World Conference on Sport and Environment Will Share Knowledge to Benefit Beijing 2008 and Beyond

With increasing focus on the environment for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the 7th World Conference on Sport and the Environment next month in Beijing will bring together an unprecedented range of experts. They will focus on knowledge to benefit the host city plus future Game’s bids, National Olympic Committees, International Federations, partners and sporting goods companies. Scheduled for the 25th to 27th October, the Conference will mark the first time a representative from Greenpeace will join government and non-government specialists at the biennial conference. Beijing 2008 will also be the first time the International Olympic Committee has endorsed an independent environmental review of an Olympic Games.

The conference’s theme, “From Plan to Action”, will involve three plenary sessions including heads of environment and sustainability initiatives for the Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Olympic Games. A parallel session will include the president of the 2010 FIFA World Cup organising committee from South Africa.  All will exchange information and best practices with their Beijing 2008 counterparts, as well as learn from Greenpeace China’s experience working with sport event organisers. 

Knowledge Sharing on an Olympic Scale

“Holding this year’s world conference in Beijing with such a remarkable group of participants is highly significant,” said Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which will host the conference with the Beijing 2008 Organising Committee (BOCOG) in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). “The programme clearly shows the high level of dedication and cooperation that sport has to create a healthy and sustainable environment, and that Beijing 2008 is a catalyst for overcoming universal challenges.”

Programme topics and resources at the conference will include environment assessment reports from UNEP and BOCOG on Beijing 2008 Games preparations designed to overcome environmental challenges. Other resources will include the final sustainability report from the Turin Games, while a Sochi 2014 representative will offer an advance look at implementing environment-related bid promises. One of the plenary sessions will be dedicated to Olympic Games corporate partners showing how they adhere to “green Olympics” practices.

Programme and Registration Information

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