ICE RINK ENERGY
& WATER SAVINGS
IF Sustainability Project

The world faces important challenges 
across a wide spectrum of economic, 
social and environmental issues, and the 
sport community is not immune from their 
impacts. The Olympic Movement has 
both an opportunity and a duty to actively 
contribute to the global sustainability 
debate in line with its vision of “Building 
a better world through sport”.
With this in mind, and in response to 
recommendation 5 of Olympic Agenda 
2020 (“Include sustainability within 
the Olympic Movement’s 
daily operations”), the 
IOC conducted the 
International Federation 
(IF) Sustainability Project 
throughout 2016. The 
IOC carried out the project 
with three objectives: 
obtaining an overview of 
IFs’ sustainability initiatives; 
identifying common topics, 
good practices and shared challenges; 
and sharing information among the IFs. 
As part of this project, the IOC 
collaborated with the IFs to compile 
a series of case studies reflecting how 
IFs are contributing towards a more 
sustainable world. 
Each case study is aligned with one 
or more of the IOC’s five sustainability 
focus areas: infrastructure & natural sites; 
sourcing & resource management; mobility; 
workforce; and climate. These focus 
areas were selected through an extensive 
stakeholder engagement process, taking 
into consideration today’s key sustainability 
challenges and the manner in which the 
IOC believes the Olympic Movement 
can most significantly contribute to 
addressing them.
The case studies are also aligned with 
the United Nations’ (UN) framework of 17 
Sustainable Development Goals 
(SDGs). This framework is pivotal 
for the Olympic Movement: 
in September 2015, the UN 
General Assembly confirmed 
the important role that 
sport can play in supporting 
the UN’s 2030 Agenda for 
Sustainable Development 
and its SDGs.
“Sport is also an important enabler 
of sustainable development. We recognise 
the growing contribution of sport to the 
realisation of development and peace in its 
promotion of tolerance and respect and the 
contributions it makes to the empowerment 
of women and of young people, individuals 
and communities as well as to health, 
education and social inclusion objectives.”
Paragraph 37, UN 2030 Agenda 
for Sustainable Development
IF SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT

A SKATING FACILITY IN GERMANY HAS 
INSTALLED NEW TECHNOLOGY TO SAVE 
ENERGY AND REDUCE WATER CONSUMPTION. 
T
he Eissportzentrum Oberstdorf 
is the national training centre 
for figure skating in Germany, 
supported financially by the German 
and Bavarian state governments and 
owned by the community of Oberstdorf. 
The community and the government 
sought to implement two new systems 
to reduce energy costs and conserve 
water. 
1.	 New refrigeration plant
The ice rink’s new refrigeration system is 
a “warm-cold exchange system”, which 
supports the building’s heating system. 
The waste heat generated by refrigeration 
is incorporated into the heating system, 
significantly reducing energy consumption 
at the facility – as at most ice rinks, this 
waste heat had previously vanished 
through an exhaust system. The 
reconstruction of the ice rink in late 2014 
was completed in approximately three 
months. It was approved by the German 
Ice Skating Federation and supported by 
the German Ministry of Sport.
2. New technologies for ice 
resurfacing machines
The ice resurfacing machine at the 
rink has been equipped with a scale 
to measure the amount of water filling 
the tank, along with a mechanism that 
ensures the filling process automatically 
stops when the required amount of 
water has been reached – previously, 
the machine was always completely 
filled regardless of how much water was 
required for the specific task at hand. 
The person operating the machine 
can preselect the required quantity of 
water, in some cases by using electronic 
control units located around the rink.
The water supply pipe that provides 
water to the machine is equipped with 
a thermostatic valve, which regulates 
OBJECTIVES 
After the city of 
Oberstdorf in Germany 
was faced with high 
energy costs associated 
with operating and 
maintaining local ice 
rinks and swimming 
pools, city officials 
researched ways of 
reducing utility costs. 
Officials decided 
to invest in a new 
refrigeration plant 
for the local ice rink, 
which is used for 
skating, curling and ice 
hockey, in an attempt 
to reduce the energy 
costs at the facility. In 
addition to the new 
refrigeration plant, the 
ice resurfacing machines 
were equipped with new 
technology in order to 
save water and energy.
“THE TECHNOLOGY 
CAN SAVE 40-50% OF 
THE ENERGY REQUIRED 
FOR THE BUILDING’S 
HEATINGS COSTS.”

ISU CONTACT: Peter Krick, ISU Honorary Member & Consultant (peter.krick@eventint.com)
UN SDGs
INFRASTRUCTURE 
& NATURAL SITES
IOC FOCUS AREA
the temperature and can be manually 
adjusted using the electronic control units. 
The required temperature varies between 
40° and 60° Celsius, depending on the 
activities taking place in each session. 
For example, figure skating requires 
“warmer” ice than ice hockey or short 
track speed skating; resurfacing after a 
public session requires more water at 
colder temperatures than resurfacing 
after a sport session; and preparing for a 
figure skating session requires less water 
than an ice hockey session. Adjusting the 
water temperature accordingly can save 
40%-50% of the energy required for the 
building’s heating system. 
The entire system can be placed on a 
time control. Approximately 15 minutes 
before the preset resurfacing time, the 
heating system will begin to warm the 
water to the predetermined temperature 
and will begin filling the tank. 
The filling process will cease once the 
required level of water has been reached. 
The system guarantees that no 
energy is wasted by heating water at 
unnecessary times; the water temperature 
is automatically regulated, saving energy; 
the automation allows the driver of the 
machine to focus on other matters; and 
the amount of water used each day has 
been reduced by 30-40%. 
EVALUATION
Having studied the impressive results 
in Oberstdorf, the International Skating 
Union (ISU) has begun discussing how 
to help to promote these methods of 
energy and water conservation for ice 
rinks. Contact has been made with the 
International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) 
to see how the two IFs could partner to 
promote the process at other ice rinks 
across the globe.
Each project 
contributes to 
one or more of the 
IOC’s sustainability 
focus areas and 
one or more of the 
UN’s SDGs: