Athens Summer Olympics Signs Environmental Commitment

ATHENS, Greece, June 2, 2004 (ENS) - Scoreboards and video boards at the Greek Olympic Games coming up this summer in Athens will carry environment related messages as part of an agreement signed today between the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Athens organizers. But security concerns have trumped environmental considerations in Athens, and some of the organizers' initial plans have fallen by the wayside.

Aimed at boosting the environmental profile of this year’s Olympic Games, the memo was signed in the Olympic Tennis Centre by Eric Falt, director of UNEP’s Division of Communications and Public Information and Yannis Pyrgiotis, executive director of the Organizing Committee for the Athens 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games (ATHOC).

Signs at the Athens Olympics will bear environmental messages. This one says, "The goal is sports meetings with less waste." (Photo courtesy ATHOC)

The athletes will compete in 28 sports at 35 venues over a period of 18 days, from August 11 to 29.

UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer said, “Athens 2004 havs made environmental commitments in areas such as recycling, public awareness and developing green spaces. We are sure that some of these will leave a lasting and healthy legacy beyond this year's summer games."

“It should also be made clear that these 2004 Summer Olympic Games are being organized in one of the most difficult atmospheres of recent times with heightened concerns about security," Toepfer acknowledged.

"The organizers have taken this issue seriously to ensure a safe and secure Olympics. But this has probably come at a price and other considerations, including parts of their environmental program, may alas have fallen short of their initial aspirations,” he said.

Falt said he is pleased with ATHOC's decision to celebrate World Environment Day 2004 on June 5 in close collaboration with the Athens Environmental Foundation (AEF). As part of the event, hundreds of divers led by Jean-Michel Cousteau and AEF Executive Director Tony Diamantidis will carry out an underwater cleanup at sites on the Greek coast including the Port of Athens.

As part of the agreement, UNEP and ATHOC will develop and implement jointly two public awareness and educational campaigns, one on waste management and anti-littering and the other on water conservation.

Recycling bins like these at the Athens Olympics allow recyclables to be sorted as they are discarded. (Photo courtesy ATHOC)

One key section of the agreement calls for ATHOC to develop a compilation of environmental challenges and achievements of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. This will offer a detailed account of the environmental perspective concerning all aspects of the games – including a specific assessment concerning the venues.

Despite security concerns Athens has put effort into greening the city for the Games, planting more than one million large bushes, 290,000 new trees and 11 million new shrubs.

UNEP announced that it is establishing contact with the five cities short-listed for the Summer Olympic Games of 2012 to discuss how the environment can feature high in their proposals.

In a letter to the five cities - London, Madrid, Moscow, New York and Paris - Toepfer wrote, “ Your bid explicitly recognizes the importance of incorporating environmental responsibility into the planning and staging of the Olympic Games. In this regard, I would like to formally offer the assistance of UNEP in helping you to strengthen the environmental component of your bid.”

“We hope to be closely involved in evaluating the environmental legacy of the Athens Games. We hope to make these findings and our environmental knowledge, gained not only through Athens but from our involvement in the upcoming Winter Olympics in Torino, available to others including those cities bidding for the 2012 Olympics,” said Toepfer.

Namibia’s only Olympic medallist, Frankie Fredericks collected four silvers at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games in the 100 meter and 200 meter races. In the 1996 Games in Atlanta, it took a world record in both races to beat him. (Photo courtesy Engen)

“We have to look after the environment,” says Namibian Olympic sprinter Fredericks. “If we keep destroying it, it will be difficult for future generations to have clean air.”

“I have chosen to dedicate my life to sport, and in particular cross-country skiing, because I feel at ease in the environment in which I move, suffer and live," said Manuela di Centa of Italy, an Olympic Gold Medallist. "It was also love for nature, the desire to feel closer to nature through physical hardship, that led me to discover extreme and unique environment."

UNEP has also signed a Memo of Understanding with the Turin 2006 Olympic Winter Games Organizers (TOROC). The agreement, made on June 4, 2003, involves UNEP and TOROC working together to promote environmental issues during the planning and staging of these Games.

As a result of the agreement, TOROC has subscribed to the International Cleaner Production Declaration and has already incorporated clean production mechanisms in its activities and green procurement in its purchases. Public awareness campaigns on the environment are planned prior to and during the Turin Winter Olympic Games.

The official site of the ATHENS 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games is at: http://www.athens2004.com/athens2004/

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