Importance of environment in sports
Saturday, 2 January 2010
Md. Mahfuzur Rahman Siddique
THE eight-nation South Asian Games 2010, is set to begin in Dhaka, 39 days after the Copenhagen climate conference, amid growing environment concern. The games manifest the athletic aspirations of nearly 1500 hundred million people of South Asia. Athletes, organisers, and sport enthusiasts, as conscious section of the society, value the importance of environment in sports. The Olympic movement has been paying focused attention to environment.
It was at the XX Games of Olympiad in Munich, Germany, IOC adopted environmental awareness as a core programme, with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) delegates planting saplings in the Olympic Park. Echoing the classical Hellenic maxim of 'mens sana in corpore sano', a German couple, Luzian and Sigrun Verbogen, coined the slogan 'certatio sana in natura sana', which literally means 'a healthy competition in an intact environment'. The importance of environment in sports underscored by the IOC, was reflected in the 'Earth Pledge' made by the NOCs during the XXV Olympic Games at Barcelona, Spain in 1992. It was a commitment to free the Athletic World from pollution and make the earth a 'safe place to live on'. At the preparatory stage of Lillehammar Olympic Winter Games in Norway, 1994, the Organizing Committee encountered opposition of the environmental activists while constructing a certain venue. The protesters opposed the construction of an Olympic Hall for speed skating because the selected cite would harm the adjacent bird sanctuary of Lake Majosa. The venue was shifted.
And here began the role of the IOC in protecting the environment of the sports world and biodiversity. The centennial Congress of the IOC, known as the Congress of Unity, took place in Paris in the same year. The plenary session of the Congress deliberated upon the importance of environment in sports. The session proposed formation of a Sports and Environment Commission to technically assist the environmental activities of the IOC. The commission formed by the IOC in 1995 was confirmed in the 105th Session held in Atlanta in 1996. The same Congress gave environment the status of the third 'Pillar' of Olympism alongside Sports and Culture.
Thereafter, the Olympic Charter was revised incorporating environment and sustainable development in the Mission and Role of the IOC. In 1994, the IOC President was for the first time invited to the session of the UN General Assembly. The then IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch addressed the session. An agreement with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) was signed to undertake and put into effect environmental programme in sports. Under the agreement, the IOC and UNEP take joint initiatives at international level to promote sustainability in development through sports.
The UNEP has since assisted Organising Committees of the Olympic Games in planning implementation and evaluation of environmental programmes for Athens 2004, Torino 2006 and Beijing 2008. Non-profit environmental non-government organisations (NGOs) also assist the IOC or Organizing Committees of the Olympic Games in this endeavour. For example, Green Peace helped in carrying out the environmental responsibilities in organising the Sydney Olympiad as the green games. WWF has volunteered to shoulder this responsibility for the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games, London 2012.
In 1999, the IOC, with the assistance of UNEP, adopted its own Agenda 21, like that of the UN, to make the sports arena totally free from pollution and thereby ensure sustainable development. The fundamental objective of the environmental programmes of the IOC is directed towards sustainable development. As a result, all sports-related activities, from physical sports facilities to catering, are now closely linked with environment. Construction of environment-friendly sports infrastructure and holding competitions in an atmosphere free from green house gas, requiring implementation of Agenda 21 of the IOC, is called Green Games.
In this yardstick, Lillehammar Olympic Winter Games was the first ever green games of the world. Highlighting the increasing importance of environment in sports, the IOC introduced Olympic Games impact study in 2003.
The Organizing Committee is under obligation to furnish a detailed report on the impact of the Games on the environment and ecosystem to the IOC through the respective NOC. This is known as the environmental impact or foot print. Three fundamental issues for the post-Games study are economic, socio-cultural and environmental. The environmental impact study focuses attention on 34 distinct factors of which 20 relate to the assessment of the air quality, land use and emission of green house gas in the Host City. Besides, it is compulsory for bid applications to express interest to the city hosting the Games, with a detailed description of the environmental activities of the would-be Host City or Country.
