International Olympic Committee puts Agenda 2030 at the core of the Paris Olympics

The sports body aligns itself with the U.N. and will prioritize inclusion, equality, sustainability and the rest of the Sustainable Development Goals at the event.

Published by

Alejandro Baños

2 de julio, 2024

The United Nations (U.N.) is ensuring, little by little, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) it established and imposed back in 2015 become the basis of society before 2030, the goal date for their influence to be absolute.

There are several, if not many, companies and even individuals who are complying with the U.N. and rigorously following each of these 17 pillars. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the organizer of the Olympic Games, will hold a summit a day before the start of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 to communicate that the SDGs will be the axis of the biggest sporting event on the planet. The venue that will host that meeting on July 25 will be the Carrousel du Louvre shopping mall in the center of the French capital.

Through a communiqué, the IOC informed that this meeting, dubbed "Sport for Sustainable Development: Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together for a Better Future," seeks to "allow countries and sports stakeholders to make clear their determination to ensure that sport contributes to the SDGs." For the ICO and French President Emmanuel Macron, who is also acting as organizer of the summit, the goal is that all the conclusions reached will serve as an example for "future generations."

It is estimated that around 500 guests will be welcomed at the summit. This figure includes "heads of state and government, leaders of international organi[z]ations, athletes and representatives of the sports movement ... as well as development financiers."

Inclusion, equality and sustainability

The IOC's alignment with the U.N. and its SDGs is clearly reflected in the main objective of this summit: "to launch a global 'sport and sustainable development' initiative across five areas: education and employment, health and nutrition, equality and inclusion, sustainability and legacy, and financing and impact measurement."

"This Summit will contribute to the legacy of the Paris 2024 Games by strengthening and structuring the contribution of sport to the SDGs," added the IOC.

Not the first time sports have embraced SDGs

The IOC is the latest sports institution to embrace the SDGs and will make them a key figure in the structure and delivery of the Paris Olympics.

Prior to the IOC, UEFA, the organizer of the Euro, reported that the Agenda 2030, as the SDGs are also known, would have a prominent place within European soccer's top competition at the national team level.

"In line with increased societal expectations around football needing to accelerate action around social and environmental sustainability, this is our chance to lead by example by delivering the tournament to the highest sustainability standards. Through the targeted investments and measures presented in our strategic approach, we have built the foundation to contribute to the tournament’s legacy, in full alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals," UEFA said.