bestimmt. Die drei Säulen von Bachs Programm sind „Glaubwürdigkeit, Nachhaltigkeit und Partizipation“. In seinen eigenen Worten: „ Die Nachhaltigkeit der Olympischen Spiele ist ein zentrales Thema, das reicht dann vor der Phase des Bewerbungsverfahrens bis hin zum Programm der Spiele selbst“.
Ich finde viel versprechend, dass der neue Olympia-Chef, die Nachhaltigkeit als ein wichtiges Thema betrachtet. Ich hoffe, dass er tatsächlich diese Absichtserklärung in die Tat umsetzt. In dem Programm von Bach kann man einen Absatz über Nachaltigkeit lesen (auf Englisch):
SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability comprises many factors and is – with regard to the Olympic Games – a concept of respect for the environment, feasibility and development to leave a positive legacy for the hosting community and the world of sports at large.
We are faced with ever-higher expectations from many stakeholders. Also the Organising Committees strive to exceed the standards of their predecessors. We have to manage these demands and ambitions, which may all be reasonable if considered individually, in a comprehensive way. But this will require the concerted efforts and input of all stakeholders.
There is no “one fits all” solution for sustainability of Olympic Games. Host city candidates start from very different points of development and strive for very different development goals. We should respect this diversity and consider it when evaluating and electing a host city – without compromising operational excellence.
This diversity is part of the magic of the games. The IOC can contribute to sustainability by coordinating closely with all stakeholders and making them aware of the impact of their demands on the overall organization.
It would be helpful to create a commission for sustainability consisting of stakeholders and experts. This commission should continually study the state-of-the-art opportunities for sustainable management, in particular the costs, and a well-balanced, transparent financial model for organizing Olympic Games.
In this respect it should address all cost-drivers, including technology and media demands. The clear distinction between the real operating costs of the Olympic Games and the capital investment in the host city´s future infrastructure should be better defined and made more transparent.
This commission should be closely linked with evaluation, co-ordination and programme commissions. Considering the sheer size of the Olympic Games, we should absolutely keep the limits on the number of athletes. When composing the programme we should always consider the impact on the number of venues and the potentially temporary solutions.