The Olympic sports and environment commission has strong representation in the Olympic Games Evaluation Commission. An applicant or a bid may be denied the conferment of the games if the environmental commitment does not meet the set standard. After the environmental restrictions came, the Torino Olympic Winter Games 2006, FIFA World Cup 2006, and Beijing Games of Olympiad could be cited as environment friendly or Green Games.
Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) received recognition of the IOC in 1980. Its Secretary General Kutubuddin Ahmed, was elected a Member of the Sports and Environment Committee of Asian Olympic Council in its first meeting held in Seoul in July, 2008. BOA formed its Sports and Environment Committee in the same month at his initiative. Activities such as dialogue on sports and environment, cleanliness drive in and around the stadium etc., were taken. Environment-related programmes of the second Indo-Bangladesh Bangla Games 2008, World Environment Day 2009 and Olympic Day 2009 deserve mention.
The key sports structure of Bangladesh, including Bangabandhu National Stadium, Maulana Bashani Hockey Stadium, Mohammad Ali Boxing Stadium and other adjacent sports facilities should be made free from air and noise pollution. Similarly, Mirpur Swimming pool, Shahid Suhrawardy Indoor Stadium, Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, and the stadiums and gymnasia in the divisional and district towns should also be made free from air and noise pollution.
The sports infrastructure in Bangladesh should be made suitable for green games as per Agenda 21 of the IOC and its other directives. It is the responsibility of the national committee on sports and environment. For pollution-free facilities, it is necessary to form a national sports and environment committee comprising the representatives of Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Forest and Environment, Department of Environment, NGO's promoting environmental activism, higher academic institutions, Bangladesh Olympic Association and National Sports Federations to assist BOA.
The athletes and officials should be sensitised and familiarised with the environmental policy, and procedures of the IOC. These issues may be bought by the sports institutions in Bangladesh.
BOA should take and implement programmes in phases to give effect to the Agenda 21 of the IOC. Incentives should be given to organisers of green games at district, divisional and other levels.
Awareness on environment should be spread throughout the sports arena of the country. Environmental pollution control action should be initiated in association with local authorities.
The day is not far when it would be compulsory to ensure zero carbon atmosphere before, during and after regional games, namely SA Games or SEA Games. Bangladesh should take all preparations to make SA Games, green games.
THE eight-nation South Asian Games 2010, is set to begin in Dhaka, 39 days after the Copenhagen climate conference, amid growing environment concern. The games manifest the athletic aspirations of nearly 1500 hundred million people of South Asia. Athletes, organisers, and sport enthusiasts, as conscious section of the society, value the importance of environment in sports. The Olympic movement has been paying focused attention to environment.
It was at the XX Games of Olympiad in Munich, Germany, IOC adopted environmental awareness as a core programme, with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) delegates planting saplings in the Olympic Park. Echoing the classical Hellenic maxim of 'mens sana in corpore sano', a German couple, Luzian and Sigrun Verbogen, coined the slogan 'certatio sana in natura sana', which literally means 'a healthy competition in an intact environment'. The importance of environment in sports underscored by the IOC, was reflected in the 'Earth Pledge' made by the NOCs during the XXV Olympic Games at Barcelona, Spain in 1992. It was a commitment to free the Athletic World from pollution and make the earth a 'safe place to live on'. At the preparatory stage of Lillehammar Olympic Winter Games in Norway, 1994, the Organizing Committee encountered opposition of the environmental activists while constructing a certain venue. The protesters opposed the construction of an Olympic Hall for speed skating because the selected cite would harm the adjacent bird sanctuary of Lake Majosa. The venue was shifted.
And here began the role of the IOC in protecting the environment of the sports world and biodiversity. The centennial Congress of the IOC, known as the Congress of Unity, took place in Paris in the same year. The plenary session of the Congress deliberated upon the importance of environment in sports. The session proposed formation of a Sports and Environment Commission to technically assist the environmental activities of the IOC. The commission formed by the IOC in 1995 was confirmed in the 105th Session held in Atlanta in 1996. The same Congress gave environment the status of the third 'Pillar' of Olympism alongside Sports and Culture.
Thereafter, the Olympic Charter was revised incorporating environment and sustainable development in the Mission and Role of the IOC. In 1994, the IOC President was for the first time invited to the session of the UN General Assembly. The then IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch addressed the session. An agreement with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) was signed to undertake and put into effect environmental programme in sports. Under the agreement, the IOC and UNEP take joint initiatives at international level to promote sustainability in development through sports.
The UNEP has since assisted Organising Committees of the Olympic Games in planning implementation and evaluation of environmental programmes for Athens 2004, Torino 2006 and Beijing 2008. Non-profit environmental non-government organisations (NGOs) also assist the IOC or Organizing Committees of the Olympic Games in this endeavour. For example, Green Peace helped in carrying out the environmental responsibilities in organising the Sydney Olympiad as the green games. WWF has volunteered to shoulder this responsibility for the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games, London 2012.
In 1999, the IOC, with the assistance of UNEP, adopted its own Agenda 21, like that of the UN, to make the sports arena totally free from pollution and thereby ensure sustainable development. The fundamental objective of the environmental programmes of the IOC is directed towards sustainable development. As a result, all sports-related activities, from physical sports facilities to catering, are now closely linked with environment. Construction of environment-friendly sports infrastructure and holding competitions in an atmosphere free from green house gas, requiring implementation of Agenda 21 of the IOC, is called Green Games.
In this yardstick, Lillehammar Olympic Winter Games was the first ever green games of the world. Highlighting the increasing importance of environment in sports, the IOC introduced Olympic Games impact study in 2003.
The Organizing Committee is under obligation to furnish a detailed report on the impact of the Games on the environment and ecosystem to the IOC through the respective NOC. This is known as the environmental impact or foot print. Three fundamental issues for the post-Games study are economic, socio-cultural and environmental. The environmental impact study focuses attention on 34 distinct factors of which 20 relate to the assessment of the air quality, land use and emission of green house gas in the Host City. Besides, it is compulsory for bid applications to express interest to the city hosting the Games, with a detailed description of the environmental activities of the would-be Host City or Country.
The Olympic sports and environment commission has strong representation in the Olympic Games Evaluation Commission. An applicant or a bid may be denied the conferment of the games if the environmental commitment does not meet the set standard. After the environmental restrictions came, the Torino Olympic Winter Games 2006, FIFA World Cup 2006, and Beijing Games of Olympiad could be cited as environment friendly or Green Games.
Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) received recognition of the IOC in 1980. Its Secretary General Kutubuddin Ahmed, was elected a Member of the Sports and Environment Committee of Asian Olympic Council in its first meeting held in Seoul in July, 2008. BOA formed its Sports and Environment Committee in the same month at his initiative. Activities such as dialogue on sports and environment, cleanliness drive in and around the stadium etc., were taken. Environment-related programmes of the second Indo-Bangladesh Bangla Games 2008, World Environment Day 2009 and Olympic Day 2009 deserve mention.
The key sports structure of Bangladesh, including Bangabandhu National Stadium, Maulana Bashani Hockey Stadium, Mohammad Ali Boxing Stadium and other adjacent sports facilities should be made free from air and noise pollution. Similarly, Mirpur Swimming pool, Shahid Suhrawardy Indoor Stadium, Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium, and the stadiums and gymnasia in the divisional and district towns should also be made free from air and noise pollution.
The sports infrastructure in Bangladesh should be made suitable for green games as per Agenda 21 of the IOC and its other directives. It is the responsibility of the national committee on sports and environment. For pollution-free facilities, it is necessary to form a national sports and environment committee comprising the representatives of Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Forest and Environment, Department of Environment, NGO's promoting environmental activism, higher academic institutions, Bangladesh Olympic Association and National Sports Federations to assist BOA.
The athletes and officials should be sensitised and familiarised with the environmental policy, and procedures of the IOC. These issues may be bought by the sports institutions in Bangladesh.
BOA should take and implement programmes in phases to give effect to the Agenda 21 of the IOC. Incentives should be given to organisers of green games at district, divisional and other levels.
Awareness on environment should be spread throughout the sports arena of the country. Environmental pollution control action should be initiated in association with local authorities.
The day is not far when it would be compulsory to ensure zero carbon atmosphere before, during and after regional games, namely SA Games or SEA Games. Bangladesh should take all preparations to make SA Games, green games.